Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bagan & Central Myanmar Highlights
Watch from a
hot-air balloon
(
Click here
) as the sun rises or sets over the
temple-studded plain of Bagan
Hit the
Ayeyarwady River
on a Bagan-Mandalay boat, or on a half-day trip to
nearby temples (
Click here
)
Pay respects to Myanmar's 37
nat
at their spiritual home, the monkey-tastic vol-
canic mountaintop temple at
Mt Popa
(
Click here
)
Hang with elephants at a working camp (
Click here
)
east of
Taungoo
Ponder what the Buddha would have felt to see his likeness fashioned as a
30-storey concrete statue at
Bodhi Tataung
(
Click here
)
History
Conquering armies led by various peoples, including the Pyu, the Mon and the Burmese,
have marauded across this central plain, the 'heart of Myanmar', over the centuries. The
area around Pyay served as the Pyu capital from the 5th to 9th centuries AD and some
historians consider the Pyu to be founders of Myanmar's 'first empire', although little is
known of this vanished group.
Bagan's burst of spiritual creativity lasted two-and-a-half centuries, beginning in 1047
and ending as the pounding footfall of Kublai Khan's raiders approached in 1287. The
latest empire to lodge in the area is the military junta, which founded the new capital of
Nay Pyi Taw in 2005.
Getting There & Away
Bagan is the main entry point to the region for visitors arriving by air, although Man-
dalay is also convenient for northern destinations such as Monywa. Yangon is a conveni-
ent international entry point for more southerly destinations such as Pyay or Taungoo.
Nyaung U is the principal gateway to Bagan, with a train station, a jetty and the airport.
Most visitors by boat come downriver from Mandalay on a fast boat or a slower, luxury
cruise. The majority of long-haul bus routes (eg Yangon-Mandalay) miss Bagan, but
there are a few direct bus links between Bagan and Yangon, Mandalay and Inle Lake, in-
cluding some luxurious sleeper options. Trains to the Bagan area are slow and impractic-
al, with the exception of the Yangon-Bagan sleeper trains. The more interesting road
route from Yangon to Bagan is via Pyay and Magwe.
