Announcing that you’re travelling to Myanmar with kids often raises more eyebrows than travelling to other Southeast Asian destinations. Yes, there are serious political problems in parts of the country but Myanmar also has a reputation as being a somewhat more unusual family travel destination than its more popular neighbours, like Thailand.

Before we flew to Myanmar last month, I had lots of questions. I did a lot of research. I searched the internet but couldn’t really find the answers I was looking for. Blogs tended to gloss over some of the harsher details and the newspapers only covered the negatives.

I’ve put together this list of 9 questions that I asked to help other families travelling to Myanmar with kids feel knowledgeable and confident with their travel plans.

Travelling to Myanmar with kids

The answers that I found to these questions come from a variety of sources but mostly our own personal experiences in Myanmar with kids. Ah, isn’t hindsight a wonderful thing!

As always, do your own research and double-check facts but I hope that my answers give you a realistic idea of how to have a successful and highly enjoyable holiday in Myanmar with kids.

Where to go and how long to stay in Myanmar with kids?

A simple Yangon – Bagan – Inle Lake – Yangon 10 day family travel itinerary was perfect for us. Our children are still only 3 and 5. Any longer and we would have wanted to go to a beach area to relax – and most of these are in the West of Myanmar and considered unsafe for tourists currently.

Us grown-ups would have liked to have tagged on Mandalay to see the Imperial Palace and some of the amazing sounding local temple complexes nearby. Older kids could easily deal with this extra destination but my little ones were “templed out” after three days in Bagan.

Is there much to do and see in Myanmar with kids?

Well, there are A LOT of Buddhist temples. Seriously, tens of thousands. In Bagan of course but also in Yangon and Inle Lake. As a family, we love to explore ancient ruins with our kids. The temples and monasteries in Myanmar are incredibly diverse from crowded, golden temples buzzing with life to the forgotten ruins of over-grown temples on hillsides. Everyone will find a temple that to love.

Aside from temples, Inle Lake offers stunning scenery as well as a glimpse into a unique way of life. Artisan workshops in Bagan and Inle Lake offer children (and adults) an education in how items were once traditionally made all across the world, from loom-weaving to blacksmiths.

Check out our detailed posts on to plan the perfect family holiday to Myanmar:

Bagan with Kids: Incredible temples and more!

Inle Lake with kids: 5 awesome things to do PLUS useful tips

Yangon with kids: A 1 Day Family Travel Guide

If you’re after a more active holiday, try cycling around Bagan, hot-air ballooning over Old Bagan (over 8s only), kayaking on Inle Lake or hiking. Finally, in Yangon, H did spot a soft play (yep, he continuously asked to go there for days afterwards) and we found a great play park right in the middle of Mahabandoola Gardens in central Yangon.

Do we need visas to enter Myanmar?

Yep. UK citizens sure do. Other nationalities should check if you do too. For us, it was easy to get an e-visa online – simply inputting our passport details and, of course, paying the fee. We were able to get the e-visa as we entered and left Myanmar via Yangon’s airport.  Luckily there are loads of interesting and fun things to fill a day or two in Yangon with.

Is it easy to get around Myanmar with kids?

Yes and no.

Yes, it is easy to get around towns and cities using taxis or app services like Grab. The driving is kind of crazy (more on that later) but getting between towns can take forever.

Initially, we looked at a map of Myanmar and thought “we’ll get around by bus or car”. Then we realized that even straight forward journies between cities can take 8-9 hours. A lifetime with two wriggling children! These long journey times are partly because the roads aren’t great and also, according to our guidebook, many roads aren’t open to foreigners.

In the name of adventure travel, we almost booked an overnight train from Yangon to Bagan but on second thoughts decided that our small children might find up to 18 hours on a train quite difficult. We were also warned about frequent delays. So to make our 10 day holiday as smooth as possible, we flew around the country. OK, we feel a bit guilty about our carbon footprint and we do love train travel but, on this occasion, I’m so glad we choose to fly. It was easy, quick and even Zizi can easily be occupied for 75 minutes.

What should a family pack for Myanmar?

A good first aid kit, a battery-powered torch (there are frequent power cuts), crisp US dollars to exchange although there are ATMs everywhere (most worked for us). Lots of clothes that can be layered. In December, Yangon was a pleasant 27 degrees Celsius during the day but Inle Lake dropped to around 11 degrees at night. Bring jumpers or hoodies and layer up your clothing if you are there in the winter.

