TRAVEL ON THE IRRAWADDY RIVER

Much of the commerce between north Myanmar and south Burmese travels on the Irrawaddy River via the world's largest fleet of river steamers (600 ships carrying 1.36 million tons of freight and 14 million passengers in 1984). Many of the boats are shallow draft T-class vessels which date back to the Japanese-era in the 1940s. These boats can carry around 400 deck passengers and 60 tons of cargo.

The pilots of these boats often place their feet on the wheel because, one pilot said, "the steering on these old T-class ships is so heavy you need the full power of your leg and thigh muscles." At night they use a search light to scan the banks and the water for reference points and sandbars. Biblical swarms of insects sometimes congregate around the lights. The pilots endure a lot of stress and often they are the only members of the crew allowed to bring their wives, to help them relax.

There are also some luxury boats that run on the river. Most of these trips are organized by tour companies. The 53-meter RV Pandaw is one boat used in such trips. Built in Scotland in 1947, it is a shallow-draft luxury steamer outfit with a modern engine. Trips on the boat range from $145 for a singel day trip to $3,750 for a 10-day cruise. In the early 2000s, luxury steamers cruised were allowed to travel past Mandalay through the famous Three Narrows area to Bhamo for the first time. There is a six week period in August, after the rainy season, when the water is high enough for this trip. A ship called the Road to Mandalay does a trip that includes this section. Run by Venice Simplon-Orient Express, the11–day trip cost between $3,340 and $6,230 in the early 2000s.

Boat Trip Between Mandalay and Bagan is, for many tourists, the highlight of their trip to Myanmar. Memorable scenes along the way include naked children swimming in the river, women pounding their laundry on the rocks, ox carts transporting goods, paddle boats plying the river and quiet villages. The 16-hour trip from Mandalay to Bagan on a regular ferry costs US$15.

Bhamo (280 kilometers north of Mandalay) can be reached by ferry from Mandalay. It is major town on the Irrawaddy River and a major smuggling center only 50 miles from the Chinese border. It is in Shan-controlled territory. Travel in the area is sharply restricted. Travelers are told to stay near the main roads, which are heavily guarded by the Myanmar army and have numerous road blocks on them. Bhamo is reputed to be surrounded by ancient walls and a moat. Bhamo It is an import port and navigation center for the Irrawaddy River and has ruby mines in the area, It is also the market town for the surrounding hill region. Bhamo was historically significant as a center for overland trade with China. During World War II, the Stillwell Road linked Bhamo to Ledo, India. About 50,000 people live there.

Dangers on the Irrawaddy River

The problem with T-class vessels is that they tip over easily and roll badly even in a one-foot swells. Some are outfit with metal "panic barriers" in the middle of the deck of the boat that stop people from rushing from side to side and turning the ship over. A half dozen or so T-Class vessels have been lost when they flipped over in storms.

An obvious indication that a boat-turning storm is coming is a massive spiraling dust devil that is visible in the distance. If a pilot sees one of these he immediately steers the boat to shore and orders everyone off the ship. During the sudden turns to get to shore though sleeping children sometimes roll over the edge of the deck and are never heard from again.

Many ships run aground, which is more likely to occur in the dry season when sandbars lurk just inches below the water. To avoid running aground, boat pilots listen to the sound of the bow wave of their boats. "When it grows soft," one pilot told journalist Alexander Frater, "it means the water is getting shallow. When it vanishes altogether, you're in trouble."

Describing what this pilot did when his boat ran aground, Frater wrote: "He ordered the engines full astern and the steamer trembled violently as a cloud of frothing water, the color of bitter chocolate, steamed away past her bow. Then he rang up full ahead and with her plates grinding like iron teeth, the ship inches forward. Backwards and forward we went, painstakingly digging our own trench and, within half an hour, the skipper got us out of there. It was a performance of consummate skill."

Describing the Irrawaddy River biggest danger, a flooded “chuang”, the pilot told Frater, "It's when a cloudburst causes a flash flood in a dried-up stream bed which carries everything before it—trees animals, even people. Only last year a visiting dance troupe was performing for a village in a dry creek bed when the waters caught them. Everyone was washed into the river and, days later, we were still picking up the bodies of the dancers in their bright silks."

"Along the length of the river there are thousands of these “chuangs” and everyone is a potential menace. It makes a roaring sound when in nears, and that is something a master must always listen for because, if it strikes a ship broadside, there is nothing he can do. One T-class we lost was steaming at night. It caught him at 4:00am and that ship vanished entirely. We knew where it went down and we even went looking for it with metal detectors, but it was buried under thousands of tons of sand and there wasn't a trace of it."

