Top Choice Buddhist Temple in Mawlamyine
Mahamuni (Bahaman) Paya
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 built in the typical Mon style with covered brick walkways li…
Top Choice Buddhist Temple in Mawlamyine
Kyaikthanlan Paya
Buddhist Temple in Mon State
Mt Kyaiktiyo
Island in Mawlamyine
Bilu Kyun
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, Bilu Kyun comprises 78 villages that are home to more than 200…
Buddhist Temple in Mawlamyine
Nwa-la-bo Pagoda
A local pilgrimage site, Nwa-la-bo is still relatively unknown outside Mon State and, currently, very few foreigners make it out here. This is surprising because the pagoda is a smaller but, geologically at least, f…
Buddhist Temple in Mawlamyine
Kyaikmaraw Paya
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 by Queen Shin Saw Pu in 1455. Among the temple’s many outsta…
Village in Ye
Kyaing Ywar
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 pineapple plantations, interspersed with golden pagodas half-hidde…
Buddhist Site in Ye
Ko Yin Lay
Known to the locals as 'Banana Mountain', there's no hill to climb here. Instead, it's an expanding Buddhist complex of shrines and an attractive monastery, all dominated by four vast sitting Buddhas grouped around …
Museum in Mawlamyine
Mon Cultural Museum
Unlike most of Myanmar's regional museums, Mawlamyine's is actually worth a visit, even if the collection here isn't huge. It's dedicated to the Mon history of the region, and the exhibits include stelae with Mon in…
Buddhist Temple in Ye
Shwemawdaw Paya
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 famous golden rock and a golden zedi. Best of all are the stunni…