There are four possible options for travelers seeking to make the trip from Myanmar's largest city, Yangon, to Mandalay (or vice versa). These are: traveling by air, or going by boat, bus or train.
By Air
For travelers either short on time or simply wanting to get from Yangon to Mandalay (or the other way around) in as little time as possible, traveling by air may be the best option.
Unfortunately for travelers, the recent influx of tourists to Myanmar has not been matched by a corresponding improvement of roads and other infrastructure in the country. Since this is the case, air travel remains the most comfortable and time-efficient option available for long distances.
Not only is traveling by air quick and reliable, but there are also plenty of carriers to choose from. This means flights are available throughout the day, and prices between the different airlines are extremely competitive.
98.8% Positive Customer reviews among 10,000+
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Excellent planned and executed Myanmar excursion
Asia Highlights and their local Myanmar partner "mAsia" did an excellent job in planning and execution of a one week trip to Myanmar.The various tour guides and drivers had good knowledge and good command over English. More
Gerd,
Jan 2018
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My experience in Thai
All of this was well organized by the local office. The holiday was wonderful. Our guide, Mr. Longdy( Siem Reap)were exceptional. He shared his extensive knowledge of the many wonderful places we visited, and were flexible to take us to additional places along the way based on discussions. Thank you so much .shared their extensive knowledge of the many wonderful places we visited, and were flexible to take us to additional places along the way based on discussions. More
kelli,
Jul 2023
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Seamless Planning
From the day I submitted an inquiry request, I instantly received a response from Monica asking my preferences for my trip. She has been attentive and responsive to our every needs and we very much appreciate it. Looking forward to our trip in November but many thanks to Monica for making this experience to seamless thus far. More
Sana Samhouri,
Jul 2023
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Very professional agency for a memorable trip to Asia
A special thanks to Albee who worked with us and helped to tailor the itinerary to our taste, she was amazing and always available for whatever we needed. The trip would not have been the same without her and her team. Thank you! More
Daniela,
Jul 2023
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It was our first time in Cambodia and …
It was our first time in Cambodia and we had a wonderful time. The accommodations, food, and sites were really beautiful. We ended our trip with a relaxing massage. Sam was very accommodating to our needs and knowledgeable. Thank you for the laughter and for being so kind. More
Amy Oakes Moon,
Jun 2023
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Our guide Borin - never boring!
Our guide Borin, in Cambodia, was knowledgeable, understanding and thoughtful in every aspect of the plan he put together for our trip to Siem Reap and in its execution. He can read the room, and knew exactly how to pace the tour, when to pause, when to break, and how to prepare us for the maximum benefit. He is extremely kind and caring, and it showed at every turn. He also is a dab hand with the camera, and we have a lot of great pictures to show for it. Kudos to my Asia Highlights coordinator - Cathy Chen, for picking Borin. Borin works with a driver (007) who was also very kind and caring. Whenever we returned to the car, he would have cold towel rolls and chilled water to refresh us. So amazingly considerate. It was an unforgettable experience More
David Muliyil,
Jun 2023
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Great visit!
Our guide, Anna, was fantastic! She was highly informative and a delight to spend our days with. Would request her again if we were to return! More
Alejandra M Almonte,
Jun 2023
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We've had such a great experience…
We've had such a great experience planning our honeymoon with Alisa at Asia Highlights! We gave her our dream itinerary, thinking that it might be impossible to do all the things we wanted, but Alisa made our dreams a reality! She's gone so far above and beyond to answer ALL of our questions and make little adjustments that will make a huge impact on our experience. More
Lauren,
Jun 2023
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Alisa knows how to work fast and please a customer.
Alisa is very helpful and works very fast. I am a very difficult client because Inknow what I want in therm of hotels and comfort. She had a lot of patience with me, and moved a lot the plan of the trip, always following my requests. It was a pleasure organizing my trip with her. I recommend her a lot! Thanks Alisa. Malala from Argentina. More
maria laura artola,
Jun 2023
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Trip-of-a-lifetime
In addition, I want to specifically mention the guides provided in certain locations. Rum, in Siem Reap, made the most memorable experience possible. His positivity was contagious - even when it felt like 1000 degrees and we were tired. He brought it all to life, and created a couple days of Ankor Wat, etc. that we will never forget! He heard my daughter's request for specific Cambodian food, and changed our itinerary to go to a village and eat at a locally known shop. He brought the dessert she asked about to us in the car! Overall, he and his driver "Lucky" were a reason to go to Siem Reap. In addition, the other guides (minus one which was switched out immediately) were stupendous. Mon in Bangkok was friendly and provided a great day there; Eak in Chiang Mai gave us a world-class food-tour and day touring the city and its surrounding temples with lots of laughs; Tommy in Hanoi kept us from getting killed in the traffic and gave a stupendous food and architecture/history tour - so very friendly and funny; the fishing village tour in Hoi An, as well as the side-car tour in Saigon, were both unforgettable! Thank you Sharon, and Asia Highlights. Would definitely use again for future trips! More
Teri Simpson,
Apr 2023
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Cambodia and Vietnam adventure!