After one great flood so many people were killed the bodies were wrapped in bamboo mats and set adrift because there wasn't the time or a place to bury them and steamboat captain had to navigate their way around the bodies for weeks later.

River Travel in Myanmar

Myanmar has thousands of kilometers of navigable waterways and river travel is a common way of getting around. The main routes are along the Irrawaddy River. With the construction of better roads water transport is becoming less vital to the transport system. Many ferries no longer operate. Many travelers like to get around by water because it is more romantic, scenic and mellow. Boat trips from Mandalay to Pagan are very popular.

Most people living in the low-lying Irrawaddy Delta—one of the least developed parts of impoverished Myanmar—rely heavily on poorly-maintained river ferries for transportation around its flooded plains.Some ferries carry vehicles one at a time across rivers. They are sometimes little more than a pair of boats with a platform built across them.

Myanmar’s Inland Water Transport operates a huge fleet of double and triple-decker boats. There is a regular service between Bhamaw and Mandalay and between Mandalay and Pyay (Prome) via Pagan. There are also tourists boats that run between Yangon and Mandalay a couple of times a week. There are other boats that travel on the Irrawaddy River—between Bhamo and Mandalay, for example—but these boats are often off limits to foreigners. Tourists who have taken the two-day boat between Bhamo and Mandalay said it was cheap, very uncomfortable and an experience they will never forget. Tour agencies sometimes arrange tours on other sections of the Irrawaddy for package tours. There is also expensive boat service (about $75) between Inle Lake and Loikaw (the long-necked women town).

There are currently several boats plying the popular route between Mandalay to Pagan/Nyang Oo on the Irrawaddy River, which means there is boat leaving almost everyday. Some boats are faster than others and most visitors travel down river from Mandalay to Pagan. The older boats take about 12 hours and set off in the morning. It is a wonderful trip. Tickets can be bought at Myanmar Travels and Tours. Try to get to the boat early so you can secure a seat.

Waterways: 12,800 kilometers (2011), country comparison to the world: 10; Merchant marine: total: 29, country comparison to the world: 86; by type: cargo 22, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 1; foreign-owned: 2 (Germany 1, Japan 1); registered in other countries: 3 (Panama 3) (2010). Ports and terminals: Moulmein, Rangoon, Sittwe [Source: CIA World Factbook]

Ferries and Boats in Myanmar

Long-Tailed Boats (named after drive shaft which extend beyond the back of the boat and connects the an automobile engine to a propeller) are used by locals and tourists to get around the rivers of Myanmar. Tourist generally travel on boat trips sponsored by travel agencies and locals get around on boats that run scheduled routes like buses. The fares for local boats are quite reasonable. The tours aren't very expensive either.

Many of the long tailed boats used in Myanmar are long narrow river taxis with a covering for protection form the sun and rain, A bout that carries eight to 10 passengers can be hired for about $5 an hour

Myanmar’s Inland Water Transport

Boat Schedules (Name of Vessel, Route, Schedule): 1) RV Pandaw 1947: Yangon - Prome - Thayetmyo - Minhla - Magwe - Salay - Pagan - River Village - Ava - Mandalay - Amarapura - Kyauk Myaung - Mingun - Sagaing: 10 Nights; 2) RV Pandaw 1947: Mandalay - Kyauk Myaung - Mingun - Sagaing - Amarapura - Ava - River Village - Pagan - Salay - Magwe - Thayetmyo - Prome - Yangon: 10 Nights; 3) RV Pandaw 1947: Pagan - River Village - Ava - Mandalay - Amarapura - Kyauk Myaung - Mingun - Sagaing: 5 Nights; 4) RV Pandaw 1947: Mandalay - Kyauk Myaung – Mingun – Sagaing – Amarapura - Ava – River Village - Pagan: 5 Nights; 5) RV Paukan 2007: Mandalay to Pagan: 1 Night; 6) RV Paukan 2007: Pagan to Mandalay: 2 Nights; 7) RV Paukan 2007: Mandalay- Mingun- Sagaing- River Village- Pagan: 2 Nights;

