People Of Myanmar (Burma) – A Photo Essay

Bagan monks people of Myanmar
In the ancient city of Bagan there is a certain mysticism that flows in and out of the temples. With 1000 year old pagodas surrounding you in every direction you can feel the spirtual power in the atmosphere. It has become a magnet for Buddhist monks to come and practice their beliefs in the shadows of this great empire. We crossed paths with these three novice monks on a dirt path between two of the larger temples.

Our time spent in the predominantly Buddhist nation of Myanmar (formerly Burma) left many varied experiences permanently etched into our memories. The ancient temples of Bagan proved to be even more beautiful than we could of imagined from seeing iconic photos. Being able to trek to various hill tribes in Hsipaw and Kalaw was an unexpected highlight of our month there. But without a doubt the most positive experience to come out of our travels was the people of Myanmar. Unconditionally friendly and exuberant despite years of political hardships left us feeling as though we were not worthy to be in the presence of the Burmese. While certain areas would no doubt yield different circumstances we were fortunate enough to only come across the most amazing people in every situation. Here we have put together a photo essay of some of our favourite photos of the people of Myanmar. We hope this inspires you to visit this newly accessible country before tourism takes its relentless hold over the nation.

People of Myanmar

Shan lady people of Myanmar
This beautiful lady from the Shan indigenous tribe welcomed us into her home to share her food during one of our hikes from Kalaw to Inle Lake. Her striking features and intense expression belied her affable personality.
Children talking people of Myanmar
In Mandalay we were invited by a monk to visit his monastery and teach English to his students. We excitedly obliged and spent the entire day and two classes educating these fascinated children on the nuances of greetings in an Australian accent. Here two boys are practicing their newly-learned phrases with each other while a young novice monk sits in the background.
Standing man people of Myanmar
This man entered our homestay outside of Kalaw and sternly gestured that we follow him outside. We thought he wanted food but it turned out he just wanted his photograph taken. He stared strongly into the lens appearing as masculine as possible. But when we showed him his image on the camera’s screen he smiled jubilantly and nodded a solid approval before walking off into the distance.
Kung fu kids people of Myanmar
Playing games with the kids was always an entertaining way to spend a few hours. These young boys were shying away from the camera until we started sparring in kung fu. The cheeky kids came out of their shells and proceeded to show off their impressive range of Bruce Lee-esque maneuvers.
Lady water buffalo people of Myanmar
Life is very simple outside of urban development. Water buffalo are valued more than TV and the workload, while monotonous, is necessary to create a comfortable existence. This lady is feeding her own buffalo so that it will be energised for the next day’s shift.
Cute kid people of Myanmar
Kids will always be cheeky and this one was no exception. Brandishing his mother’s green tea sifter he charged us, pretending to be in a joust. He pulled up short and gave us a glance that warned us he was not someone to mess with. We quickly moved on, terrified of this mini-knight’s menace.
Laughing man people of Myanmar
After ravishingly consuming another huge portion of food at one of our homestays we decided to go for a walk to burn some calories. We had only made it to the next bamboo house when this man came onto his patio and warmly welcomed us into his friend’s house for tea. Our polite refusals fell on deaf ears and eventually we decided to walk upstairs and join them. We spent almost an hour drinking tea and conversing with this man and his friends about life, love and history. His English was only slightly better than our Burmese but this did not matter at all. He was jovial beyond all measures and laughed at every opportunity. One of the greatest hours of our trip was spent in this man’s presence, drinking green tea with him and his friends.
Kid door people of Myanmar
We went to leave the town we had spent the night on one of our multi-day treks when we glanced to the side and saw this boy sitting outside his house, alone, observing us. He had declined to join us for our impromptu games of ‘flip-flop throwing’ with the kids, instead opting to watch from a distance. We tried to interact with him but his apparent introverted nature kept him at arm’s reach. When we spotted him on this final walk we smiled and waved, calling out goodbye. He stared for a moment before allowing himself the slightest smile and a gentle wave. In accented English he called out ,”bye bye friends”.
Fisherman Inle Lake people of Myanmar
At the captivating tourist hotspot of Inle Lake life doesn’t just revolve around the body of water, it is structured on it. Floating villages are built in idyllic settings amongst the reeds and lilies. The style of fishing that has developed there is interesting as well. The boat drivers use their leg to wrap around a paddle in order to move themselves around, leaving their arms free to throw around the lines and nets.
Kids on cart people of Myanmar
In a world void of TV, video games and the internet the kids make their own entertainment. Simple games will keep the children occupied for hours. With no crime to worry about they are free to play outside without adult supervision. It is a beautiful world which makes you think where we went wrong.
Sitting man people of Myanmar
When we arrived in this man’s village in the early afternoon he was seated in this chair, watching the world pass him by. When we were finished exploring many hours later he was still sitting in his chair. Every person who walked by him, young and old, greeted him with respect. He would smile and nod then go back to watching the world pass him by. Truly content in his simple pleasures.
Drawing kid people of Myanmar
While we were waiting to eat some food the restaurant owner’s son came up to us and started rummaging through our belongings. He found our notepad and a pen and started drawing nonsensical images trying to communicate with us. He kept us company until our meals arrived when he was then ushered back inside. Before he left he gifted us his prized drawings.
Nice couple people of Myanmar
While their friend, the laughing man, entertained us this couple kept our tea cups full and ensured we felt entirely comfortable in their home. They knew no English and only a little Burmese, instead speaking their own dialect. The communication breakdown did not matter as the language of smiles and laughter is universal.
Picture of Alesha and Jarryd

