Electricity

To ensure a consistent supply of electricity, most of Myanmar’s international hotels are equipped with their own generators. But even in the capital, there’s not enough capacity to power the whole city, and brownouts and blackouts are commonplace around the country. If you are traveling with electrical items and want to protect the integrity of your electrical items, it’s definitely worth investing in a surge protector.

Learning to adapt

When it’s functioning, the voltage in Myanmar is 220-230 Volts AC, running at 50 Hz. Most of the major hotels accept the British-style three-pin rectangular blade plugs, although you may also find the old British round three-pin plug or European round two-pin plug. A multi-adaptor plug is therefore the best option for use with all your electrical equipment.

Power to the people

Note: Most adapters do not alter the voltage uptake, so do not plug any appliances designed for use on 110-120 volt supplies directly into the outlet without the use of an approved transformer. Transformers that step up the voltage are widely available, but the cheaper models don’t seem to work very well.