Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Today, the gardens can be divided into two areas: the highly manicured and picturesque
area around the lakeside, filled with pansies and tulips and popular for photo opportunities,
and the more interesting and unkempt areas beyond, with stands of bamboo, exotic orchards
and a jungly swamp walkway. Overlooking both is the distinctive twelve-storey
Nan Myint
Tower
, looking not unlike an ancient oriental helter-skelter. The 380-acre gardens take at
least two hours to explore properly; with an aviary, a butterfly museum, a swimming pool
and a surprisingly decent café all on-site, it's easy to spend half a day here. The garden hosts
a flower festival each December.
Around Pyin Oo Lwin
The lush, rolling countryside around Pyin Oo Lwin is peppered with worthwhile sights, from
cascading waterfalls to busy religious spots. Most are situated within a few kilometres of the
Mandalay-Lashio road, making them straightforward to access, especially if you have your
own transport.
Anisakan Falls
NearAnisakan,9kmsouthwestofPyinOoLwin•Free•Motorbiketaxis(K5000return)departfromtheround-
about near the Green Luck Petrol Station, or take a Mandalay-bound pick-up (K300) to Anisakan and walk the
remaining 2km •
Dat Taw Gyaint Waterfall Resort
085 50262
Just outside the village of Anisakan, the plateau on which Pyin Oo Lwin is situated drops
away dramatically into a forested canyon, carved out by a tributary of the Dokhtawady River
as it plunges down the
Dat Taw Gyaik
waterfall to the valley floor. It takes 45 minutes to
walk down from the road to the foot of the falls, and a sweaty hour to hike back to the car
park,butthesceneryandthechancetocooloffinthejade-greenplungepoolsmakeitworth-
while.
Once at the trailhead, local children with a ready supply of cold drinks can accompany you
downthetrail-besuretoagreeapricewiththeminadvance,K1000-2000beingcustomary.
There is an alternative route up the opposite side of the falls to the
Dat Taw Gyaint Water-
fall Resort
from where it's a 2.5km walk back to the main road. The crony-owned resort is
not open to overnight guests, but there's an elegant restaurant on-site, which you may have
better luck with - call ahead to check it's open before you trek up there.
Maha An Htu Kan Tha Paya
8km northeast of Pyin Oo Lwin • Daily 5am-7pm • Free • K3000 (return) by motorbike taxi
Themainreasontovisitthe
MahaAnHtuKanThaPaya
(“ReluctantBuddhaPaya”),com-
pleted in 2000, is for its back story. In 1997, a temple in China's Yunnan Province commis-
sioned three marble Buddha statues from Mandalay. When the statues came to be delivered,
one fell off its truck just outside Pyin Oo Lwin; a large concrete Buddha's footprint at the
side of the Mandalay-Lashio road marks the spot today.
