Maymyo (Pyin Oo Lwin)

Maymyo is an old British hill station which lies just 60km north-east of Mandalay and about 800m higher.

In Maymyo, there is an impressive botanical gardens, which was designed by the British colonialists and built with Turkish POW labour. Another legacy of colonial times are the numerous dairies in town started by the families of British-Indian army Gurkhas from India and Nepal.

The main pleasure of Maymyo is to wonder among the many old Tudor-style mansions and paying a visit to the former British bachelor's quarters of Candacraig, which is now a government hotel.

The rainy season lasts from mid-May until mid-October. For the next few months, the weather is quite reasonable. In fact, it is actually cool in Mandalay at night and near freezing in Kalaw, near Inle Lake. From mid-February, it gets increasingly hot until the rains arrive once more. The Burmese New Year in April, at the peak of the hot season, means much fun and throwing water at all concerned. November to February are the best months to visit.