Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BAGAN TO MANDALAY AND PYAY BY BOAT
TOURIST BOATS
A popular way of travelling between Bagan and Mandalay (or vice versa) is by taking a
cruise boat
along the Ayeyarwady - some people find this a rewarding experience, al-
though the size of the river means that for significant parts of the route the riverbanks are
far distant and you don't actually see much save water on either side. Boats depart either
fromthejettyinNyaungU(northeastofthemarket)orinOldBagan(outsidetheoldwalls,
to the north), depending on water levels. Services leave at around 6am, taking roughly
10-12hr to reach Mandalay.
The two main operators are
Malikha River Cruises
( 09 7314 5748,
malikha-river-
cruises.com
;
and
Shwe Keinnery
( 09 7314 5748,
nmaihka.com
)
; both operators
charge$35foraone-waytripincludingbreakfast.TheMalikhaboatsareslightlymorespa-
ciousandcomfortable,althoughthere'snotmuchinit.Moreexpensivetripsareofferedby
the
Myanmar Golden River Group
(MGRG;
mgrgexpress.com
)
, costing $42 but in-
cluding breakfast and lunch, and with more comfortable seating. The three operators offer
at least one departure daily between them, although the vagaries of the various schedules
mean that it's impossible to generalize about exactly which leave when. Tickets are most
easily booked either through your accommodation or through a local tour operator.
IWT FERRIES
Aswellasthetourist-oriented servicescoveredtherearealsolocal
overnightIWTferries
toMandalay,departingMondayandThursdayat7amandarrivinginMandalaythefollow-
ing day at around 4/5pm. These cost just $10 and offer a great chance to get a worm's-eye
view of local life on the water, although you'll have to sleep on deck. There are also little-
used (by tourists at least) boats downriver to
Pyay
($9; 2 weekly; 2-3 days), though their
future is uncertain.
GETTING AROUND
Bagan'ssightsarespreadoutoveraconsiderabledistanceandyou'llneedsomekindoftrans-
port to explore all the temples.
BIKES
Cycling
is an enjoyable way to explore Bagan, although most of the bikes available for rent
lack gears and are often not in the best mechanical shape, which can make pedalling even
fairly modest distances hard work: the sandy backroads between outlying temples can snag
wheels and sap strength with surprising rapidity. If you're cycling between Nyaung U and
Old Bagan, note that the wider and relatively traffic-free Anawrahta Rd offers a more peace-
ful ride than the narrower and busier Nyaung U-Bagan road via Wet Kyi Inn.
