Must-see attractions in Northern Myanmar

Founded in 1915 and carved out by Turkish prisoners captured by the British during WWI, this lovingly maintained 435-acre botanical garden features more…

A highlight of the long, slow Mandalay–Lashio train ride is the mighty Gokteik Viaduct. It spans the Gokteik Gorge, a densely forested ravine that cuts an…

The mystical Shwe Myitsu Paya, on an island off Nam Tay village, seems to float on the surface of the lake and is especially atmospheric at dawn when…

As the epicentre of the gem trade in Myanmar, Mogok has many marketplaces for gems. The early-morning market is known as the Cinema Hall Market, as it is…

At the northern edge of town, Hsipaw’s oldest neighbourhood has a village-like atmosphere, two delightful old teak monasteries and a collection of ancient…

Finished in March 2000, this dazzling pagoda is by far the region's most impressive religious building. It enshrines an enormous 17-ton white-marble…

Just north of Anisakan village the plateau disappears into an impressive, deeply wooded amphitheatre, its sides ribboned with several waterfalls. The most…

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…

Dating from 1904 and formerly the British Club, this colonial pile comes complete with side turrets and is set in attractively manicured gardens…

At first glance this monastery looks like a 20th-century structure. Historians, though, say it was built in the 13th century, while monastic fables…

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…

It is worth checking out this rickety but spectacular bamboo bridge that allows you to cross the wide Tapin River.

Imposing former hotel from the colonial era.

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…

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…

The pottery district stretches a mile south of town beyond the Ayeyarwady bridge site. A block or two inland, several ‘factories’ are housed in bamboo…

About 3 miles north of town, beyond the military enclave, the historic Shwe Kyina Paya has two gold-topped stupas and marks the site of the 5th-century…

For sweeping views across the river and Hsipaw, climb to Thein Daung Pagoda, also known as Nine Buddha Hill or, most often, Sunset Hill. It’s part of a…

This riverside market specialises in colourful heaps of Chinese fruit and local vegetables. Many of the latter arrive by canoe and are then lugged up the…

The city’s most striking buildings are a pair of towering gold-painted wooden throne rooms, nine tiers high, once part of King Alaungpaya’s 1753 palace…