8) RV Pandaw 1947: Grand Voyage Of The Chindwin River (Pagan - Pakkoku - Pakhan gyi - Monywa - Mingin - Kalewa - Mawlaik - Mandalay): 9 Nights; 9) RV Pandaw 1947: The Bhamo Cruise (Mandalay – Kyauk Myaung – Tagaung – Katha – Bhamo – Shwegu – Mingun – Mandalay): 7 Nights; 10) RV Mahaythi: Yangon-Twante-Yangon: Daily; 11) RV Mahaythi: Yangon Sunset Cocktail Cruise: Daily; 12) RV Mahaythi: Yangon-Maubin-Yangon: 2 Nights; 13) RV Mahaythi: Yangon-Kyaiklat-Phyarpon-Yangon: 3 Nights; 14) RV Mahaythi: Yangon-Pathein-Ngwesaung: 4 Nights; 15) RV Mahaythi: Yangon-Pyay: 8 Nights; 16) RV Mahaythi: Pyay-Pagan: 6 Nights; ) RV Mahaythi: Pagan-Monywa-Kalewa: 7 Nights; 17) RV Mahaythi: Pyay - Pathein: 8 Nights; 18) Road to Mandalay: Mandalay-Bhamo-Pagan: 11 Nights; 19) Road to Mandalay: Mandalay-Pagan-Mandalay: 7 Nights. [Source: Myanmar Travel Information]

Cargo Boats

Cargo Boats make the trip between Yangon and Mandalay in about three to four days down river and four to five days upriver. They are also the backbone of transportation in the Irrawaddy Delta. Describing a trip on a river cargo boat after Cyclone Nargis, the Los Angeles Times reported: “The 30-foot boats I hired normally haul sugar cane, bananas or rice. No crew was willing to chance two trips, so after each four-night journey, we returned to Yangon, switched boats and set out again. The boats are not built for comfort. The holds are open to leave room for cargo, which meant my only hiding place was the cramped space beneath the top deck. About 15 feet across and 8 feet deep, with a wooden ceiling and peeling turquoise paint, it was a dark, sweltering cell barely big enough to sit upright in. [Source: Los Angeles Times, June 13, 2008]

The pilots sat on the roof above me. One, to keep his hands free for frequent bottles of cheap cane liquor, pinched a steel pipe between his toes, deftly working the Chinese-made 18-horsepower diesel engine that spun a long-tail propeller sluggishly churning the water. The machine pounded like a jackhammer. And since the four-man crew felt safer staying away from land, it thumped day and night, stopping only when we slipped into storm-ravaged villages.

Their courage braced by the cane liquor, the crewmen felt their way through the night. They poked at shallow channels with a bamboo sounding pole, comparing what they could see of the ruined landscape with foggy memories of trees that once pointed the way. Sunset was also the signal for the boats' full-time occupants to come crawling out of the cracks. Cockroaches the size of mice and spiders with legs as long as crabs' feasted on the crumbs of our food. At times, so many bugs skittered around that it sounded like a gentle rain. A green vine snake dropped in one night from an overhanging branch. The long, thin snakes are agile and only mildly venomous. A bite would be very painful but not fatal. Just the same, it would have blown my cover pretty quickly. A crew member who usually worked the hand pump to clear the constant flow of bilge water beat the serpent to death. Carefully keeping it at arm's length, he tossed it overboard with a stick.

Luxury Mandalay-Bagan Cruise

Jamie Rich wrote in the Washington Post: “Luxury hospitality brand Belmond, formerly Orient Express, has offered glamour and grit on Burma’s Irrawaddy River since 1996 with its 50-year-old German river cruiser Road to Mandalay. The atmosphere on the long, slender boat reflects a decidedly vintage but also eclectic mix of Burmese, British, modern and traditional styles. Polished teak flooring and molding give the boat a rich, timeless appeal. Fine Asian fabrics accent the furniture in the common areas and the bedding in the cabins. The sprawling observation deck is the showpiece, with its scalloped canopy, dipping pool, cocktail bar and outdoor-living-room lounges. A fitness room, nightly entertainment, spa rooms, world-class cuisine and an attentive staff round out the luxury. [Source: Jamie Rich, Washington Post, September 18, 2014]

“The boat carries up to 82 passengers, offering a posh oasis in a nation of thatched-hut villages, rice paddies and thousands of Buddhist pagodas. Despite the opening up of the economy in 2012 and growing numbers of tourists, cellphones and motor scooters, Burma’s a country where villagers still bathe in the river, pull water from wells, live in houses made of bamboo and plow their fields with oxen.

