Rakhine State
Description and Climate
Description | Climate | Attractions | Recommendations
The Rakhine State is isolated from the Burman heartland, in many ways the inabitants have more in common with the peoples of eastern India and Bangladesh.The current inhabitants of this state are descendants of three different groups. They are Bilu, Bengali and Burman.
Ngapali Beach is a 45 minutes flight from Yangon will bring you to the Bay of Bengal, where you can spend wonderful vacations away from the main tourist spots. From a recently built first-class hotel including 24 hour electricity to budget accommodations - you may choose according to your taste. No time to get bored! There are more mosques than pagodas to be visited, fishing villages nearby and of course a big market, popular for its dried fish, in
Thandwe, a sleepy town until 1988 named Sandoway and the oldest "city state" of Rakhine. Not only Lord Buddha spent some of his life on the hills surrounding Thandwe but also Mr. George Orwell - to whom we owe "Burmese Days" - had to serve some of his time here as a colonial officer for Her Majesty, Queen Victoria of England.
Sittwe is a one hour flight from Yangon, the capital of Rakhine State does not offer the white, white beach. Here the beach is black with water as clear as in Ngapali. It is worthwile to visit some of the pagodas, the Mahakuthala Monastery and the Cultural and Buddha Museum with exceptional collections of ancient sculptures, copies of old works of arts, bronze and old coins. Once one of the most beautiful and prosperous ports of Myanmar, Sittwe nowadays is the gateway to
Mrauk Oo, which is still not accessible by road. A beautiful 6 hour boat ride on the Caladan River will bring you to this historical site where you will be witness to a mute evidence of the former glory of Rakhine State!