2013 Guide to Arriving in Mandalay Myanmar

flying into Mandalay – Myanmar

2013 Guide to Arriving in Mandalay Myanmar

Many big changes have taken place in the past two years for international travelers to Myanmar. Exchanging money, arrival in Mandalay, transportation to/from Mandalay airport, prices of rooms and other services have changed significantly since the last guidebooks were published in late 2011. I’ve written an extensive post about Travel in Myanmar in 2013

In terms of arriving in Mandalay, there are three significant changes:

1. International flights now arrive into Mandalay as well as Yangon

2. A money exchange booth exists at Mandalay airport

3. Transportation between Mandalay airport and the city is now organized

Here’s the rundown as of 2013:

Mandalay Airport

Flights to Mandalay

While previously international travelers could only fly into Myanmar’s capital city of Yangon, nowadays flights are also available  to Mandalay from Bangkok, Thailand, Singapore and Chengdu, China.

Situated in north central Myanmar, Mandalay is much closer than Yangon to Bagan and northern areas of the country. Since Bagan is one of Myanmar’s most interesting and important attractions, Mandalay could possibly become a major starting point for travelers to the country.

Depending on what you want to see and do during your visit, flying into Mandalay could save you at least one very long bumpy overnight bus or train ride between Mandalay and Yangon. Visitors can potentially fly into one city and fly out of the other at the end of their trip, making planning a holiday to Myanmar much easier.

This tactic worked perfectly for me and saved me one long overnight bus ride or a $100 US flight. I flew into Mandalay, toured the city, visited the northern and northeastern sections of the country, then took an overnight bus down to Yangon. From there I visited the southern areas. If I would have had to fly in and out of Yangon, like previously, I would have had to deal with one more long, uncomfortable bus trip between the north and south.

If you’re planning a trip to Myanmar, be sure to search for flights to/from Mandalay as well as to/from Yangon.

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airport exchange booth

Exchanging money on arrival

Apparently the Burmese government finally realized that they were missing out on the majority of tourist dollars by having ridiculously low exchange rates at their government banks. Tourists simply exchanged all their $US at ‘black market’ money changers, easily available at markets, gold shops and elsewhere. This was the way to exchange money in Myanmar until very recently.

Now everything has completely changed. The government banks – and all banks for that matter – now exchange $ US at excellent rates – near internet daily rates. Not only that, but the government bank has an exchange booth at Mandalay Airport offering the same excellent rates! That makes arrival in the country much easier as travelers can get kyat right at the airport. (The same holds true for Yangon Airport.)

Even more amazingly, the government banks exchange several other currencies as well, including GBP, Euros, Japanese Yen, Chinese Yuan and Singapore Dollars. (But oddly NOT Thai baht.)

The private CB Bank, KBZ Bank and several other banks exchange money at the same excellent rates as the government banks. These private banks exchange other currencies as well, though not as many as the government banks. As of May, 2013, they exchange $US, Euros, Chinese Yuan, and Singapore Dollars .

Black market money changers at gold shops, etc still can exchange $ US, but at lower rates than the banks. I tried it myself. Apparently, they just can’t match the banks excellent rates. Nowadays the best place to exchange money in Myanmar is at the banks.

If you want to minimize the amount of money you put in government hands, then upon arrival at the airport, exchange the minimal you need until you can reach a bank. Then exchange the bulk of your cash at private banks like CB.

For more extensive coverage of changes in Myanmar for travelers, check out my post Travel in Myanmar – 2013 Update

long distance view of Mandalay

Getting between Mandalay airport and the city

Now that several international flights arrive in Mandalay, there’s also well-organized transportation services between the airport and the city. Several companies operate ‘share taxis’ from the airport. These are minivans that offer door to door service, dropping off each passenger at his/her preferred hotel, guest house or other destination.

As of 2013, share taxis cost 4000 kt per person. Since several companies are competing for passengers, this rate is somewhat negotiable. I and two other travelers were able to get the trip for 3000 kt each.

Private taxi rate is set at 12,000 kt per car to the city. Obviously you could split the taxi between two -four people, bringing the per person rate down to 6000, 4000 or 3000 kt respectively.

Transportation staff are eager to please. They’re polite, friendly and they happily carry passengers’ luggage out to the parking lot, where the minivans are waiting.

Note that share taxis are non air conditioned. They use natural air conditioning – wind power through open windows. Even in midday heat, when the van is moving the temperature is reasonable for most passengers. When the van stops for a few minutes, however, it can get mighty hot. It would be a smart for you to have water on hand to stay hydrated during the one-hour trip into Mandalay.

The journey takes about 1 hour.

If you’re flying out of Mandalay, you can arrange either a share taxi or private taxi through your guest house at the same set rates.

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You might also find this post useful: 

Travel in Myanmar: 2013 Update

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Travel in Myanmar 2013 – Update Travel Tips: Downsides of Visiting Myanmar Travel Tips: Five Delicious Traditional Foods of Myanmar TRAVEL TIP: HOW TO AVOID JET LAG, pt 2- FOLLOW UP REPORT