destination

Old Bagan

“Fell asleep on the bus in Yangon. Woke up in a different universe called Bagan…We climbed up this massive stone Pagoda in the dark. The sky slowly turned purple, revealing the silhouettes of dozens of ancient stone pagodas. As it got lighter the sky turned yellow and the ground stirred with morning mist. Roosters crowed. The sun peeked over the mountains. Balloons slowly ascended above the temples. Primitive. Untouched. Alien. Surreal” - Travel Journal 3/11/17

destination

Old Bagan

Sunrise over Bagan: Plan which temple and find a group at your hotel/hostel the night before, there are hundreds of temples and you can’t go wrong. Tourists can’t rent regular scooters but you can take an electric scooter, they are quiet and environmentally friendly!

destination

Old Bagan

It’s situated along the Irrawaddy River about half way up the country in an arid plane that rises to the east of the river. In this setting there are about 2000 temples scattered between the river and the hills that rise further to the east. They are breathtaking in the way they are monuments to the passage of time. And unlike places like Angor Wat or the Pyramids of Giza, they aren’t covered by 5000 world tourists with selfie sticks. You can literally wander from one temple to the next and have them to yourself. You walk, bicycle, or moped between them, and to be there alone at sunrise or sunset at a 2000 year old temple becomes very spiritual

destination

Old Bagan

This city is such a hidden gem and is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. I took a hot air balloon ride at sunrise that floated over the beautiful Pagoda fields of Myanmar—it was absolutely breathtaking. At the end, we were treated to a glass of champagne and snacks. The pagodas are beautiful and show so much culture and history.

destination

Old Bagan

This small town brings you back in time with endless pagodas around you. One of the most beautiful sunrises I experienced on the highest pagoda.

destination

Old Bagan

Home to 4,000 pagodas, a must see bucket list. This ancient city has the wow factor of Angkor Wat.

destination

Old Bagan

For the next day we bought a bus ticket to Bagan. The ticket cost us 9000 MMK per person, which was the most expensive but shortest bus ride in Myanmar so far. In Bagan everywhere you can stop and visit pagodas. Often you can also enter the temples on the way and sometimes you even find something like a staircase with which you can climb up to the temple or the pagoda. Mostly offers a great view from above. The pagoda par excellence, which is very popular at sunset (even with Chinese tourists), is the Shwesandaw Pagoda. Only then we were made aware that we need an entrance ticket for the whole area, which costs 25,000 MMK (18,50 Fr.) (valid for 5 days). However, we never had to show it afterwards ... If you want a good spot on the pagoda, you have to be there before 5 pm, because then the travel cars are full of tourists. I must say, yes, the view is beautiful, but the sunset was nothing. The sun disappeared even before it went down in the smog. In addition, too many people unfortunately always mess up a nice mood. On the other side of the pagoda, where no one was sitting, as one does not see the sunset from there, there was a much more beautiful view over the landscape and was deserted. For the sunset, I would recommend you, even with a scooter or a bicycle looking for a temple, which you can climb and enjoy the evening mood alone and in peace.

outdoors

Old Bagan

You want to see a field of Pagoda? Then you should head to Myanmar right away

destination

Old Bagan