Myanmar vs Laos - Which is better?

[ZombieHunter]

If you have been to both, which one would you recommend? Or if you have been to one of them, what did you like and didn't like? How did you get around from one to the other as both involve travelling to see more of the country?

I just can't decide and would like some input.

Current ideas for 11 days late December / early January:

LAOS
Vientiane: 1-2 days
Vang Vieng: 1-2 days
Luang Prabang: 3-4 days
Gibbon Experience: 3 days (gibbonexperience.org if anyone is nosy)

MYANMAR
Yangon: 1-2 days
Bagan: 1-2 days
Mandalya: 1-2 days
Inle Lake: 1-2 days
Beaches (Ngapali?): rest of the time

So, which one is better? Will we need more / less time in certain areas? Is it true that Myanmar is getting too touristy? That's my pet hate, it would definitely rule it out if it's true.

I’ve been to Laos but not Myanmar.

I loved Laos, it’s beautiful. We got buses between most places, either public buses (cramped and bumpy!) or minibuses organised by hostels - we didn’t always stay in them but you can usually book a seat on their buses. It does take a while to get between each place, so in only 11 days I’d try not to spread yourselves too thinly.

I looked at Myanmar - would still love to go - but we had 3 weeks and while researching where to go I was struggling to work out how we could fit in what we wanted to see without being rushed. The travel times can be really long, I’m not sure I’d want to try in 11 days.

I've been to both, Laos in Easter 2016 and Myanmar in Easter 2017. Had a fantastic time in both.
In Laos we had 4 days in Luan Prabang which wonderful. We sailed down the Mekong, visited Pak Ou caves and went to an elephant sanctuary then onto waterfall area. We spent several evenings wandering round the wonderful night market and also had a half day cookery course. Then we flew to Vientiene for 2 days which wasn't such an amazing place and 2 days was plenty there. We went to Buddha Park, had a city tour and did the obligatory early morning giving of alms to the monks. Finally we flew to Pakse and sailed to Khong Island where we were able to see the Irrawaddy Mekong dolphins - a very special experience and then saw some lovely waterfalls. We stayed there for 2 days.

In Myanmar we had 2 days in Yangon visiting Shwedagon Pagoda which was breathtaking and generally strolling around the city centre. Then we flew to Bagan for 2 days and saw masses of temples. The one thing we regretted was not having a hot air balloon flight above them as it was out of season and the only company that was still running was fully booked. Then we flew to Mandalay for a day/night where we walked along the U Bein bridge, visited an interesting working monastery and the Buddha of Mahamuni Paya. Finally we flew to Heho to spend 2 days at Inle Lake visiting the stilted villages and seeing the traditional industries of the Intha people.

I would say Myanmar isn't too touristy at the moment; we certainly didn't see lots of western people. Travelling from place to place in both countries takes a lot of time so we opted for flights which were quick and trouble-free. In fact the domestic flights in Myanmar operate more like buses with passengers staying on board at different airports until they reach their destination. -

I would say that Laos was more laid back as a nation but if I was forced to choose, I had more memorable experiences in Myanmar. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the replies! Sorry for responding late, it fell down to the bottom of my watch list and I thought nobody had responded.

Well, both countries sound amazing, so we decided Laos this year and Myanmar next year. Simple reason is that where we are likely moving to next year (can't guarantee, but need to go with best guess) flights to Myanmar will be cheap as chips so will be able to spend more when there and Laos is cheaper from where we are now.

We have to ditch the gibbonexperience, I didn't realise how tricky it is to get there (12 hours minimum on bus or 6 hours speed ferry and I can't deal with speed ferrys after a nasty accident a while back).

So, 11 days for Laos without gibbonexperience are ok, right?

Vientiane: 2 days
Vang Vieng: 4 days (adding more there for hot air balloon / caves or is it overkill...)
Luang Prabang: 5 days

Or are there any other places on that route we should go to? 1000 islands worth it? Elephants? Seen them already in Malaysia, so not sure if necessary again.