Hpa-an
This football-stadium-sized cave is simply breathtaking, its entrance dominated by dozens of buddha statues, a couple of pagodas and some newer clay wall…
Must-see attractions in Southern Myanmar
Tanintharyi Region
Backed by thick jungle, this splendid white-sand beach curves around a natural bay that is fine for swimming. On weekdays, you are likely to have it to…
Mawlamyine
Directly north of Kyaikthanlan Paya and linked by a covered walkway, this is the largest temple complex in Mawlamyine and easily the most beautiful. It’s…
Mawlamyine
Rudyard Kipling’s visit to Myanmar spanned just three days, but it resulted in a poem, 'Mandalay', that turned Burma into an oriental fantasy. It began…
Myeik
Myeik's most venerated Buddhist temple, Theindawgyi Paya sits on a ridge overlooking the city and harbour. A beautiful, Mon-style ordination hall of wood,…
Mon State
The excursion to this incredible balancing-golden-boulder stupa is a must-do, especially during the peak pilgrimage season (November to March) and when…
Myeik Archipelago
Home to three notable diving sites: Shark Cave, an underwater canyon with sharks and rich coral; In Through the Out Door, an underwater passage with…
Lampi Kyun (Sullivan's Island)
Myeik Archipelago
Home to Lampi Island Marine National Park, the only marine park in Myanmar, and thought to be one of the least-disturbed island habitats in Southeast Asia…
Myeik Archipelago
There's a superb horseshoe-shaped bay at the south of this island, which is where you'll find the Boulder Bay Eco Resort, and a couple of fine beaches.
Myeik Archipelago
One of the Myeik Archipelago's premier diving sites. This rocky, remote outpost is home to clear water and rich sea life, including manta rays (typically…
Myeik Archipelago
An underwater cave that has been known to draw sharks makes this arguably the Myeik Archipelago's finest dive site.
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…
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,…
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.
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…
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…
Mon State
You approach this mixed Mon and Kayin village of wooden stilt houses perched over the Ye River along a road that winds through betel nut, rubber and…
Myeik
Directly opposite Myeik's harbour, this island is named for its two prominent hills. There are no beaches on the island. Instead, a large, hollow…
Myeik
If you want to see an island of the Myeik Archipelago without taking an expensive tour, catch the ferry from Sake Nge Jetty to Kadan Island, an hour from…
Mon State
Known to the locals as 'Banana Mountain', there's no hill to climb here. Instead, it's an ever-expanding Buddhist complex of shrines and an attractive…
Tanintharyi Region
Teyzit is really two sweeps of white sand, separated by a headland. The western side of the beach curves seductively and is one of the prettiest beaches…
Mawlamyine
Unlike most of Myanmar's regional museums, Mawlamyine's is actually worth a visit, even if the collection isn't huge. It's dedicated to the Mon history of…
Tanintharyi Region
The main Buddhist monastery in town, colloquially referred to as Payagyi (Big Pagoda), is an expansive glittering, Disneyland-like compound centred on…
Myeik
This modest waterfall tumbles down over rocks into a large pool that's fine for swimming. Surrounded by forested hills and overlooked by a couple of small…
Tanintharyi Region
Shinmokhti Paya dates back to 1438 and is one of four shrines in the country housing a Sinhalese buddha image supposedly incorporating pieces of the…
Mon State
Thirty white-faced standing golden buddhas rise up the steep track that leads to this peaceful temple, with its own, smaller version of Mt Kyaiktiyo's…
Mawlamyine
Founded by American Adoniram Judson in 1827, this was the country's first Baptist church. In addition to this place of worship, Judson's legacy also…
Mon State
Ye is a centre of betel nut production, as well as retailing a lot of fish, and the town's busy market features both products, as well as produce, clothes…
Tanintharyi Region
One of the nicest beaches in the area and often deserted, Nabule is a long expanse of sand fringed by swaying palm trees and with a small golden pagoda at…
Mawlamyine
Only 8.5 miles south of Mawlamyine, the monastery teaches satipatthana vipassana (insight-awareness meditation) and, at 500 acres, is one of the largest…
Tanintharyi Region
Completed in 1931 and measuring 240ft long and 69ft high, Shwethalyaung Daw Mu is the largest reclining buddha in the country.
Kho Yinn Khwa Kyun (Macleod Island)
Myeik Archipelago
This horseshoe-shaped island 40 nautical miles from Kawthoung is home to Myanmar Andaman Resort. There are at least 20 known dive sites around the island,…
Myeik Archipelago
South of this island is a rocky outcrop with above-ground and underwater caves. Nearby Maccarthy Rock has a beautiful limestone cliff more than 30m high…
Kyun Philar (Great Swinton Island)
Myeik Archipelago
Home to the upmarket Awei Pila Resort and a small mixed Burmese and Moken village. There's decent snorkelling and the surrounding islands offer good…
Jar Lann (Lord Loughborough Island)
Myeik Archipelago
This island is home to one of the largest villages in the Myeik Archipelago, with a mixed population of Bamar and Moken people. It also has one of the…
Myeik Archipelago
A seasonal home for the Moken, this island has beaches, clear water and wildlife, making it a popular stopover for boat tours. Nearby 115 Island sees a…
Tanintharyi Region
About 30 minutes' walk north of Paradise Beach is this pretty beach. It sees more locals than its neighbour, and a number of restaurants are popping up,…
