Distance from Yangon Cruise Port to City Center

[ssawjo]

I was wondering what the distance/time is from the cruise ship port for Yangon, Myanmar, to the city center.  We are there for 3days/2nights on the Oceania Riviera in January 2024.  I asked my TA for suggested tours and the company she deals with has us staying in the city at the Lotte Hotel and Resort (which looks very nice indeed) and doing tours of the city from the hotel.  I am asking this question because I was wondering if it is worth the cost of a hotel instead of going back to the ship each night.

 

Thanks for your responses.

 

Bill

[austromyrtus]

australia has a travel advice site called 'smart traveller' where i found this entry which not only warns against travel to myanmar but specifically warns against the lotte hotel (has links to the military junta). will you have valid travel insurance if you stay in yangon? personally if i was to go (i did  enjoy my travel in myanmar for 4 weeks in 2007 and would like to revisit but not under theee current regime), i would be going on ship excursions & returning to the ship at night. 

 

https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/asia/myanmar

Latest update

Still current at: 09 March 2023

Updated:10 February 2023

Latest update:We continue to advise do not travel to Myanmar due to ongoing civil unrest and armed conflict. Violence, including explosions and attacks, can occur anywhere and anytime, including in Yangon. Attacks may be planned against locations that are frequented by foreigners, which could include the Shangri-La and Lotte hotel and serviced apartments in Yangon, and restaurants and hotels in Nay Pyi Taw. Attacks are unpredictable in their location and intensity. The main targets have been infrastructure, police and military vehicles, and security and administrative personnel. Targets may also include other civilian infrastructure, including hotels, serviced apartments, restaurants, bars, shopping malls, schools, petrol stations and supermarkets. Heightened security arrangements are in place for Australian officials. Remain aware of the security environment at all times. Exercise caution including in townships under martial law. Minimise movement, especially on anniversaries and days of national significance and monitor media closely. Avoid all public gatherings, protests and areas of known and possible unrest. A curfew remains in place. There have been widespread detentions, including of foreigners. Australians may be at risk of arbitrary detention.

We continue to advise:

Do not travel to Myanmar due to ongoing civil unrest and armed conflict.

[ssawjo]

On 3/8/2023 at 8:46 PM, austromyrtus said:

australia has a travel advice site called 'smart traveller' where i found this entry which not only warns against travel to myanmar but specifically warns against the lotte hotel (has links to the military junta). will you have valid travel insurance if you stay in yangon? personally if i was to go (i did  enjoy my travel in myanmar for 4 weeks in 2007 and would like to revisit but not under theee current regime), i would be going on ship excursions & returning to the ship at night. 

 

https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/asia/myanmar

Latest update

Still current at: 09 March 2023

Updated:10 February 2023

Latest update:We continue to advise do not travel to Myanmar due to ongoing civil unrest and armed conflict. Violence, including explosions and attacks, can occur anywhere and anytime, including in Yangon. Attacks may be planned against locations that are frequented by foreigners, which could include the Shangri-La and Lotte hotel and serviced apartments in Yangon, and restaurants and hotels in Nay Pyi Taw. Attacks are unpredictable in their location and intensity. The main targets have been infrastructure, police and military vehicles, and security and administrative personnel. Targets may also include other civilian infrastructure, including hotels, serviced apartments, restaurants, bars, shopping malls, schools, petrol stations and supermarkets. Heightened security arrangements are in place for Australian officials. Remain aware of the security environment at all times. Exercise caution including in townships under martial law. Minimize movement, especially on anniversaries and days of national significance and monitor media closely. Avoid all public gatherings, protests and areas of known and possible unrest. A curfew remains in place. There have been widespread detentions, including of foreigners. Australians may be at risk of arbitrary detention.

We continue to advise:

Do not travel to Myanmar due to ongoing civil unrest and armed conflict.

Thank you for your advice.  Sounds like some parts of Mexico.  

 

I will have travel insurance.  I never leave home without it.  There has been some speculation that if the "troubles" continue, the port call to Yangon will be canceled by Oceania Cruise Line.  So, my guess is not to go to Bagan no matter what.  Is that correct?  Did some google map searches and I see that the port is about one hour away, depending on traffic, from the city center.  That is not too bad of a commute.

