10 Best Things to do in Myanmar – The hidden empire unravelled

Aitken Spence travels Myanmar offers some of the most comprehensive packages to travel & tour in Myanmar – it's probably one of the best ways to explore iconic sites such as the hidden temples of Bagan. The thousands of Buddhist temples of Bagan are often compared to Angkor Wat in Cambodia and most visitors opt to take a hot air balloon and soar through the skies marvelling at the magnificence of these temples from above. However it is often argued that the best way to enjoy these monuments is from ground-level; hire a motorbike, it's cheap and gets your right up-close and amongst these wonders from ancient times.

You probably wouldn't expect Myanmar to have wineries – but they do. And they make absolutely amazing wines. It is quite possible to book a stay at one of these amazing boutique wine-yards and if you can you should it is definitely worth it. Enjoy the wines and the views of this rugged paradise.

Tourists love to travel across Myanmar on motorbike. Not only is it very cheap but it is very liberating. The road from Mandalay is one of the most scenic in the country and cruising along the narrow mountainous road will leave you in awe. The sights are simply breath-taking.

If you're a fan of Indiana Jones this is one thing you must do is head east from Mandalay and visit the Dat Taw Gyaint waterfall. it flows into a pool of crystal clear water which is a treat to swim in and overlooked by an ancient pagoda and the ruins of an old bridge. A scene taken straight from a movie – you'll love it.

If you head to the far south of the country the climate and setting becomes quite tropical. There is a port town called Myeik a remnant of colonial times – a fascinating place in its own right. But from here you can get a boat to the vast Myeik archipelago and explore the isolated beaches of the many islands there. And if you're lucky you might even run into the mysterious sea-gypsies known as the Moken people.

The Yangon Drug Elimination Museum is quite the oddity. It is a propaganda exercise conducted by the national government to exhibit the progress they are making with the war on drugs and is in a way a testament to how the country is changing and stepping into the modern world. The exhibits are quite bizarre in some cases but also quite fascinating.

Myanmar is country of a thousand festivals and the Taunggyi fire ballon festival is without a doubt one of its most colourful. Every year at the start of November thousands of people flock to a field outside the Shan capital of Taunggyi and send gigantic hot air balloons filled with thousands of fireworks into the sky. It is quite a raucous event with lots of drinking and dancing.