View of Maungmagan Beach

©David Eimer/Lonely Planet

Maungmagan

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 periods, it's still relaxed. Maungmagan is the only beach in the region that is at all developed, with an increasing number of guesthouses springing up, as well as beachside restaurants. It makes a good base for exploring the more remote beaches in the area.

Maungmagan is about 11 miles west of Dawei. Motorcycle taxis run here for K7000, a thoun bein will cost K15,000.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Tanintharyi Region attractions

1. Payagyi

8 MILES

The main Buddhist monastery in town, colloquially referred to as Payagyi (Big Pagoda), is an expansive glittering, Disneyland-like compound centred on…

2. Si Pin Tharyar Zei

8.03 MILES

Dawei's main market has the usual selection of produce, clothes and household goods.

3. Division Development Committee

8.12 MILES

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.

5. Shwethalyaung Daw Mu

11.43 MILES

Completed in 1931 and measuring 240ft long and 69ft high, Shwethalyaung Daw Mu is the largest reclining buddha in the country.

6. Nabule

11.58 MILES

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…

7. Shinmokhti Paya

12.59 MILES

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…

8. Teyzit

15.74 MILES

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…