Our guide in Cambodia, Meas Darapolaith (Pol), was absolutely amazing. He was knowledgeable, friendly and so helpful. His English was excellent and he shared important insights about history and the magnificent sites we visited. We highly recommend him! More
Jennifer Roth Krieger,
Apr 2023
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My daughter and I wanted to discover SE…
My daughter and I wanted to discover SE Asia. Being the first in that region, we wanted to use a tour service company. We ended up using Asia Highlights. From the beginning we were impressed with their services. We left home with of mind because all the pre-travel arrangements were taking care and communicate to us efficiently. All our questions were answered promptly. Once in the countries, we were welcome by our excellent tour guides. Everything was taking care for us. We did not have one issue. They selected the right tours guides for us, they were highly knowledgeable and so much attentive to our needs. We had Dhat in Vietnam and Borin in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I highly recommend Asia Highlights. I came back home so much rested, and with plenty of wonderful pictures and memories. I will definitely use Asia Highlights again for my next trip to Asia. More
Isabelle Dessaux,
Apr 2023
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Fabulous tour and guide in Cambodia
We have been touring Cambodia, guided by Borin ( and driver 007) for the last 2 days. What a fabulous experience! Borin has been a wonderful guide, the best so far in Southeast Asia, explaining the history and culture of Cambodia through his tours of the temples in and around Angkor, as well as the Landmine museum. He has answered all our questions, made sure we were comfortable, and that we have had great food. 007 made sure we always had enough water and cool towels for our face/neck.We highly recommend Borin as a tour guide for Cambodia!! More
Monica,
Mar 2023
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Best Travel Service for Asia Travel
Alisa Liu was in charge of making the arrangements and she helped us from the start to make all of the arrangements and also helped us when we had questions and requested some adjustments. Her service is of the highest professional level. We are 100% confident that our trip will be perfect. We’re also 100% confident that, if anything comes up during our trip, that Alisa will be there to guide us through and take care of us. We won’t even consider using another agency for travel around Asia and we would like to have Alisa work for us again. More
Leo Pospichal,
Mar 2023
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Tour of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand
The tour guides and drivers were another high point. All were very good, friendly, knowledgeable and spoke English well. There were two that I want to call out for their excellence. Chan Sovannarith in Siem Reap was our guide in Cambodia. He really made the experience special. His knowledge, willingness to answer all my questions, helpfulness and general attitude made him fun to be around. In order to praise the second exceptional guide I have to explain about an unfortunate occurrence that I had. I'm normally a very active senior, but after leaving Cambodia for Laos I was suddenly struck by the most intense back pain I've ever experienced, couldn't even roll over in bed (turned out to be sciatica). The guide, Mr. Sonophet, really went the extra mile. He went with my traveling companion and bought a back brace and medications for me. When that didn't help much he took me to a clinic where I was seen by a doctor, given a shot and pain meds. He hand-made a walking stick for me that I'm still using! He made it possible for me to somewhat participate in the activities, i.e. a bed on the boat down the river. When it was time to move on to Bangkok he got me a wheelchair at the airport. I can't thank him enough for these kindnesses! This problem lasted for the remainder of the trip, through Bangkok and Phuket and these guides were also very helpful getting wheelchairs, etc. It was a terrible disappointment to have this wonderful trip disrupted, but it would have been SO much worse without the great help that I received from the guides and my poor travel companion! More
Deb M,
Mar 2023
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In good hands with Sam
Sam Ol took very good care of us - lots of information, listened to and answered all our questions, was passionate about the places we visited and about his people and country. He was kind, had a great sense of humor, and made sure we felt safe and comfortable at all times. He helped us to fall in love with Cambodia in 3 short days. More
Carol Jones,
Feb 2023
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Best tour guide in Cambodia
When we first arrived at the airport in Siem Riep it was so nice to be greeted by Mr Sam Ol. We instantly fell at home when we saw his friendly smile. We were impressed by his great English and knowledge of the temples. On the tour to the temples Sam took care of us every step of the way. He took awesome pictures of us. It felt like we were on a tour given by our brother who is also a professional photographer. Also, we appreciate his humor as well as the fact he had an answer for every question we had. I give Sam 5 stars, best tour guide ever :) More
Len S,
Feb 2023
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Mr. Sam
Mr. Sam our guide in Cambodia, he and the driver out standing service they went above and beyond touring, my wife so amazed beautiful country, we're planning back here near the futures. Thank Mr. Sam,We'll feedback the whole trip next week when we be home in US More
Pho Lover,
Feb 2023
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Vietnam/Cambodia/Thailand
We are still in the middle of our trip, but we are just finishing up our time in Cambodia and our guide, Borin, has been AMAZING!!! He has truly made our time here unforgettable and I plan on referring all of my friends and family to come visit this beautiful country! Thank you, Borin, for everything you did to make our trip so fantastic! More
Danielle Blount,
Feb 2023
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Excellent service and Wonderful Guides
All of our guides have been terrific. Mr. Sam in Siem Reip was especially wonderful. Both he and our driver were polite, safe knowledgable and informative. Sam made our trip memorable and enioyable. We will definitely recommend Sam and Asia Highlights to our friends. More
Kaaren,
Feb 2023
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From Yangon to Mandalay
There are 4 main carriers operating daily flights from Yangon to Mandalay: Mann Yadanarpon Airlines, Yangon Airways, Golden Myanmar Airlines, and Air KBZ.