“Brian and I had booked this cruise to pamper ourselves and to reconnect far from distractions back home in Florida. But you don’t travel across the globe to a country emerging from decades of isolation just to sip champagne and read George Orwell’s “Burmese Days” by the pool. You cruise Burma (also known as Myanmar) because you want a little dust on your feet, bitter tea leaf salad in your belly and a holiday with some gumption.

“Aboard ship, some of Burma’s best old-world culinary traditions commingle with new-world flavors in the dining room, which is decorated with oil-lamp sconces and white tablecloths. For our first lunch, we sat at a table overlooking the rolling river and ate medleys of local salads, sipped spicy soups and sampled curries off the buffet.

““Ah, mangosteens,” Brian said, returning from a dessert run with a pile of golf-ball-size, maroon-colored fruits on his plate. “You know these are illegal in the U.S.” Well, not technically anymore. Although they were once banned for harboring Asian pests, irradiated mangosteens can now be imported into the United States. But strict regulations make the criminally delicious fruit a rare, pricey find. Brian carefully peeled away the fruit’s tough skin, revealing a glistening white nugget, and offered it to me. “Nectar of the gods,” he said, as sweet juice burst from the soft cushion in my mouth.

All Aboard the Mandalay-Bagan Luxury Cruise

Jamie Rich wrote in the Washington Post: “The driver swerved around pedestrians, motorbikes and mules as our hired SUV sped through Mandalay on a hot July day. Riding in the back seat, I gripped the headrest in front of me and hung on for dear life. Dust swirled as we pulled off the pavement and came to a stop on a dirt path. Nearby, families sat on the ground weaving large sheets of bamboo, and cows foraged in the piles of garbage strewn about the banks of the Irrawaddy River. [Source: Jamie Rich, Washington Post, September 18, 2014]

““Is this the right place?” I thought to myself. “Then the driver eased behind a tall wooden wall, and chaos gave way to sophistication. The dust settled, along with my nerves, as I gazed at the antique European river cruiser that stretched before us in the latte-colored water. A Burmese woman in a tailored sarong and a blond-haired man wearing a sport coat stood smiling at the top of the gangplank, holding glasses of fresh-pressed mango juice to welcome me and my husband, Brian, on our three-night luxury cruise aboard the Road to Mandalay.

“Drink in one hand and luggage in the other, we stepped over the threshold of the 333-foot vessel’s entrance and set off a barrage of hospitality. Greeters whisked away our bags and replaced them with wet jasmine-scented cloths to soothe our hands and faces. A polite stewardess showed us to our compact but plush cabin overlooking the Irrawaddy. With an hour to spare before setting sail, Brian and I changed into the soft white bathrobes hanging in the closets and wasted no time booking our first activity: a 90-minute spa treatment complete with Himalayan salts. “Is it okay if we skip the safety briefing?” I asked the receptionist at the front desk as she opened the appointment book and smiled.

“Minutes later, a petite massage therapist was sinking her oil-softened hands deep into my shoulders. And the peace inside the tiny teak-trimmed cabin was disturbed only by the welcome hum of the engines and the sound of water lapping against the hull as we pulled away from the shore.[Source: Jamie Rich, Washington Post, September 18, 2014]

“While my fellow cruisers set sail from the sun-drenched top deck, waving to bamboo merchants along the riverbanks, I departed on my journey from two decks below, in a dimly lit, floral-scented well-being room, my eyes shut and my thoughts turning to the forthcoming adventure.

Luxury Cruise Mandalay Tour

Jamie Rich wrote in the Washington Post: “Not long after lunch, we docked a few miles upriver from our starting point and disembarked for a tour of Mandalay. Sixteen of us, from countries as far-flung as Canada, Egypt and New Zealand, split into small groups and climbed into minibuses that would ferry us to various heritage sites and Buddhist temples. [Source: Jamie Rich, Washington Post, September 18, 2014]

“Our group’s Belmond guide, Thet, explained that we should remove our shoes when entering pagodas, out of respect for Buddhist tradition. Then he led us on a barefoot stroll through Kuthodaw Pagoda, with its long rows of 729 white domed stupas, each containing a marble slab inscribed with ancient Buddhist scriptures. They’re collectively known as the world’s largest book, Thet said. Next we traipsed through ―Shwenandaw Monastery, the only remaining original structure from Mandalay Palace, which was destroyed in World War II. With no guards or signs keeping tourists at bay, I explored the intricately carved rooms made of teak covered in gold leaf, which is fading now, thanks to the thousands of visitors who carelessly touch the walls, altars and pillars.

