Pyin Oo Lwin
Just north of Anisakan village the plateau disappears into an impressive, deeply wooded amphitheatre, its sides ribboned with several waterfalls. The most…
Must-see attractions in Myanmar (Burma)
Myanmar (Burma)
An act of merit-making by General Than Shwe and his wife, this 321ft-tall golden pagoda – 1ft smaller than Yangon’s Shwedagon Paya – is impressive from…
Mother Spirit of Popa Nat Shrine
Myanmar (Burma)
Before climbing Popa Taung Kalat, drop by the tiger-guarded shrine in the village at the foot of the mountain (just across from the steps guarded by…
Yangon
Notable for its splendid views of the western side of Shwedagon Paya, this well-tended park offers plenty of pleasant features, such as flower gardens and…
Mandalay
Viewable only from the outside, a 230ft-wide moat and well over 4 miles of crenellated 26ft-high walls form a vast square around the site of the former…
Yangon
Inya Lake, created by the British as a reservoir in 1883, is Yangon's largest artificial body of water. The best spots from which to view the lake are the…
Myanmar (Burma)
Though the building and its empty corridors feel much too large for the contents within, this museum has some beautifully displayed works, particularly…
Bagan
This 150ft-high temple (built in 1218) marks the spot where King Nantaungmya was chosen (by a leaning umbrella, that timeless decider), among five…
Inle Lake Region
On the western side of Inle Lake, Nga Hpe Kyaung monastery was once renowned for its jumping cats, trained to leap through hoops during the slow hours…
Northern Myanmar
The 32 excavation sites here date back to the Pyu era (4th to 9th centuries AD). The sites rise above Hanlin village and survey the plains for a…
Tanintharyi Region
Dawei's most accessible beach, Maungmagan is a wide, sandy strip spanning approximately 7 miles along a pretty bay. On weekdays, and outside holiday…
Pyin Oo Lwin
Dating from 1904 and formerly the British Club, this colonial pile comes complete with side turrets and is set in attractively manicured gardens…
Northern Myanmar
At first glance this monastery looks like a 20th-century structure. Historians, though, say it was built in the 13th century, while monastic fables…
Hsipaw
Five miles west of Hsipaw, beside the Hsipaw–Kyaukme road, this pagoda is of great significance to Shan people and gets overloaded with pilgrims who…
Rakhine State
Twenty miles north of Wethali, just beyond the former ancient capital of Dhanyawady, is Mahamuni Paya, the alleged first home of the buddha image now…
Nyaungshwe
The oldest and most important Buddhist shrine in Nyaungshwe, this handsome gilded stupa is hidden away inside a square compound south of Mingala Market…
Rakhine State
Strand Rd leads about 1.5 miles south to a location called View Point, a paved urban park with a small lighthouse built over the point where the Kaladan…
Mawlamyine
Bilu Kyun (Ogre Island) isn’t a hideaway for nasty monsters. Rather, it’s a beautiful island directly west of Mawlamyine. Roughly the size of Singapore,…
Myanmar (Burma)
The large Payagyi stupa and its oversized chinthe (half-lion/half-dragon deity) face an abrupt twin-peaked hill, topped with a stupa and castle-like rocky…
Bagan
Just to the left of the road as you enter Myinkaba, Gubyaukgyi (Great Painted Cave Temple) draws visitors to see the well-preserved, richly coloured…
Nyaungshwe
This is probably the most photographed monastery in Nyaungshwe: the unique oval windows in the ancient teak thein (ordination hall) create a perfect frame…
Eastern Myanmar
This attractive lake sits in the centre of town and is surrounded by what is left of Kyaingtong's British-era architecture. In the evening the lake is the…
Bagan
Across the main road from Tayok, this complex of three interconnected shrines (the name means 'Three Stupas') is worth seeing for its 13th-century murals…
Mawlamyine
A local pilgrimage site, Nwa-la-bo is still relatively unknown outside Mon State and few foreigners make it out here. This is surprising because the…
Division Development Committee
Tanintharyi Region
This pale-green, colonial-era building could almost be a church. It's not open to the public, but you can take photos from the garden in front of it.
Bagan
Do stop on the eastern side of this former entrance to the original palace site. The gate is the best-preserved remains of the 9th-century wall and the…
Myanmar (Burma)
Taungoo’s grandest pilgrimage spot is situated in the centre of town, around 500m west of the main road. The central stupa, a standard-issue bell shape,…
Myanmar (Burma)
Carved into cliffs overlooking the Ayeyarwady, about 19 miles downstream from Pyay, are dozens of buddha images at Akauk Taung. The site is named after…
Northern Myanmar
It is worth checking out this rickety but spectacular bamboo bridge that allows you to cross the wide Tapin River.
Myanmar (Burma)
Designed as a copy of the Crown Prince House in Mandalay, and built in 1882–92, this huge wooden monastery is one of Salay's not-to-be-missed sights…
Mawlamyine
If you thought you’d seen some big old buddhas, just wait till you get a load of this one. Draped across a couple of green hillsides at Yadana Taung,…
Hpa-an
Standing proud in the middle of a small, artificial lake is Kyauk Kalap, a tall finger of sheer rock atop which is one of the more unusual pagodas in…
Hpa-an
The 7th-century artwork of the Kawgun Cave consists of thousands of tiny clay buddhas and carvings plastered all over the walls and roof of this open…
Bagan
Sitting in lush garden grounds with a gilded bell, the Dhammayazika dates from 1196. Set in the south-central end of Bagan on the main road, it has lovely…
Mawlamyine
The small town of Kyaikmaraw (က်ိဳက္မေရာ), 15 miles southeast of Mawlamyine, is the site of Kyaikmaraw Paya, a temple of serene, white-faced buddhas built…
Hsipaw
Built in 1924, the fading Hsipaw Palace is an English-style mansion set in run-down grounds. But if the building is infused with a melancholic air, the…
Pyin Oo Lwin
Many Buddhist caves are little more than rocky niches or overhangs, but Peik Chin is much more extensive. It takes around 15 minutes to walk to the cave’s…
Bagan
Named for ‘omniscience’, Bagan’s highest temple is built of two boxy white-coloured storeys, each with three diminishing terraces rimmed with spires and…
Sanda Muhni Phara Gri Kyaung Taik
Rakhine State
The highlight at this hilltop monastery, and the temple's namesake, is the Sanda Muhni, a buddha statue said to have been cast from the precious metal…