What is the food like in Myanmar for kids?

As I mention in our Inle Lake post, we generally loved the food in Myanmar despite having been told that it wasn’t very good.

Our little ones love fish, chicken, fruit, vegetables, potatoes and rice. We found all of these foods easily on every menu. Admittedly, Myanmar curries often don’t have much of a kick but that was perfect for me and the kids. The crispy broad beans served as a side or on salads – mmmm, so good.

As for food safety, we always ate in busy, popular restaurants, made a huge deal out of washing our hands and avoided pork. No-one got ill (yay!) and we got to try some yummy new dishes.

What about health and safety? Is travelling around Myanmar with kids dangerous?

I have a nose for ‘dodginess’. If I don’t feel comfortable, I don’t go somewhere. I never once felt uneasy in Myanmar aside from in cars. That said, we were travelling around in daylight with kids, not bar-hopping at 1 am.

However, we did have some white-knuckle taxi rides in Inle Lake through the mountains to and from Heho airport and a few times in Yangon. Think about bringing portable child car seats with you for an added sense of security.

Above all, remember that Myanmar is still a developing country with much poverty. Safety standards aren’t up to the standards you’d expect in Europe. Watch out for: planks with rusty nails sticking out, stray dogs (none seemed fierce), basic toilet facilities, uneven sidewalks (if any) etc

Did we take anti-malarials whilst travelling in Myanmar with kids?

No.

In Malaysia, where we live, they don’t dispense malaria prevention medication for children. Therefore, we carefully chose three locations where the risk of contracting malaria is incredibly low. I did lots of research, checked with our doctor and felt comfortable with the minuscule risk.

That said, we live in Kuala Lumpur where dengue fever is present, so just like at home we practised numerous bite prevention methods all day, every day. At Inle Lake, our hotel provided mosquito spraying every night as well as mosquito nets which we used. We covered up bare skin not just at night but also during the day. We used good mosquito repellent day and night on any exposed skin.

Is it ethically ok to visit Myanmar?

Obviously, I can’t answer this one for you. Everyone has their own personal beliefs, ethics and boundaries.

The Myanmar press simply refers to the situation in the West of the country as “the Rakhine Issue”. In the West, our press tends to refer to it as genocide or massacre with good reason. The atrocities that are currently happening in Rakhine State against the Rohingya Muslim minority people are horrendous.

After booking our trip to Myanmar with kids, I felt ashamed to say ‘Myanmar’ everytime someone asked where we were going on holiday. My dad in particular, not normally a man of strong political views, was irritated that we could consider a holiday in Myanmar.

As expected tourism is definitely down in Myanmar, many restaurants and hotels seemed half empty. During our stay, I felt like our money and our presence was helping local communities survive a difficult period. We tipped extra and bought more souvenirs than we normally would because the people were incredibly friendly and we wanted to help a bit.

If you are thinking of a trip to Myanmar and would like to learn more about the situation, then I’d like to recommend the following article. This great article by Unearth Women gives a female perspective of the plight of the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees now living in Bangladesh.

THE DEVASTATING REALITIES OF ROHINGYA WOMEN IN REFUGEE CAMPS by Unearth Women

I’d also recommend searching on Youtube for a video by the comedian John Oliver that uncovers the story of how Facebook (yep, those friendly social media guys…) played an ‘active’ role in the building of anti-Rohingya sentiments in Myanmar.

Aung San Suu Kyi: Myanmar’s heroine who fell from grace

Stripped of her Nobel Peace prize, decried by Amnesty International and shunned by the international community, Aung San Suu Kyi has become a hated figure around the world.

Once feted as the saviour of Myanmar and kept under house arrest for years, the highly educated Aung San Suu Kyi has failed to step in and condemn the Myanmar military’s persuetion of the Rohingya people (a Muslim group) living in the West of the country. Read this in-depth Guardian article about Aung San Suu Kyi’s legacy to find out more about this fierce and complex woman.

Thanks for reading our post on 9 Frequently Asked Questions about travelling to Myanmar with kids. I hope that I have answered some of the concerns and questions that you may have about visiting this beautiful country. Please share your own ideas and suggestions about travelling to Myanmar with kids in the comments below.

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