Guest post by Anna
Located in South East Asia, Myanmar is a 677,000sqkm area of land linking a large number of areas, including Indo-Chinese, Indian and Sundial regions together. Spanning countries such as India, China, Laos and Thailand, Myanmar is a beautiful and untarnished landscape, offering the perfect retreat if you’re looking to enjoy ecotourism. And if you want to discover a largely unexplored area and create memories which will last a lifetime, then Myanmar is the ideal place to go.
Whilst travelling in Myanmar’s national parks themselves will be alongside professional and experienced rangers, you may need to use hire cars initially. This will allow you the freedom and luxury to travel at your own pace to the ecotourism areas, rather than having to utilise public transport options which can sometimes be limited. Along the Myanmar’s range of river systems such as the Thanlwin, Chindwin and Ayeyarwady you’ll discover that there are a range of national parks which are dedicated to eco-tourism, allowing you to enjoy holidays where you can actually help protect and conserve the planet’s natural environment and the flora and fauna that live in it.
With 40 National Parks there are plenty of options to choose and you’ll be able to visit specific bird sanctuaries, wildlife parks and protected areas. Myanmar has a hugely diverse range of creatures including 1036 species of birds, 300 species of mammals and 372 species of reptile; many of which are native to the area. If you’re a lover of plants and want to explore some of Myanmar’s flora then the National Botanical Gardens in Mandalay is perfect and offers the chance to discover 42 indigenous orchid species. Bird lovers meanwhile will love Bago’s Moeywingyi Wetland Bird Sanctuary which covers a rich eco-system home to 58 residential bird species, 66 migrating bird species and 26 butterfly types.
There are some parks in Myanmar which provide the chance to see some of the most iconic creatures of the world, and travelling to Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park offers a huge variety of sights. Opening in 1984 but established as a reserve in 1941, the site is home to tiger, leopard, elephant, a variety of deer and jungle cat. Alternatively, located in the Himalayan foothills is Hkakaborazi National Park, a park which not only offers flora and fauna but the chance to see the very last Tarong tribe whose people stand just four foot tall.
Ecotourism is a fantastic way to explore the planet whilst ensuring that you help preserve the very parks that you’re discovering. By putting money into eco tourism you can effectively reduce the amount of destructive industries in an area such as logging or poaching by encouraging protection of environment and wildlife species instead and providing locals with jobs. Myanmar itself covers a vast area in India and the East and, as such, offers a variety of habitats which are all home to numerous and many indigenous wildlife and flora species. And by exploring this area you’ll not only help preserve the habitat for years to come, but enjoy a holiday of a lifetime.
