One of the coolest festivals in Asia
Giant paper balloons. Hundreds of fireworks. No health and safety.
You know the Thailand lantern festival that’s all over socials? Imagine that, with giant fireworks exploding out of the lanterns, in one of the least visited countries on earth.
That’s the Taunggyi Fire Balloon Festival, and we’re going in November 2027 with Mudita Adventures. Local teams build enormous paper balloons, strap fireworks to them, light the lot and send it into the night sky while thousands cheer underneath.
But we’re not flying all the way to Myanmar just for a festival. Yangon, Inle Lake, the temples of Bagan and the 777 steps up Mount Popa. And some genuinely lovely hotels along the way. (Am I getting old?)
Tour highlights
-
Fire Balloon Festival
Taunggyi’s firework-laden balloons
-
Temples of Bagan
Thousands of them across the plains
-
Inle Lake
Private boat and stilt villages
-
Mount Popa
777 steps to the monastery
Trip facts
- Dates
- Trip length
- Rooms
- Twin share (same gender), single available
- Hotels
- Four-star throughout
- Visa
- eVisa for most, about $50
- Guides
- Western guide + local guides
Day by day
The Itinerary
Day 1: Welcome to Yangon
· Hotel, Yangon
Land at Yangon International Airport (RGN), where our team will meet you and take you to the hotel. Check in, drop the bags, take a breather. You’ve made it to Myanmar, folks.
Tonight it’s our welcome dinner at a local restaurant. Food, a drink and a chat about what’s coming, then bed. Tomorrow we fly to Heho for Inle Lake.
Day 2: Fly to Heho & Head to Inle Lake
Hotel, Inle Lake
Breakfast, airport, and we’re off to Heho, the airport for Inle Lake. The exploring starts on the road: a Pa-O village and Htat Eian Cave Temple, its passages full of Buddhist sculptures and murals.
Then Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery, an old red teak building on stilts with oval windows, before we settle into our Inle hotel. Big day tomorrow, and probably a late night.
Day 3: The Taunggyi Fire Balloon Festival!
Taunggyi, back to Inle Lake
This is it. Up into the Shan Hills to Taunggyi for the daytime launches: giant paper balloons shaped like elephants, birds and dragons. We’ll hit Myoma Market, try the local food and catch a Shan Hills viewpoint.
Then darkness falls, the balloons are lit, and off they go. Candles, fireworks, food stalls and crowds chasing every launch. We stay into the night, then drive back to Inle. Expect a late one.
Day 4: Boats, Floating Gardens & Inle Lake
Hotel, Nyaung Shwe / Inle Lake
How’s everyone feeling after last night?! We’re out on Inle Lake in a private longtail boat, past floating gardens and stilt villages, watching the Intha fishermen row with their legs. Looks much easier when someone else is doing it.
Heya Ywama village, Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, craft workshops and lunch on the lake. Then up the canal to Indein’s hillside stupas before our final night at Inle.
Day 5: Road Trip to Bagan via Kalaw
Hotel, Bagan
A long road trip today, through the Shan Hills towards Bagan. Charge your headphones. We’ve got to get across the country somehow, folks.
We stop in Kalaw for the local church, Hnee Paya and Myin Ma Hti Cave, plus the market, clock tower and old railway station. Then down to the Bagan plains, check in and get some dinner.
Day 6: Bagan’s Temples & Sunset on the River
Hotel, Bagan
Out exploring Bagan: Shwezigon, Ananda, Dhammayangyi and Thatbyinnyu, Gubyaukgyi’s murals and the carvings at Htilominlo. Nobody’s testing you on the names afterwards.
Then cotton weaving in Minnanthu village, a horse carriage ride across the temple plains, and a sunset boat trip on the Ayeyarwaddy River. After yesterday’s drive, sounds about right.
Day 7: Optional Sunrise Balloon Flight & Mount Popa
Hotel, Bagan
Fancy Bagan from above? There’s an optional sunrise hot-air balloon flight over the temples (extra cost). Rather skip it? Enjoy the lie-in and we’ll see you at breakfast.
Then Laymyathnar, Phayathonsu and Nandamannya, and out to Mount Popa. Taung Kalat Monastery sits on a steep volcanic plug, with 777 steps to the top. We learn about the Nat spirits, then back to Bagan for our final night here.
