About the ride from Mandalay to Yangon
Two of Myanmar’s biggest cities, the journey from Mandalay to Yangon is a long one, but it’s a very popular route for many different types of travelers.
For the 627km (390 mile) journey to Yangon from Mandalay, you have three options:
- Bus from Mandalay to Yangon - typically around 9.5 hours
- Car from Mandalay to Yangon - typically around 9 hours
- Minivan from Mandalay to Yangon - typically around 9 hours
After the relative serene greenery of Mandalay and its countless towering temples, you might be ready to leave Myanmar’s culture capital.
Yangon offers a completely different experience, and is an excellent choice for your next stop. Busy, bustling and packed with opportunities for people-watching, Yangon is one of Southeast Asia’s most engaging and interesting cities.
What to see when traveling from Mandalay to Yangon
This depends upon when you take your trip. If you choose an overnight sleeper bus from Mandalay to Yangon, you of course won’t see much, as you’ll hopefully be slumbering soundly as you make your way to your next exciting destination.
If you travel during the day, there aren’t too many exciting sights, but you will enjoy your journey. The vast majority of the trip is on flat, well-built (though basic) roads. For the most part, you’ll be traveling along one of the best-quality roads in Myanmar, flanked by roadside food stops, other vehicles and lots of verdant greenery.
As you approach Yangon, there’s a noticeable difference in how busy the roads become. Roadside shrubbery makes way to small settlements, which in turn make way to the relative modernity of Yangon.
How to get from Mandalay to Yangon
Taking a bus
A huge number of bus companies offer trips from Mandalay to Yangon, so you have lots of options. While some buses are pretty basic, others offer perks such as drinks, snacks, blankets and TVs.
Different buses also offer different levels of luxury. While some have very comfortable seating and dimmed lights, some have basic seats along with blasting music.
You should check the listings for each individual journey before you decide which option you’re going to choose.
Some bus journeys from Mandalay to Yangon take place during the day, while others are overnight. An important note here: while some countries in Southeast Asia have buses with bed-style seats for overnight journeys, that isn’t the case in Myanmar. Instead, you simply get normal chair-style reclining seats, which aren’t quite as comfortable.
Buses from Mandalay to Yangon usually don’t have toilets on board. Instead, they stop for toilet breaks - and food breaks - along the way.
Taking a car
If you choose to hire a private car from Mandalay to Yangon, you have only one option - a Standard Car from Zar Ya Nee. This is a very expensive choice, but it’s a good pick for travelers who have a big budget and an ever bigger desire for a little luxury.
Instead of paying for an individual seat, you hire the full car and split the cost with your traveling party. If you hire a private car to Yangon from Mandalay, there’s room for up to 5 passengers.
With a private car from Mandalay to Yangon, you can choose your own departure and arrival times, and your own departure and arrival points. You can also stop wherever and whenever you like.
This car is very comfortable, with AC and luxurious seats.
Taking a minivan
A minivan from Mandalay to Yangon is basically the same as hiring a private car, but there’s more space (for up to a total of 9 passengers), and it’s a little more pricey for the full vehicle. That said, if you’re traveling in a group larger than 5 people, it works out cheaper per person.
Again, you can choose your own pit stops, and your own departure and arrival points and times.
This route is serviced only by Zar Ya Nee.