Contact your GP around eight weeks before your trip to check whether you need any vaccinations or ot

This advice has been reviewed and reissued with an amendment to the Travel Summary section (Air Bagan plane crash). The overall level of the advice has not changed; we advise against all but essential travel to Rakhine cheap airline deals State.
An Air Bagan flight travelling to Heho from Mandalay crashed at approximately 0900 local time on 25 December. We are working with Burmese authorities, airline officials and other Embassies to clarify reports of casualties and to determine whether any British nationals were involved. A member of our consular staff was deployed to Heho Airport and another to Rangoon Airport. Our Charge d Affaires has also visited Victoria Hospital in Rangoon, where he met a family of four British Nationals and offered consular assistance. We are not aware that any other British Nationals were involved.
Exercise caution in the border areas with Thailand, Laos or China. The situation in ethnic states where armed groups operate is volatile. There is ongoing conflict in parts of Kachin State and the far north of Shan State.
You should exercise caution, avoid all demonstrations and large gatherings and avoid taking photographs or videos of the military, the police or demonstrations. See Safety and Security -  Political Situation.
There are stringent restrictions on freedom of movement and speech. British Embassy officials are not allowed to travel freely outside Rangoon without prior permission from the Burmese government, except to a limited number of destinations. Consular assistance in an emergency may therefore be restricted or delayed.
There is a high threat from terrorism. If you are visiting or are resident in Burma, you should exercise caution in public places and ensure that you are comfortable with, and regularly review your own and your family s security arrangements. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.
Past targets have included commercial interests, public transport and places tourists may visit. On 15 April 2010, there were three bomb explosions during festivities at Kandawgyi cheap airline deals Lake, in central Rangoon. At least 10 people were killed and 170 injured. ( See Safety and Security - Local Travel ).
There are no accurate crime statistics, but anecdotal evidence suggests that muggings, burglaries cheap airline deals and petty thefts in Rangoon have increased as the economic situation has deteriorated. Expatriate homes and hotels have been targeted in the past. You should take extra care of your belongings.
In June 2012 there were clashes cheap airline deals between Rohingya and Rakhine communities in Rakhine, including Sittwe, the state capital. On 31 August the Burmese government announced restrictions on access for tourists to Sittwe and Mrauk-U and a curfew remains in force across cheap airline deals much of Rakhine State. We advise against all but essential travel to Rakhine cheap airline deals State. The current curfew times are 18:00 to 06:00, but this may change. We advise any British nationals cheap airline deals in Rakhine State to check timings of the curfew locally and follow any instructions. The British Embassy in Rangoon stands ready to provide consular assistance. cheap airline deals British nationals working for NGOs and other companies should keep in close contact with those organisations.
cheap airline deals You must exit Burma at the same border crossing from which you entered, and Burmese immigration officers may request to hold your passport until your visit is complete. Do not attempt to cross any border illegally or enter restricted areas without cheap airline deals the appropriate permissions from the Burmese authorities. The Ministry of Hotels, Tourism and Sport maintains a list of approved destinations. Tourists can visit Rangoon, Mandalay, Bago and Irrawaddy regions without restrictions. Other destinations are subject to limitations: access by air or train but not by road. Queries on permission should be directed to the Burmese authorities, not the British Embassy in Rangoon. See www.myanmartourism.org  or call the Ministry of Tourism on +95 67 406129.
Be particularly vigilant if travelling to border areas. There is ongoing military activity close to borders with Thailand, Laos and China especially in Shan, Karen and Kachin States. There is ongoing conflict in parts of Kachin State and the far north of Shan State. The Burmese authorities are currently restricting travel between Myitkyina and Bhamo in Kachin state: travel to and between these two towns is permitted by air only. There has been no fighting within the town of Myitkyina itself, cheap airline deals but town is experiencing occasional curfews as a result of the conflict. Take local advice before travelling outside Myitkyina within Kachin State, as the conflict situation remains fluid. There has also been low-level cheap airline deals fighting in central Shan State and Karen State near the Thailand/Burma border in recent months.
You may only go to officially designated tourist areas. You need prior permission from the tourism authorities for treks to remote parts of the country. However, tourists have experienced difficulties with the authorities cheap airline deals even after obtaining such permission.