Day 8: Fly to Yangon, Shwedagon & Chinatown
Hotel, Yangon
A morning flight back to Yangon, where we saved the city sightseeing for the end. First up, Bogyoke Market: fabrics, crafts, jewellery and things you didn’t know you needed.
Then Shwedagon Pagoda for sunset, wandering the terraces around the enormous golden stupa, before Little China and Little India. One last night out, and a chance to swap festival videos.
Day 9: Breakfast & Homeward Bound
· Fly home from Yangon
And that’s us, folks. Breakfast at the hotel, then a private transfer to Yangon International Airport. If your flight’s later, there may be time to catch anything we missed in the city.
Get home, catch up on sleep, and try explaining the fire balloons to your mates. “So they attached the fireworks to the balloon, and then…”
Your host
Johnny Ward
Irish guy, been to every country in the world. My trips have always been about getting people to places they might not otherwise go. Myanmar used to be right on the backpacker trail, then the war happened. Now it’s slowly opening back up.
Sometimes it’s the paperwork that puts people off, sometimes the logistics, sometimes nobody to go with. Get a group together, sort the practical stuff, and the trip you’ve talked about for years actually happens. Your Western guide is me or my buddy Josh, alongside our local team.
See the places you’ve seen in photos, then finish somewhere you’ll struggle to explain to your mates.
Slowly opening back up
Why Myanmar?
-
The Fire Balloon Festival
Part of the Tazaungdaing celebrations: local teams build enormous paper balloons and compete with fireworks and candle displays after dark.
-
Bagan
Thousands of temples scattered across the plains. On its own it would be enough to get me interested.
-
Off the trail again
Once packed with backpackers, quiet for years since the war. History, food, countryside and boat trips, without the crowds.
Before you book
Good to Know
How about the Myanmar visa?
Easy! An eVisa for most people, around $50. The visa fee isn’t included in the trip price.
Do I need to be particularly fit?
There’s no ultracycle hiding in this one. But there’s plenty of walking around temples and festival grounds, some long days, and the 777-step climb at Taung Kalat. Be realistic about steps and long days, and if anything worries you, ask before booking.
Can I come solo?
Yes! Share with another traveller of the same gender and skip the single supplement. Want your own room? It’s an extra $750.
Do I have to do the balloon flight over Bagan?
Nope, it’s an optional extra. At Taunggyi we’re watching the launches. Nobody is putting you in a basket underneath the fireworks.
Are meals included?
Breakfasts are. Lunches and dinners are generally on you, and we’ll eat along the way, from Yangon’s Chinatown to the festival food stalls.
How do I get there?
Easiest is via Bangkok, but there are lots of options. Fly into Yangon International Airport (RGN). The trip starts and finishes there, and your arrival transfer is included.
Do I need travel insurance?
Yes, it’s mandatory for everyone joining the trip.
Price and what’s included
What’s included
- All accommodation, four-star hotels throughout
- All breakfasts
- Domestic flights and private ground transport
- Airport arrival transfer and departure transfer on Day 9
- Western guide (me or my buddy Josh)
- Local guides at each destination
- All itinerary entry fees, including Mount Popa and Taung Kalat Monastery
- Festival access at the Taunggyi Fire Balloon Festival
- Inle Lake tour, including our private boat
What’s not included
- International flights to and from Yangon
- Lunches and dinners
- Visa fees (eVisa around $50 for most nationalities)
- Tips (around $10 per day for the local team is suggested, not compulsory)
- Travel insurance (mandatory)
- Optional sunrise balloon flight over Bagan (TBC, normally around $195)
Tour price
$3,299
per person sharing
- $300 deposit secures your spot
- Single room supplement $750
- Solo? Share with a traveller of the same gender, no supplement
- Pay by card through WeTravel
Places are limited
See you in Yangon.
Temples, boats, Shan food and enormous paper balloons full of fireworks. Book online in a couple of minutes, or message me with any questions.
Rather pay by bank transfer? Email johnny@onestep4ward.com
As you know, blogging changed my life. I left Ireland broke, with no plan, with just a one-way ticket to Thailand
and no money. Since then, I started a blog, then a digital media company, I've made
more than $1,500,000 USD, bought 4 properties and visited (almost) every country in the world. And I did it all from my laptop as I
travel the world and live my dream. I talk about how I did it, and how you can do it too, in my COMPLETELY FREE
Ebook, all 20,000
words or so. Just finish the process by putting in your email below and I'll mail it right out to you immediately. No spam ever too, I promise!
