Staying two nights in three different destinations or nights in two areas will result in a relaxing yet immersive holiday. Nine days is just barely! It will be a fast trip but you will at least get a full day of exploring in each destination. With a few more days, you can slow down the pace in these key destinations or add in an overland trip to a lesser-known site such as Pindaya, Pyin Oo Lwin or Mt Popa.
Lucky you! Two weeks is the perfect time to enjoy a mix of sites and experiences without rushing. Linger in the big four and take some overland journey or a full-day cruise between Mandalay and Bagan. Or add an extension to scenic Hpa An and Mawlamyine in the south, the northern Shan hills for trekking adventures near Pyin Oo Lwin and Kyauk Me, fly to the ancient ruins of Mrauk U or wrap up your trip with a beach break.
Whatever your interest, Myanmar has just what you are looking for. And it was well recommended, as the road to Mount Popa is an attraction in itself, with arid countryside, scattered rural villages, passing locals, farms and buffalo. The first stop en route is at a palm tree farm where palm wine distillation and jaggery palm sugar is produced check here for full palm wine distillation.
Interesting stop-off with free breakfast boozing. Arriving to Mount Popa we stop for a photo op as below then forward to the base of the mountain for the trek to the top. Being somewhat lazy we stay at the lower tiers surrounded by Buddhist shrines and monkeys.
We watch pilgrims and the rare slow moving Yeti monks begin their trek to the top check here for full blog on Mount Popa. On the return journey we stop for a quick feed before drop off at the hotel for a siesta. The 2nd half of the day tour starts around 4pm and again visits the Bagan Archaeological Zone.
By now we had flicked through maps and pamphlets and put together a quick to-do list for the driver to filling in the gaps from the previous day.
After three temple visits we finish the tour at Shwe San Daw Pagoda where we find the temple rooftop already crammed with tourists waiting for sunset over Bagan. We climb to the top and join them, snap a few photos, then call it a night.
If next plans are to Mandalay I would recommend the boat journey following the Irrawaddy River. This will be one of the most mind-blowingly impressive and memorable things you do so its worth choosing good spots and getting there in plenty of time so you can enjoy the moment.
Sunrise: Shwesandaw Pagoda — known as the sunset Pagoda this is one of the most popular spots and gets very busy. Sunset: La-Kha-ou-shaung is very near to Shwesandaw but much smaller and quieter — we watched a great sunset over the mountains although not as many pagodas and spires silhouetted against this backdrop.
Sunset: Pyathetgyi Pagoda was the chosen location for this sunset and it was an exceptional view of the pagodas and mountains. Sunrise: Our final sunrise of our 3 days in Bagan was at a small pagoda next to the currently closed Beludi temple — this one was a bit of a scrabble to climb and a bit busier than we would have liked but gave by far the best views of the balloons floating across the sky.
The sunrise on this morning was amazing as well, making it our all round favourite. Sunset: we spent our final sunset on a pagoda in Old Bagan just across from the Golden Palace called Shwegu Gyi, another location with beautiful views of the mountains as well as offering a glimpse of the river.
It can be a little confusing knowing where to start with so many pagodas and after our time in Yangon getting up so early was a shock to the system! We then spent the last of our 3 days in Bagan checking out a few other places in the area before our onward journey to Mandalay. Below is a quick overview of the main pagodas we visited on each day and some information about them — these are ones not to miss but some of the most fun comes from exploring the smaller pagodas dotted along the route.
When asked how many days should you spend in Bagan, we feel like 3 days was enough, two days may be too little but any more than 3 and you might start getting bored with exploring pagodas! Our first afternoon was spent seeing some of the bigger monuments between New and Old Bagan — including:.
Htilominlo temple — one of the largest temples at ft tall, this is a red brick building that retains some of its original intricate carvings. Mya-zi-gon — just down the path from Htilominlo towards the river this is an attractive smallish temple with a golden spire. U-Pali-thein — over the road from Htilominlo this is another large temple, this one rectangular in shape and made from white stone.
It contains brightly coloured murals from the 18th century. Thatbyinnyu Phaya — another white stone large temple with lots of painters creating sand paintings. We chose today to tick off some of the bigger temples in the South of the area between Nyaung U and Old Bagan after more general exploring the previous day, managing to see:. Shwezigen Pagoda. This was a large complex reminding us more of the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon but without the enormous golden spire — be prepared for lots of sellers trying to persuade you to buy souvenirs here.
Ananda temple — a massive and very impressive white stone structure with 4 90foot tall Buddhas contained within it, this is one of the most notable temples in Bagan and one you must see. We paid K for a quick local guide which definitely helped to give us a bit more insight into the history of the building that dates back to the 12th century. Alodawpyl — located over the road from Dammayan Gyi, this attracted us with its striking gold roof and we enjoyed a quick look around as our last stop on our second of 3 days in Bagan.
We spent our final day of our three days in Bagan exploring Old Bagan in more depth and taking a bit of a break from pagodas, although we still squeezed some in! Today we saw:. The Archeological Museum — this is a visually impressive building where you can learn more of the history of the area, it contains models and information on some of the more famous temples and pagodas as well as stone inscriptions and paintings.
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