3 Days in Bagan – Myanmar’s Temple City
Without a doubt Bagan is a highlight of any trip to Myanmar, it is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most impressive places we have ever been. However, you will have to share your experience with quite a few other tourists, as you should expect when coming to a place of such cultural and historical significance. However it is very possible to escape the crowds and find yourself a temple with only a few goats for company.
The first piece of advice would be to spend a couple of dollars more and rent an e bike, it will get you through the “off piste” sections far easier than a push bike. This will make it much easier to get away from the tourists and into the more secluded areas of this UNESCO world heritage site. Check that the battery is full before you leave and ask how many kilometres the bike can cover. On our second day we drove for 2 minutes before the battery indicator dropped down to half full. We took it back and were given another fully charged bike and were not asked to pay anything extra. Most bikes should do between 35 and 40 kilometres which is fine for the vast majority of day trips. Be aware that if there are 2 of you on the bike the battery will not last as long, and the more time you spend “off piste” the more electricity you will use. You do not want to run out of battery and push your bike back, sadly not an uncommon sight.
Daily checklist and simple hacks
Wear flip flops
You will need to take your shoes off when you enter the vast majority of the temples. If you wear anything other than flip flops you will regret it.
Water
Unsurprisingly it gets scorching hot in this part of Myanmar, we would recommend bringing it at least 2 litres per person. Water is available, but naturally it is more expensive.
A map
This seems pretty obvious, but it is best to have a rough idea of where you are going. The more time you spend going the wrong way the more time, energy and electricity you waste.
Knowing which way is North, South, East and West
This will help you navigate the “off-piste” sections that may be missing from some maps.
Eating
Bring food with you or know which are you want to stop in, again this will save you time, energy and electricity.
The vast majority of hotels and guesthouses will rent out scooters, but the later you rise the more likely they are to be gone. We were a little cheeky and rented them the second we woke up, then had a shower and ate breakfast before leaving.
We stayed in Nyaung-U, which is much quieter than New Bagan and is loaded with some fantastic eateries, including a great little Italian restaurant called La Tarrezza. Usually whenever we travel we will usually go for local food, but finding great Italian food at a reasonable price in Beijing can be tricky, so we couldn’t pass this opportunity up.
Day 1
Wetkyi-In, North Plain, Old Bagan, Central Plain
Most people will head towards old Bagan and the area around Ananda and Thabyinyu on their first day with good reason, we did the same thing. The temples in this area are some of the largest and most spectacular on the plain. As you would expect however there are a fair few other people that have figured this out too. It is not as crowded as the Temples of Angkor, but there are definitely quieter areas to be found.
We started out by heading out onto the Anawrahta Road and then cross back across some dirt after checking out A-Lo-Taw-Pyi. This dirt road is definitely one of the most “off-piste” sections in Bagan, so go careful.
We then headed into the main temple area Ananda. This is home to some of the largest and most spectacular temples on the plain. In fact, there are so many temples we found the majority of maps didn’t print all of the temples, this is a great place to just get lost and enjoy the architecture.
We spent the afternoon drifting leisurely around the central plain, easily escaping the crowds until we head towards Shwe-San-Daw to watch sunset. However it seemed like every tourist in Bagan had the same idea. We made it to the top level and waited for sunset but people just kept on coming and coming. We saw a temple with a few people on top a few hundred metres away and decided that would be infinitely more enjoyable than playing sardines. Now came the tricky part, navigating our way through a sea of tourists, each unwilling to budge a few inches or risk losing their space. This made going down the steep steps challenging to say the least, people pushing and squeezing to get a little nearer to the top. We hopped onto our bike and drove 5 minutes to our more secluded location, definitely worth it. There are are plenty of places to watch sunset, its just that many guidebooks recommend Shwe-San-Daw as being the premier location. Whilst I’m sure it is incredible, the sheer number of people just wasn’t worth it for us.
Day 2
Minnanthu, South Plain, Central Plain
The next day we headed south from Nyaung-U towards Minnanthu. We stayed on the road and explored Iza-gaw-na and the Wi-ni-do group amongst others. Fantastic views and we could count the number of other tourists we saw on one hand, perfect. In fact we saw more goats than people. At this point we felt like we had found our own little piece of paradise, surely it couldn’t get any better, could it?
We turned off the main road just after the small village of Min-nan-thu and followed a dirt track heading west which brought up to the stunning Sin-byu-shin complex. Climbing to the top through a seemingly hidden doorway, which without the pagoda keeper we probably would not have found, gave a breathtaking view over the plain. We shared this moment of unrivalled serenity with no one.
We headed back across the central plain dropping in on a few temples on the way. It felt like we had arrived back into civilisation at this point, all of a sudden we were back to seeing more people than goats. For me personally this was my favourite day. The serenity in the Minnanthu and the South Plain is just mind blowing. If this is what you are looking for in Bagan, then head here.
Day 3
North Plain, Myinkaba, Central Plain, West Pwasaw
Our third and final day took us to the temples in between Bagan-Nyaung U Road and the Ayeyarwady River. Here was much the same as our previous day, quiet, peaceful and a few goats to enjoy the scenery with. There is plenty of “off piste” riding here to enjoy.
From here we followed the road round to New Bagan. The road to New Bagan hugs the Ayeyarwady as temple after temple pop up on your horizon. The cows being herded around Ah-pel-ya-dana and Soe-min-gyi made for a particularly unique sight. We headed into new Bagan and found a decent (and rather cheap Italian place) called Da Ignazio for a quick bite.
From New Bagan, we actually back tracked along the Bagan-Chauk Road before making a right at Seinnyet Ama Pahto. From here we took our intrepid e-bike across Myinkaba and the Central Plain. We watched sunset around the Shwe-Late-Tu area before taking an intrepid “off piste” route across the Central Plain to West Pwasaw and then looping round through New Bagan, Old Bagan and then home to Nyaung U. Our bike close to giving up on us as we turned into our guesthouse.
It seems as though the entire central and south plains along with Minnanthu and Myinkaba are empty, you are more likely to be sharing your temple with a herd of goats than other tourists. To be fair, most of the area’s biggest and visually spectacular temples are located in reasonably close proximity to one another, so naturally this area will attract most of the tourists. Of course it is worth going, but remember that there places when you can get a break from the tourists.
Our main tip for Bagan would be: if you see a dirt road, go down it and see where it takes you, you could end up finding your own little piece of paradise.
What we loved: Getting away from the crowds and exploring the temples and the food, both Italian and Burmese.
What we struggled to love: Other than the crowds at Shwe San Daw, nothing!
What would we have done if we had more time: For us 3 days was pretty much perfect, although I don’t think we would say no to an extra day.
