RegionOutline guide

Eastern Myanmar

Myanmar

Photo: mydaydream89, CC0 via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

Eastern Myanmar is a region in Myanmar comprising the Shan and Kayah states.

Getting there and around

Getting there

By bus
Buses link cities in this region to each other and to the major Burmese centres of Yangon and Mandalay.
By car
This region is connected by highways to Central Myanmar and to Thailand through the Tachileik/Mae Sai border.
By train
The major cities in this region are connected by local trains off the Yangon-Mandalay mainline. The connection with the mainline to this region is at Thazi.

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Getting around

By rail
g. Taungyyi, Loikaw) is possible on the local train line, albeit slow. However, smaller towns and furthest reaches of this region will not be connected by the sparse rail network in this region.

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Airports and nearby hotels

Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.

Heho Airport

Heho · Regional · HEH

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Cities

Heho

gateway to Inle Lake

Hsipaw

town on the old Burma Road from Mandalay to Lashio

Kengtung

Kengtung (Cheingtung, Chiang Tung, Kengtong, Kyaingtong) is a town in Shan State, Eastern Myanmar.

Kyaukme

Kyaukme or Kyauk Me is a town in Shan State in Eastern Myanmar.

Loikaw

the capital of Kayah State

Tachileik

border crossing to Mae Sai in Chiang Rai, Thailand

Taunggyi

the capital of Shan State

Inle Lake

Inle Lake is a shallow lake in the middle of Myanmar, southeast of Mandalay. The lake is 22 km long, and is densely inhabited by many different tribes.

Read before you go to Eastern Myanmar

Articles and travel topics about Eastern Myanmar and Myanmar.

Culture & history

Historical Places in Myanmar: Temples, Palaces and Ancient Sites

Explore premier historical places in Myanmar, from Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon and ancient Bagan temples to Mandalay palace ruins and Indein stupas.

Oct 17, 20267 min read

Travel tips

Bagan Travel Guide: Temples, Transport and Entry Costs

A practical Bagan travel guide to the temples, the archaeological zone fee, e-bikes, where to stay and daily costs, with the current safety advice.

Oct 17, 20266 min read

Travel tips

Myanmar Travel Advice: Entry Rules and Safety Information

Myanmar travel advice for 2026, covering official safety warnings, the tourist eVisa, money and cash rules, SIM cards, photography and health.

Oct 17, 20266 min read

Food & drink

Burmese cuisine

Burmese cuisine reflects the history, ethnic and climatic diversity of Myanmar. Less well known than the neighbouring cuisines of China, India and Thailand due to a smaller diaspora and reclusive government in modern…

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Full travel guide

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UnderstandThe Shan people in Myanmar are the same as the Dai people in China's Yunnan Province. The Shan people are one of the largest minority groups in Myanmar.

TalkThis area is linguistically very rich, with many languages spoken by the various ethnic groups. The Shan language is a Kra-Dai language related to Thai, though not mutually intelligible.

Get inLoikaw Airport (LIW) - Loikaw airport is the only commercial airport in Kayah state and connects the state with Yangon. Myanmar National Airlines and Air KBZ operate a daily flight to this airport from Yangon.

Get aroundCar is the easiest way to travel in this region. Roads other than the highways in the rural parts of this region can be quite poor with many existing as unpaved dirt roads.

SeeThe daily market in the regional administrative city of Kengtung is a sprawling complex with a wide variety of goods, including tourist souvenirs, although they do not get many tourists.

EatTry the traditional foods of this area which include:

DrinkLocal liquors in the region are of the moonshine variety made from fermented palm sugar or grains. You may be able to see people selling their homemade liquor in what appears to be gasoline containers in smaller towns.

Stay safeThe area is generally safe for foreigners, but traveling to remote areas in this region without a local guide may bring up the attention of a variety of groups.

Sources and licences

Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Eastern Myanmar" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: mydaydream89, CC0 via Wikimedia Commons

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