 

My TA is working with an agency for some off ship excursions and they selected the Lotte Hotel.  Perhaps we will just do ship excursions.  We are there 3 days/2 nights, so I don't want to sit on the ship.  (BTW, it appears that any cruise ship calling at Yangon has to spend 3 days/2 nights in port.  Must be some type of requirement placed on the cruise lines in order to visit.)

 

I guess that I will wait and see what Oceania does.  I really would like to visit Myanmar as I doubt I will be able to do so again in the future.

 

Thanks again, Bill

 

 

[austromyrtus]

i see the us dept of state has also issued 'do not travel' warning for myanmar... i don't know how insurance works in the us but if it is like australia, would make it very difficult to get insurance which will cover any travel in burma. 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/burma-travel-advisory.html

 

yes waiting to see what oceania does sounds like a very good idea. there is a tripadvisor forum for burma you may want to look at. a few intrepid young backpackers are travelling there at the moment but they probably don't worry about insurance (think they can call on eembassies for help!) and don't have a deadline of getting back to a ship hanging over them. 

 

hope it all works out for you though as bagan is a very special place. hopefully efforts by locals/united nations/other countries will help to lower the travel warning before your trip. 

[ssawjo]

On 3/11/2023 at 2:27 PM, austromyrtus said:

i see the us dept of state has also issued 'do not travel' warning for myanmar... i don't know how insurance works in the us but if it is like australia, would make it very difficult to get insurance which will cover any travel in burma. 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/burma-travel-advisory.html

 

yes waiting to see what oceania does sounds like a very good idea. there is a tripadvisor forum for burma you may want to look at. a few intrepid young backpackers are travelling there at the moment but they probably don't worry about insurance (think they can call on eembassies for help!) and don't have a deadline of getting back to a ship hanging over them. 

 

hope it all works out for you though as bagan is a very special place. hopefully efforts by locals/united nations/other countries will help to lower the travel warning before your trip. 

Yes, I did check with the US State Department and they are also recommending what you say.  Backpackers are a different breed from me and I admire what they do.  But sometimes they can get themselves killed for being stupid, like crossing into Afghanistan or someplace like that.  

 

I will reach out to you if Oceania makes a decision.  I copied and pasted your earlier post to our roll call just as an FYI.  Not sure if anyone else looks at this particular board.

 

Thanks and stay safe, Bill

[sailinginthesunset]

Bill

 

We too have been researching overnight excursions in Myanmar and did find a tour company. They replied back to us - 

 

“The shore excursion itinerary was created before the covid-19 period.

After the covid and the military coup, there are only 2 to 3 times flights scheduled a week from Bagan to Yangon.

Tourism in Myanmar is not fully operational yet.

 

I think I can look up the flights earliest in November.

When I got the best possible schedule, I will let you know.”

 

Beth

[Izzywiz]

We were luck enough to visit Myanmar on a 14 night Irrawaddy River cruise in 2016 and absolutely loved the country, the people, the culture and the history so we were really pleased to be able to visit once again on a cruise in 2020 just before the pandemic.

These are extracts from my diary that may be of use to you…

 

Fri 31 January 2020. Yangon, Myanmar. 06.00 and overnight

 Ship’s Tour; A Taste of Yangon; Approximate duration: 6hrs

Thilawa port

·         The port is a large industrial port about 35km from Yangon.

·         Walking in the port area isn’t allowed so there is a shuttle bus to the port gate which is probably 1km from the quay.

·         Ship’s tour busses wait by the gangway.

·         There may have been a few taxis at the port gate but it was difficult to tell from the bus.

·         There are a few homes and shops of a 'local' nature near the gate but nothing that resembled anything selling souvenirs and it was very obvious that the people living there were extremely poor by western standards.

Yangon City

·         The city has a population of over 1,000,000 people and is very crowded, bustling and colourful.

·         There is a vast difference in living standards throughout the city from people living in abject poverty to extremely wealthy people.

·         The traffic levels are high and it is a slow process to move around the city.

·         The people were very friendly and eager to help.

·         Some signage is in English.

·         The Buddhist temples are spectacular and the colonial centre has some magnificent Victorian buildings but, unfortunately, they have not been maintained particularly well.

 

Ship’s tour - A Taste of Yangon.

·         We met in the theatre at 07.15 and eventually left the port at 08.00 as the 6 busses travelled in convoy with a police escort to help us through the rush hour traffic.

·         The journey took us through some rather dreary countryside and then through a few villages and a small town which was much more interesting as we could begin to get an idea of how the local people live.

