Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The first cave you'll come to, Kaw Ka Thawng, has been quite gentrified and has slip-
pery tile floors and numerous buddha statues. Continuing along a path, you'll pass the
stairway to another somewhat concealed cave that's not normally open (allegedly a monk
found a used condom here and decided to lock it). Near the end of the path, you'll reach
an inviting spring-fed swimming hole, popular with local kids, and another water-filled
cave that also serves as a swimming hole. There are a few simple restaurants here.
Splitting from the path before the first cave, a long bridge leads to
Lakkana Village
, a
picturesque Kayin village, the backdrop to which includes Mt Zwegabin, and which has
been featured in numerous Myanmar films and videos.
The countryside here is drop-dead gorgeous and you could easily spend a day walking
and swimming.
Kawgun Cave & Yathaypyan Cave
CAVE
( daylight hours)
The 7th-century artwork of the Kawgun Cave (admission K3000, cam-
era K500) consists of thousands of tiny clay buddhas and carvings plastered all over the
walls and roof of this open cavern.
Just over a mile away, and built by the same exiled king, is the Yathaypyan Cave (ad-
mission free), which contains several pagodas as well as a few more clay wall carvings.
Both caves are inaccessible during the rainy season (June to October). A round-trip on a
thoun bein
or motorcycle taxi should run about K5000.
Kawgun was constructed by King Manuaha after he was defeated in battle and had to
take sanctuary in these caves. Impressive as it is today, you can only imagine what it was
like a few years back, before a cement factory, in its quest for limestone, started dynamit-
ing the nearby peaks - the vibrations caused great chunks of the art to crash to the floor
and shatter.
If you have a torch you can traverse Yathaypyan Cave, which takes about 10 minutes,
after which you'll emerge at a viewpoint.
Kyauk Kalap
BUDDHIST MONASTERY
( daylight hours)
Standing proud in the middle of a small, artificial lake is Kyauk
Kalap, a tall finger of sheer rock mounted by one of the most unlikely pagodas in Myan-
mar. The rock offers great views of the surrounding countryside and nearby Mt
Zwegabin, and is allegedly the best place to see the sunset over this mountain.
A round-trip
thoun bein
or motorcycle taxi from Hpa-an to Kyauk Kalap will run
about K5000.