“I saw only one warning at the monastery: a small plastic sign propped on the stairs leading to the main Buddha statue. “Ladies are not allowed to enter,” it read. Eye-rolls from some of the women in our group quickly turned to chuckles when one of our fellow cruisers, 19-month-old Jasmine, picked up the sign and toddled around the gilded room.

“After Jasmine’s peaceful protest, a la Aung San Suu Kyi, our band of sightseers headed to the city’s marble quarter, where artisans carve large blocks of rugged stone into shiny cross-legged Buddhas. The Buddha count rose with each place that soft-spoken Thet, who wore a black longyi, or sarong, took us to. Throughout the afternoon he told us about royal dynasties and Burmese generals and monks. He talked about architecture and explained the meaning of the Buddha’s hand gestures. He showed us gold-leaf, silk-weaving and lacquerware workshops, where the conditions are rudimentary at best and ancient crafts are forged by hand. But by the third hour, I’d reached the guided-tour saturation point.

“At our last stop, the U Bein Bridge, our group scattered. Brian and I wandered along the 200-year-old teak boardwalk that stretches three-quarters of a mile over Taungthaman Lake. The smell of fried fish wafted from waterfront cafes. Packs of children hawked jade necklaces. Fishermen waded in the lake, and tourists snapped photos of the sun sinking lower in the sky.

Cruising On to Bagan

On Day 2 of the trip, Brian and I slept late in our cozy stateroom, skipping a photo-op with monks collecting alms near the ship’s berth. We were ready to change course, cruise down the river at 12 knots toward Bagan and settle into the cushioned chaises on the sunny observation deck. We’d actually expected more than one full day of sailing, but with only 115 miles of waterway separating Mandalay and Bagan, there isn’t much distance to cover. [Source: Jamie Rich, Washington Post, September 18, 2014]

”Once we shoved off, I whiled away the six-hour trip lounging by the pristine pool, looking at the villages along the riverbanks, reading local English-language newspapers and having my fortune told by the onboard astrologer, Sayar. I sat with the white-robed mystic at a small table outside the ship’s piano bar. As he frantically scribbled lines, dots and tic-tac-toe boxes in his notebook, I blocked out Brian’s warning that this was a sham. I hoped that Sayar was the real deal.

...“Anchored in Bagan for our last day, we ditched the afternoon group tour to go bicycling with Road to Mandalay’s manager, Steve Locke, a New Zealander who’d first visited Burma in 1995. Perched atop a well-worn mountain bike, I pedaled down sandy paths winding through Bagan’s peanut and bean farms.

”Red-brick pagodas with pointy bell-shaped stupas appeared in every direction. Some pagodas towered like Burmese castles with sweeping archways leading to ornate chambers holding golden Buddhas, while others squatted by the roadside looking more like small kilns than places of worship. With reddish dust flying from our tires, Brian and I followed Locke as he zipped up a pathway and hopped off his bike in front of a large, vacant pagoda. “Right. Up there,” he said, pointing a beam of light up a narrow, dark, crumbling staircase. We ascended the steep passageway one at a time to an opening flooded with sunlight.

New Irrawaddy Luxury River Boat

Stephen Heyman wrote in the New York Times, in July 2013, “Orient-Express, which already has a colonial-style hotel in the former Burmese capital of Yangon, will begin its second Myanmar river cruise on a new ship, the Orcaella. The 200-foot luxury craft — complete with a small swimming pool and spa — is named for the snub-nose dolphins that swim the Irrawaddy River. It was designed with a very low draft, ideal for snaking in and out of shallow waters that other boats can’t explore. There are just 25 cabins, most of which have “Juliet” balconies from which to take in river views of gold-topped Buddhist temples and traditional villages. [Source: Stephen Heyman, New York Times , July 10, 2013]

“In addition to the Irrawaddy, the boat will also cruise the Chindwin river on a less-common itinerary from Mandalay to the town of Homalin near the Indian border. Seven- and 11-night cruises are offered, and rates start at $5,040 per person (including meals, excursions, transfers and domestic flights).”

Image Sources:

Text Sources: Myanmar Travel Information, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, Lonely Planet Guides, The Irrawaddy, Compton’s Encyclopedia, The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, Reuters, AP, AFP, burmalibrary.org, burmanet.org, Wikipedia, BBC, CNN, and various books and other publications.

Last updated August 2020