·         We finally arrived at the Shwedagon Pagoda at 09.20. This was good because it wasn’t too crowded and hot.

·         We have to remove all foot coverings and these were stored in numbered baskets.

·         People were given long skirts to wear if not appropriately dressed....no shorts/short skirts and revealing clothing......modesty is the key.

·         Wheelchairs were available for less mobile visitors.....our assistant guide pushed Evadne and she was very grateful.

·         There were toilets, a souvenir shop and a security checkpoint on the ground floor and then we were taken to the temple itself by lift.

·         I don’t have the words to describe the size and magnificence of the temple compound....it is huge and dazzling. We had an hour to explore. Most of our group went around with our guide but, as we had been before, we did our own tour.

·         Our second stop was at the temple of the 'reclining Buddha' - Chauk Htat Gyi - where we had 25 minutes to look round. We, again, had to remove foot coverings before entering the building but people in shorts didn’t have to cover up.

·         I was pleasantly surprised because the Buddha was huge and beautifully maintained so it was worth a visit.

·         From there we headed across town to the city centre where we were taken to a restaurant for a 'snack'. It was a bit worrying when we passed through an entrance which said 'Full Gospel Assembly' over the door and then along a dingy corridor and up a long flight of steps but everything was great as we walked into the 'Burma Bistro' as the setting was lovely and the snack was almost a meal. People had been asked about food allergies during the journey so their menu could be adapted accordingly. I didn’t intend to have the fish soup but it turned out to be delicious as were the noodles, samosas and other little bits.

·         Our last stop was in the old colonial area where there was a small park and several colonial buildings.

·         The journey back to the ship took just over an hour and we were back on board by 14.15.

A great trip.

 

Sat 01 February 2020. Yangon, Myanmar - Departure time - 18.30

Ship’s Tour; Local Life in Thanlyin; Approximate duration: 5hrs

A.M. very hot and sunny

 

 

Local Life in Thanlyin; 08.30 - 13.30

·         The bus left at 08.30 and after a 30-minute drive we stopped at a place where the trishaws were waiting. It was a bit tricky getting on but once I was shown the easy way, I managed ok. The difficult bit was having no backrest and nothing to hold on to but it was such a tight squeeze that I don’t think that I could have fallen out!!

·         The ride took about 15 minutes and was through the back residential streets of the town of Thanlyin…..an interesting and worthwhile adventure!!!

 

·         We got off at the town’s main market where we had 45 minutes plus a 15-minute toilet break. The market was busy, colourful, crowded and full of every type of merchandise. The stall holders were welcoming and I got 2 pairs of flip-flops for US$10.

·         The toilets left a lot to be desired but that was our only loo break so we had to make the most of it!

·         The next stop was the monastery of Bon Pham where we had about 45 minutes. There was time to go into some of the rooms and to see the way the monks of all ages lived their simple lives......we have visited more interesting monasteries before as this one was very simple and, to be honest, there wasn’t much to see.

·         Our last stop was at a village where we had a long and very hot walk through the streets and were able to see the way the ordinary Burmese people live. We went to a house where we were offered cans of soft drinks, fresh coconut water, water and peanut brittle sweets before returning to the bus for the 30-minute drive back to the port.

·         An interesting tour and more to my liking than the big city.

·         Thilawa port

 

·         Yangon City

 

 

 

·       Shwedagon Pagoda

 

 

 

 

 

 

·         'reclining Buddha' - Chauk Htat Gyi

·         trishaws

·         Thanlyin

·         main market

 

·         monastery of Bon Pham

 

·         village

 

 

 

[ssawjo]

Thank you for your diary posts.  We are really looking forward to visiting Yangon.  If we do, we will stay in the city overnight in order to not have to return back to the ship using private tours.  However, the way things are going in country I do not see how Oceania will be calling there in January 2024.  They have already cancelled one port call and others will be probably cancelled.  

 

Did you have an opportunity to ride the Circle Train?

 

Thanks, Bill

[Izzywiz]

Hi Bill,

unfortunately we didn’t have the chance to ride the circle train….our time in Yangon was so busy.

I do hope you get the chance to experience this beautiful country. The political situation isn’t good but the ordinary people deserve so much more than they are getting from their government. There is so much to see and do in the country and we were so lucky to be able to visit all the places along the Irrawaddy River in 2016. It was a magical experience.