The Tazaungdaing hot air balloon festival will reach its climax in Taunggyi, Shan State, this weekend, and bus tickets are almost gone. Vendors outside Aung San Stadium in Yangon say they have sold all the tickets leaving on Friday, November 11, and returning on Monday, November 14, which are probably the best days to go if you don’t have to work on Monday.
If you’re considering cancelling your trip because you can’t get a ride at these optimal times, please reconsider. Licensed travel agent and well-known adventurer Ms Zar Ni Kyaw has a few bus tickets that can be yours for K21,000 each way.
The bus on November 11 will leave from St Anthony’s Church on Upper Pansodan Road at 8:30pm. Rides back to Yangon will leave on November 14, 15 and 16 at 10am and arrive around 9pm.
Alternatively, you can rent a 13-seater van for you and your friends for a total of K700,000 roundtrip, which comes out to around K58,000 per person if the van is full. This service comes with a driver for the weekend. So if you couldn’t get a hotel room in Taunggyi, you’ll have a ride from nearby Nyaung Shwe to the festival and back whenever you want.
If you haven’t booked a place to stay yet, some locals in Taunggyi have offered to host visitors for K14,000 per night. As of this afternoon, there are 18 such spaces left.
To inquire about any of these options, call Zar Ni at 09796140175.