Alesha and Jarryd

Hey! We are Alesha and Jarryd, the award-winning writers and professional photographers behind this blog. We have been travelling the world together since 2008, with a passion for adventure travel and sustainable tourism. Through our stories and images we promote exciting off-the-beaten-path destinations and fascinating cultures as we go. As one of the world's leading travel journalists, our content and adventures have been featured by National Geographic, Lonely Planet, CNN, BBC, Forbes, Business Insider, Washington Post, Yahoo!, BuzzFeed, Channel 7, Channel 10, ABC, The Guardian, and plenty other publications. Follow our journey in real time on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

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26 thoughts on “People Of Myanmar (Burma) – A Photo Essay”

  1. | Reply

    These are beautiful shots, I was in Myanmar recently and for sure you have captured the beauty and essence of people of Myanmar very well

    • | Reply

      Thank you so much. It is an amazing country. We are glad you had a great time. The generosity of the people was amazing. We were very grateful and met a lot of wonderful people.

  2. | Reply

    Beautiful shots – the one of the guy sitting outside his house just feels *perfect* for the vibe of that area.

    • | Reply

      Thank you so much. We loved Myanmar and the people were so inviting with photos. 🙂

  3. | Reply

    Such evocative images.
    Myanmar is most beautiful country I’ve ever been to, solely because of the people!
    I’m heading back to Asia soon, and your posts on it make me all the more desperate to return.

    • | Reply

      Cheers Kim! We loved the Burmese people as well. Enjoy it when you return 🙂

    • | Reply

      Glad you liked our photos, Carmen. Happy travels 🙂

  5. | Reply

    Thank you for this beautiful post!

    • | Reply

      Thanks for reading 🙂

  6. | Reply

    Stunning stunning pictures! I haven’t been to Burma yet (it’s definitely high on my list), but I really feel like you’ve captured the essence of the people here. Amazing work!

    • | Reply

      Thanks so much for the kind words, Erin. It is a truly special place and the people there are the absolute definition of beautiful. I hope you get there soon. Thanks for reading. =)

  7. | Reply

    Beautiful photos here!! This photo essay makes me super excited to see photos of Mayanmar as we’ll be going there next year! Very cool to see that some locals are okay with having their photo taken. I especially love the older man laughing!

    • | Reply

      Thanks very much Christine. I can’t wait to see how you find the experiences in Myanmar. We’ll be following along for sure. Most of the locals are more than happy to take photos with tourists. In fact you may find it is the other way around a lot. In Bagan we stood at a temple for nearly 30 minutes while Burmese people formed a line to get photos with Lesh and I! Cheers for reading.

  8. | Reply

    Great shots guys!
    Burma is an amazing country and I’d love to go back there and try a homestay experience like you did!

    Thanks for sharing!

    • | Reply

      Thanks for the comment Marie. We definitely recommend the homestay we did. We loved it. Let us know if you ever go back!

  9. | Reply

    Seriously amazing photos and wonderful stories behind them! Love your work guys:)

    • | Reply

      Cheers Teisha! Appreciate the kind words =)

  10. | Reply

    Waauw, absolutely amazing pictures! Great stories as well. It’s so true: you don’t always need to speak the languages to communicate and make new friends. A genuine smile says it all. 🙂

    • | Reply

      Thanks very much Nina. Like you said, a smile is understood in any language.

  11. | Reply

    These portraits are amazing! Such beauty captured in the pictures and stories.

    • | Reply

      Thanks very much guys! The people there are so welcoming and receptive. Make sure you check Myanmar out when you come through SE Asia on your next trip!

  12. | Reply

    Great post and beautiful pictures!!!
    Myanmar people are enchanting and very friendly. They always have a smile on their face and are ready to help you and chat with you. If you smile at anyone, you’ll get an amazing smile back! 🙂

    • | Reply

      Thanks very much Juan! We completely agree with your comment on the people there. Every interaction we had during our month there was positive and welcoming. Cheers for having a read buddy!

  13. | Reply

    Fascinating pictures. They are very well executed. Kudos!

    • | Reply

      Thanks so much Renuka. =)

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