Local flight schedules are subject to change without warning and you should leave sufficient time in your travel itinerary to accommodate this. On occasion Burmese domestic airlines use aircraft from outside their own fleet, including those belonging to Myanmar Airways.  Passengers are not advised in advance where this is the case.
Overland travel can be hazardous, particularly in the rainy season (May to October). cheap airline deals Roads can become impassable cheap airline deals and bridges damaged. Travel by road between many areas outside the key destinations of Rangoon, Mandalay, Bago and Irrawaddy cheap airline deals regions is restricted. Please check with your tour operator or the Ministry of Hotels, Tourism and Sport before travelling.
Under Burmese law, the driver of a car involved in an accident with a pedestrian is always at fault. Many vehicles, including taxis, are in a poor mechanical state. cheap airline deals Although Burma drives on the right, the majority of cars are right hand drive, which can make driving cheap airline deals hazardous.
Ensure that you ask for and follow carefully local advice about where it is safe to swim or dive in the sea. River transport may not conform to internationally recognised safety standards. Be aware that search and rescue facilities are unlikely to meet international standards.
In Burma's 2010 general elections the military regime-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party claimed a landslide cheap airline deals victory, amidst cheap airline deals reports of widespread electoral fraud and voter intimidation. An interim government handed over to a newly appointed cheap airline deals government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar cheap airline deals on 30 March 2011, headed by President Thein Sein.  Since then, there have been encouraging political reforms. The National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, was able to re-register as an official political party in late 2011. The NLD took part in largely free and fair by-elections in April 2012, winning the majority of the seats contested.  Several hundred political prisoners have been released, cheap airline deals though several hundred still remain cheap airline deals in jail. The government has signed initial peace agreements with a number of ethnic armed groups, though conflict in Kachin State continues. Censorship has been significantly eased.  New legislation passed by Parliament offers greater freedoms of assembly and movement, and the right to form trade unions.
However, the political situation remains potentially unsettled and you should avoid all demonstrations cheap airline deals and large gatherings. You should avoid taking photographs or videos of the police, military installations or personnel, or demonstrations. Restrictions on freedom cheap airline deals of speech, movement, religion, and political activity do remain, and foreign nationals have been arrested, imprisoned and deported cheap airline deals in the past for criticising the government in public.
cheap airline deals In the past, there have been acts of politically motivated violence around public holidays such as Armed Forces Day (27 March) and Martyrs Day (19 July) as these have the potential to turn violent. These dates, and other anniversaries, such as that of the 8 August 1988 uprising against the government and the September cheap airline deals 2007 protests, have seen a significant increase in security forces in Rangoon and elsewhere in Burma.
Fighting in Kachin State and the far north west of Shan State (Namkham) area continues between government and Kachin Independence Army forces (see Safety and Security-Local Travel above). There are occasional reports of low-level skirmishes in Kayin State near the Thai-Burma border.
Homosexuality is technically illegal in Burma, although these laws are rarely enforced in practice. cheap airline deals In June 2007, a European national was sentenced to seven years in prison for committing homosexual acts.
A visa is required to visit Burma. Visa on arrival cheap airline deals is only available from select destinations. British nationals should apply for a visa at the nearest Burmese Embassy or Consulate well in advance of travelling.
Single parents or other adults travelling alone with children should be aware that some countries require documentary evidence of parental responsibility before allowing lone parents to enter the country or, in some cases, before permitting the children to leave the country. They may want to see birth certificates, a letter cheap airline deals of consent from the other parent cheap airline deals or some evidence as to your responsibility for the child. As far as we are aware the Burmese immigration authorities do not normally ask to see such evidence, but if you have concerns please check with the nearest Burmese Embassy.
Contact your GP around eight weeks before your trip to check whether you need any vaccinations or other preventive measures. Country specific information and advice is published by the National Travel Health Network and Centre, and useful cheap airline deals information about healthcare abroad, including a country-by-country guide of reciprocal health care agreements with the UK, is available from NHS Choices.
Routine medical advice and treatment can be obtained in Rangoon and Mandalay, but el