Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE CIRCLE LINE
A popular excursion with many visitors, the
Circle Line
- or the
Yangon Circular Rail-
way
as it's officially known - describes a huge loop around the city, running for 46km and
stopping at 39 stations on the way. Admittedly, it's not the world's most exciting rail jour-
ney, although the train's slow, ambling pace, with glimpses of house backs, gardens and
tracksidelifeenroute,ispleasantenough,andmakesachangefromyetmorepagodas.The
complete circuit takes around three hours, which is probably a bit long for most tastes. A
good plan is to ride the train as far as
Insein
(1hr) then hop off to explore local attractions.
PRACTICALITIES
Circle Line trains leave Yangon Central Railway Station from platforms 6 and 7 (where
there's also an office from where you buy tickets). There are currently fourteen services
daily (nine travelling clockwise, five anticlockwise), runningat irregular intervals between
6.10am and 5.10pm - it's a good idea to check latest times the day before travel. There are
three types of train: busy local services and fancier “special” and a/c services; foreigners
pay a flat fee of $1 for a ticket valid all day. Note that if you're not completing the full
circuityou'llneedtoproduceyourpassportwhenbuyingatrainticketbacktocentralYan-
gon,whichalsoinvolvesthesortofform-fillingnormallyassociatedwithvisaapplications
- an entertaining or maddening insight into Burmese bureaucracy, depending on whether
you're about to miss your train or not.
Around Yangon
Despite the city's size, it's surprisingly easy to get out of Yangon (assuming you don't head
north through the endless suburban sprawl). The quickest escape is by hopping on the ferry
southovertheYangonRiverto
Dalah
,fromwhereyoucancontinuetothepotteryandtemple
town of
Twante
, with perhaps a visit to the weird
SnakeTemple
en route. Heading east, the
oil-based boomtown of
Thanlyin
is home to another fine temple, while the gorgeous
Ye Le
Pagoda
, memorably islanded in the middle of a lake, is also close by.
Dalah
Ferry $2 one way • Boats depart every 20min from the Pansodan St Jetty (at the end of Pansodan St); the cross-
ing takes 10min
OnthefarsideoftheYangon(Hlaing)River,thetumbledownlittlevillageof
DALAH
offers
a truly surreal contrast between the crowded streets of downtown on the one side and the
rural landscapes of the Delta on the other. The ten-minute ferry ride is an experience in it-
self, usually packed with both passengers and hawkers and offering fine views of Yangon's
waterfront. You'll probably be approached on the boat itself with offers of onward transport
