The experiences you gain when traveling are unforgettable and often a formative experience for children. Families in Shanghai are blessed with having many incredible destinations right at their fingertips and the opportunity to share these wonders with their children. We asked families around Asia to tell us their most treasured memories and favorite family-friendly destinations. Read on for some fun stories and insider tips!
Myanmar has always been on our list of places to go in Southeast Asia, however, we held off due to the political situation. But now, as it has improved, we took the opportunity to visit this wonderful country.
Also known as Burma, Myanmar is located northeast of Thailand. You will find nice beaches on the coast, impressive mountains in the north and northeast and, of course, lots of pagodas throughout the country (particularly in the Mandalay, Bagan and Yangon areas). It is home to farming on the banks and a fascinating array of river animals like river dolphins, which we sadly didn’t manage to see.
For a nice short trip with the family, we suggest visiting Bagan and Lake Inle. Seeing Yangon is also a must because of the famous Shwedagon Pagoda, but you can skip out on seeing the rest if you are pressed for time. Discovering the pagodas was a fun adventure for our kids and they liked to ring the bells in the temples.
We really enjoyed strolling around the area of Bagan with our tour guide or by ourselves on e-bikes. The kids loved visiting the Green Hill Valley Elephant Camp near Kalaw where they got to help feed and bathe the elephants. We also liked cruising over Lake Inle and visiting the floating villages, where you can watch the one-legged rowers float by on their boats.
Because the country has just started opening up more, we found that people were very interested in tourists and especially children, and they were generally very relaxed. The locals were very nice and friendly to the kids, which made it a safe and fun family destination – although we have never felt particularly unsafe traveling around Southeast Asia with children.
Since traveling with kids – especially younger ones – is always a challenge, I recommend booking a guided private tour for Myanmar. We used Myanmar Shalom, a local operator, and we were very satisfied with them.
Overall, we were very impressed with what Myanmar had to offer and we would recommend it to other families.
Insider tip: arrange a boat trip from Mandalay to Bagan
Best age group: 4 and above
Travel time from Shanghai: ~8 hours with one stopover
Suggested minimum stay: 10 days
Read more Family-Friendly Travel Destinations here.
