MYANMAR (BURMA)
Shan State
Nyaungshwe
Song of Travel
The convivial and award-winning boombox beloved by adventurers and backpackers from around the world.
World's Top 10 Medium Hostel
2018
Myanmar's Best Hostel
2018, 2019, and 2020
Best Value for Money
#1 of 37 in Specialty Lodging
Inspiring People
We are a 100% local team of Intha, Pa-O, Shan, and Bamar people.
Our lovely staff are always prepared to give all necessary information for your visit. They will make sure that our guest will definitely have a pleasant stay.
Independently-Owned
- We are 100% independently-owned by Fiona and a small group of investors who helped us buy our land and build our hostel.
Locally-Managed
- Everyone who works with us is from a 20-kilometer radius of our home.
Sustainably-Operated
- We offer full pay, free housing and board, free English lessons, and include all of her front desk and back-of-house teams in a pooled bonus program.
- We support all local businesses. Our kitchen and cleaning teams and partners are all from Nyaungshwe.
- Everything is done with the environment in mind. We source our products locally, and choose to conserve resources.
- This isn’t just good for our bottom line, it’s good for the planet too.
Fiona
Altered Host Ambassador
An award-winning visionary entrepreneur who left her previous job as a bank teller to build the first social enterprise hostel in Myanmar (Burma).
Incredible Place
Discover our award-winning three-story boombox.
Sleep
- Super cool capsule beds with reading lamps, oversized lockers, electrical outlet, and a 100% blackout curtain offer guests a restful night.
- 5 shared rooms with 14 super cool capsule beds each.
- 2 private rooms with 1 double bed & private bathroom.
- 1 travel room for guests arriving/departing on overnight buses.
Eat & Drink
- Enjoy sunset sundowners & delicious local dishes on our panoramic rooftop bar & restaurant.
- Our menu offers both local Shan dishes and Burmese spins on international favorites made with locally-sourced and organic ingredients (vegan-friendly, too!).
Amenities
- A long list of complimentary guest amenities no other place matches, including:
- A daily-rotating hot breakfast with both authentic dishes and local interpretations of global favorites.
- Free 10mbps internet (if you want it, this is as fast as you can get it here)!
- Free bicycle rentals.
- All-day coffee & tea stations.
- And more!
Experiences
- Some of our guests check-in for a night and then stay with us for weeks, even months, because of the various immersive experiences we offer, including:
- Weekly Burmese language lessons.
- Sunrise yoga.
- Sunrise/Sunset boat trip
- One day trekking
- Every day Saturday Family dinner
- Play local games.
- And more!
Impactful Planet
We are the first social enterprise hostel in Myanmar (Burma).
Our hospitality goes above and beyond the duty of care. When you stay with us, we gain real-world hospitality experience, practice our English, and exchange ideas with people from around the world.
Song of Travel Boat Tour
- We designed a bespoke Inle Lake boat tour exclusively for Song of Travel guests.
- We partner with carefully-chosen Intha people, all of whom lead an authentic, all-day experience on Inle Lake, including a home-cooked lunch by the wives of the boat drivers in the floating villages dotting the lake.
- With 90% of proceeds benefiting the local Inthar boat drivers and their families, the boat tours are a locally-celebrated social impact program.
1% of Bookings Donated
- Every month, we donate 1% of all bookings to support the local hospital, orphanage, and other worthy causes in Nyaungshwe.
- We also offering select guests with essential skills a chance to stay long-term and support organizations directly.
Locally-Sourced Ingredients
- Our culinary team works to source over 75% of our ingredients locally.
- We always try to make everything from scratch in-house instead of importing it from outside our country.
- We also try to offer vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free variations of everything on our menu!
Song of Travel Brigade
Altered Neighbor
Launched at the start of the global pandemic, the Song of Travel Mask Brigade evolved into a charitable initiative for guests to support essential service providers in Nyaungshwe.
Our Location
The gateway to the floating villages of Inle Lake.
Address
Aung Chan Thar Street 5, Nandawun Block 6, Nyaung Shwe, 11221, Myanmar (Burma)
Local Area
- Nyaungshwe a little harbor town surrounded by the idyllic Shan hills.
- Taunggyi, the capital of Shan State, is 75-90 minutes by car.
- Heho Airport is 45-60 minutes by car.
Local Attractions
- Inle Lake Floating Gardens
- Kakku Temple
- Taunggyi
- Tazaungdaing Festival
- Maing Thauk Bridge
- Ywarma Village
Local Businesses
- Red Mountain Estate Vineyard
- Bamboo Delight Cooking School
- Inle Heart View Restaurant