Each of these has flights early in the morning and late in the afternoon every day of the week, with the early morning flights usually making layovers. Most afternoon flights fly directly to Mandalay.
Another option is Myanmar National Airlines, offering a direct service between Yangon and Mandalay every day of the week except Friday. Most of its flights are in the morning.
FMI Airlines operates just one flight most days between Yangon and Mandalay. The flight is in the morning, every day of the week except Thursday.
From Mandalay to Yangon
There are 4 main carriers operating daily flights from Mandalay to Yangon: Mann Yandanarpon Airlines with flights in the morning and one flight in the evening, Yangon Airways and Golden Myanmar Airlines with flights every morning, and Air KBZ with multiple flights in the morning, one flight in the afternoon and another in the evening.
In addition, Myanmar National Airlines has flights throughout the day every day of the week except Tuesday.
FMI Air operates just one flight in the afternoon on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. It offers no service on Mondays or Thursdays.
Most of these carriers offer service between the two cities for prices around the $100 mark. This price includes full service, 45 pounds (20 kilograms) of checked luggage, and 15 pounds (7 kilograms) of carry-on or hand luggage.
Traveling by air is, by far, the most convenient and comfortable way of traveling between Yangon and Mandalay.
A journey that would usually take about 10+ hours to complete by road is completed in just a few hours by air and as such, traveling by air remains the first choice for most guests seeking to travel between the two cities.
To get in-depth information on domestic flights within Myanmar, including airline schedules, prices, and fees, please click here.
By Boat
Taking a boat between the two cities — depending on the company and service — may take several days to complete. The journey often takes far longer to complete than publicized by the boat company.
Fast boats are usually much more expensive and can cost almost as much as flights. Slow boats, although a cheaper alternative, end up taking almost twice as long to complete the journey, due to the fact that multiple shore excursions are included as part of the trip.
Both fast and slow boats have very basic cabins, far from comfortable for guests if they need to spend a prolonged period of time there.
While boat is often a good alternative to bus or train, the sheer distance between Yangon and Mandalay and the dearth of good quality boat service providers means it's not the best way to travel between the two cities in this case.
By Bus
If you are on a tight budget, traveling by bus is the simplest way to travel from Yangon to Mandalay (and vice versa). That said, it is important for guests to bear in mind that traveling by bus is far from comfortable.
This is due to Myanmar's infrastructure not being as well developed as one might imagine. This is the main reason why even short journeys — let alone longer ones such as Yangon to Mandalay (or vice versa) — can take unreasonable amounts of time by road.
Travelers should also be warned that while many long-distance buses in Myanmar are well maintained and air-conditioned, many are not. In extreme cases, buses may have no working windows, and may have sacks of grain or even live animals blocking the aisles.
Furthermore, Yangon to Mandalay (or Mandalay to Yangon) is a popular route and requires travelers to purchase tickets days — or even weeks — in advance.
If it is comfort and convenience you're after, we don't recommend traveling between Yangon and Mandalay by bus.
By Train
Taking the train from Yangon to Mandalay (or the other way around) is another possible option for travelers, but it is not an option we recommend.
Trains are even slower than buses and the primary reason for this is the quality of infrastructure in Myanmar. Flooded tracks and a range of mechanical problems result in trains being even less reliable than buses.
Since trains are unreliable, arrival and departure times frequently change from the stated timetable.
Train rides are bumpy, and carriages tend to get cold at night. Even in first class, seats can sometimes be a little smelly and greasy. Also, be prepared for the toilets to be dirty.
Trains are a good way to cover short distances in Myanmar but when it comes to covering longer distances like Yangon to Mandalay (or vice versa), they can be quite uncomfortable and daunting.
Tailor-make your own trip to Myanmar
Myanmar’s innate charms entice more and more travelers and there is no better time than now to give free rein to your wanderlust with a first trip to Myanmar.
You can browse through our pre-designed itineraries, or start your own tailor-made trip.
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Why Travel with Asia Highlights (98.8% positive customer reviews among 10,000+)
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