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Where is the country of Myanmar located? Myanmar (in full: Republic of the Union of Myanmar) is a country in Asia that was called Burma (internationally: Burma) until 1989. Internationally, the old name Burma is still used regularly, including by the Western media. Myanmar has a combination of three tropical and subtropical climates: most of Myanmar has a combination of the monsoon climate (type Am according to the Köppen climate system) and the tropical savanna climate (type Aw). In the northeast of Myanmar this changes into a warm China climate (Cwa). Myanmar has two seasons: the dry season and the rainy season (monsoon). Some sources split the dry season into two seasons based on temperature, making it three seasons.

Temperature

Myanmar has tropical temperatures of at least thirty degrees all year round. Exceptions are the higher parts of the mountain ranges that you find in the west, extreme north and in the east. Due to the differences in height, these foothills of the Himalayas sometimes have considerably lower temperatures than on the low plains in Central Myanmar and along the coast. The highest mountain in Myanmar, Hkakabo Razi (5881 meters) in the most northern tip, has to do with eternal snow, glaciers and harsh weather conditions above 4500 meters due to the strong wind that blows at this altitude. The top of the mountain consists of a large ice cap with various foothills. On the lowlands and along the coast, the average maximum temperature is at the beginning of the dry season, which starts in mid-October, around 30-33 degrees Celsius. From mid-January you can see that the temperature suddenly rises to an average of 36 to 38 degrees in the warmest month of April. As soon as the southwest monsoon brings a lot of rain in May, the temperature drops to 30 to 33 degrees. The lowest 24-hour temperature is measured at the end of the night, just before sunrise. It is then about 18 to 23 degrees in the winter months and around 23 to 27 degrees in the summer.

Rainy season

The southwest monsoon creates a rainy season that starts almost abruptly from about mid-May. This is especially noticeable in the delta area and directly along the coast, where the monthly amounts of precipitation sometimes reach far above four hundred millimeters. The rainy season lasts until about mid-October, after which the number of days with precipitation and the average amount of rain suddenly decrease considerably. It will then take a few more weeks until the relative humidity, which has risen considerably during the monsoon period, has decreased somewhat. Total annual precipitation amounts (long-term average) range from more than 5000 millimeters in the coastal areas, around 2500 millimeters in the delta region to less than a thousand millimeters in the arid zone in Central Myanmar.

Hurricanes

Due to the heavy rainfall during the monsoon season, natural disasters such as floods and landslides are unfortunately a regular phenomenon. Almost every year newspapers report deaths from flooding in Myanmar. Hurricanes are a natural disaster that the country is usually spared. Due to its geographical location, the heaviest tropical storms are less likely to reach Myanmar. However, if a hurricane manages to reach Myanmar, the consequences can be disastrous. This happened, for example, in May 2008, when Cyclone Nargis caused an estimated 100,000 deaths. The victims were not only due to rain and wind, but also mainly due to the high waves that ravaged the coastal areas as a result of the wind.

Climate figures

The figures below are based on long-term average climate statistics. The temperatures are displayed in degrees Celsius (°C).

Best time to visit Myanmar

Do you want to know when is the best time to travel to Myanmar? You can determine the best time to travel to a destination based on the weather and climate. In addition, there are other factors that are not directly related to the weather and that can influence the best travel periods for a travel destination. Think, for example, of holidays or festive periods, which makes traveling more interesting or not, because daily life comes to a standstill as a result. The Republic of Myanmar, also known as Burma, is a country located in southeastern Asia. The country is one of the more difficult countries in the region, but also one of the most imaginative destinations. For example, anyone who sees photos or videos of the hot air balloons over Bagan would spontaneously want to book a holiday to Myanmar. Those traveling to Myanmar will have to deal with a tropical monsoon climate. There are three seasons per calendar year: a dry season, a hot season and the monsoon period. How hot it gets and how much rain falls during the rainy season mainly depends on the location. Some coastal areas can count on more than 5000 millimeters per year. That is about six to seven times as much as in the Netherlands. Myanmar’s climate has a major impact on tourism. They ensure that they mainly plan their trip in the dry season and will try to avoid the wet season. If you know that Sittwe, which is located on the northwestern coast, receives more than a thousand millimeters of rain a month in the summer, then make sure you aren’t there.

Best months

The best time to travel for a tour or other type of holiday in Myanmar is from December to March. It is then largely dry, very sunny and mostly pleasantly warm, although it can get very hot in the interior in March. In the centrally located Mandalay, maximum temperatures of 35 to 40 degrees are already normal. In the capital Yangon it gets seriously hot in February. In the winter, the rest of Myanmar has to deal with afternoon temperatures that are often between 25 and 30 degrees. In the mountains it gets cooler as you increase in altitude.