Some of the hotels do not post their Jan. rates until 2-4 months prior to Jan. This was the case when we went in Jan. 2012. We had the TA reserve rooms when he could, and then he told us the rate when it was posted. That was before the big rush of tourists, so it is not a new policy. What is new is that instead of increasing rates by 5-10 percent year over year, the hotels may feel that they can and will increase their rates according to what the traffic will bear. Obviously the TA has no control over this. I'd still reserve the rooms as soon as possible if you really want to go because once the rates are posted, the rooms may not be available. You can always try to change your reservations if the rate seems ridiculous, or cancel the trip all together if it is way beyond your budget.

The hotels sign contracts with the agencies several months before high season (August last year). Until then, the agencies will not know prices. Likewise, flights are announced several months before high season.

No one knows what next high season will be like. There have been a number of new hotels built - will it be enough to meet demand? No one knows. The agencies are doing the best they can.

I have to tell you that Burma would not be a place I'd choose to go birding. Yes, you will see some birds here and there, but remember that the country has been in a state of civil war for decades. The areas in the far north and in the far west of the country are still off limits because of "civil unrest."

Go to Burma to meet the warm and welcoming people, see the lovely Buddhist monuments, both temples and stupas, to see ways of life that have persisted for centuries. If you see a few birds, great, but I wouldn't go thinking I was going to see lots of unusual birds.

Thanks for your replies. Actually several birding tour companies highlight Myanmar as the place to go for birding in SE Asia (e.g., Birdquest, Rockjumper, VENT, birdholidays). For instance, saying "ornithologically most diverse country in Southeast Asia" with nearly "1,100 species of birds." Although we are not serious birders (no life lists or fancy equipment), we have found that a birding oriented tour gives us a very different trip than the usual cultural tour. We have therefore organized independent nature/birding oriented tours in other countries before including Thailand (twice with Paddle Asia who we highly recommend) and Malaysia (also would recommend our guide but would have to dig up details). But, when we went to Lao six years ago, we were struck by the fact that we never saw birds, even along the river. It was scary. All had been hunted. Given the rapid changes occurring in Myanmar that can negatively impact on habitat (e.g., spoon-billed sandpiper)--we feel that it is good to support that aspect of tourism in Mayanmar.

Certainly Burma has inherent biological diversity. My question is whether you'll be able to see much of it. The places that are considered the treasure chests of biological diversity, like the Mt. Victoria area or the far north have been off-limits to travelers for many decades.

There are a number of biologists and botanists who have gotten permission to go to these areas. You might enjoy books by some of these people. Two I especially enjoyed are "The Weeping Goldsmith" by W. John Kress and Beyond the Last Village by Alan Rabinowitz.

Good luck to you!