Bagan to Mrauk-U by car end September 2016

We are planning to travel by (rented) car from Bagan to Mrauk-U in a few weeks. Has anybody done this before and can give some tips on time required, pricing, where to best stay overnight and possibly where to book.

Currently we have offers comparable to the price of the flight to Sittwe via Yangon for 2 people and duration is anywhere between 15 and 20 hours.

Also happy to share if anybody wants to join, departing around 22nd or 23rd September.

I would check the flooding situation first.

And I assume you are renting a car with driver as there is no self drive Rent-a-Car facilities for foreigners in Myanmar.
SS

There has been major flooding in the whole area around Mrauk U recently, to the point that it was almost cut Off! Also most of the temples there were damaged in the recent earthquake as well. Maybe you should check up on the current situation there before attempting to travel There! The mountain road that goes to Mrauk U is also prone to landslides during the monsoon season which could possibly add a long time onto the journey time. I would also make sure that any car you are hiring is properly road worthy because it is a seriously long mountain road journey through a remote area and not the sort of place you want a car to break down In!

Hi guys,
Thanks for the valuable feedback. Very true, at the moment the weather situation is not stable enough to allow for a road trip to Mrauk U (with a driver of course). The weather towards the end of September is usually much better though with average rainfall well below current levels.

We will probably only decide a few days in advance whether to take a plane or a car.

Yes, considerable damage to the temples but probably still enough to see to make it worthwhile - and - tourists who spend money are probably what they need most there now I guess.

Would still be happy to hear if anybody has done the trip by car and to hear about experiences and tips.

There is an article in today's Myanmar Times. It appears the earthquake damage in Mrauk U was quite substantial. The authorities there are planning to cover the damaged temples with scaffold in order to repair them. I guess for the time being it won't make them very appealing to look At!

provided we ever get there... :-)

Luckily we have some time left to decide and may even only decide when in Bagan on short notice.

For everybody how is considering whether to go to Mrauk U or not, I received this response from the Prince Hotel in Mrauk U when asking them about flooding and quake damage:

The flood was over since June, and the area had get back to normal condition, the earth quake effect one pagoda but not serious. Recenntly, we have guest staying and enjoying their visit to our place. So if you plan to vsit to Mrauk U in the end of September, it is the end of raining season so the emviroment is so green and beautiful with weather.

So we will definitely make the trip in September unless there are serious new unforeseen events

I would not rely on a Hotel for information, it's like asking a barber do I need a haircut.

The worst floods seem to have been around Mandalay. They started in June and were still affecting areas in August: http://floodlist.com/tag/myanmar

Mrauk U was affected in July: http://floodlist.com/asia/myanmar-floods-rakhine-sagaing-kachin-july-2016

Hi Herbie,
Thanks for that. Sure, any advice should be taken with care. Thanks for the links which are very helpful. Here is another one showing the damage to the pagodas there. Apparently under 10 seriously affected. Note, no rain on the photos and the ground looks very dry...then.

The link: http://tharlezwa.info/photos/584/

Yes but 10 is not the same as one. In July they had heavy rain, Sittwe is probably nearest place with weather, forecast is heavy rain next 2 days. It's probably ok around Mrauk U problem maybe getting there overland.

I went in December, it rained heavy 1 day and on and off other days, it was not very good, for me a waste of time and money. Weather in north-west is different from rest of Myanmar as near Bay of Bengal.

As I said in #5, the Myanmar Times reported considerable damage to temples and that the government ministry that deals with it said they would be covering all the damaged temples with scaffold to do the Repairs! There isn't that many temples at Mrauk U, so if 10 are damaged that is quite a high proportion of them. They are also smaller than most of the main temples at Bagan, so the damage to them could make them not very appealing to look At! As Herbie said, there is heavy rain forecast for the next few days with a big tropical storm coming in from the Bay of Bengal. Obviously, a hotel isn't going to tell you that there has been a lot of damage because they will loose business, especially at this time of year when no one travels there Anyway!

Check to see if the buses are running to Mrauk U from Bagan. Last November I cycled from Mrauk U towards Yangon and the first 135km was mostly flattish with a few bumps. So if there are any water problems, it'll be in that area. The roads were rough, but that didn't stop the cars, trucks and buses. The next day to Ann was really hilly and tough. If you reply, I'll give you some more info.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/971939276

Chris & Herbie,
The advantage we have is that we only need to decide around September 18th - 20th whether we go between 22nd and 26th. That time we will be in Bagan and will have also seen the state of the temples and Pagodas there. Also, weather predictions for the period in September when we intend to go may be more accurate a week in advance ... or not :-) (We live in Hong Kong and the Royal Observatory here gets there weather forecast wrong 7/10 times just 3 days in advance).
Quake damage is nothing that will have changed by the time we intend to be there but as said in my previous post, tourists are probably what they need most now. There was one article in the news where they were saying that the local government needs to apply to the province for money to do the scaffolding (USD 16,600!). So I think any tourist going there now will be of help. I am even considering to start a crowd funding initiative to help having the temples restored.

Dandru,
thanks for your sharing. Quite a trip you did there. I'd be very interested to hear how you went on from Ann towards Yangon. Did you ride to Magwe or stay west of the mountains? Do share more of your trip please. I am sure this will also be interesting for others.

Dandru,
thanks for your sharing. Quite a trip you did there. I'd be very interested to hear how you went on from Ann towards Yangon. Did you ride to Magwe or stay west of the mountains? Do share more of your trip please. I am sure this will also be interesting for others.

Here are the journals for Myanmar and Thailand.

Trip 1 - Burma - north to south + some Thai
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=193&doc_id=14677&v=rY

Trip 2 - Myanmar Meander
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=Sh&doc_id=15527&v=2Y

Yes some points and I agree best to decide nearer the time.
Re money I agree but I would consider where you stay, I stay in local guesthouses and eat in local restaurants rather than expensive Hotels that way more of my money is going proportionally more to the local and poorer people than some Hotel chain. It could be an interesting debate is restoring temples the most needed spending in Myanmar today?
In some ways I prefer unrestored temples and buildings, especially the way they did some in Bagan.

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