Bagan, a historical ancient city of Myanmar(Burma), a Buddhist cultural relic, and a famous tourist resort, is located on the west bank of the Irrawaddy River in central Myanmar.
The ideal time-frame for a first trip to Bagan is 2–3 days, for seeing pagodas and the spectacular sunrise or sunset. Investigate the historic pagoda jungle by horse-driven cart, enjoying the sunset from the top of a pagoda. Do not miss the hot-air-balloon ride over the Bagan plains at sunrise – definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience!
Why Bagan
For many foreigners, Bagan is the gateway for them to start learning about Myanmar, and some of them even learn more about Bagan than they do of the country as a whole.
As for the locals, Bagan is where their pride comes from, and they always say that Bagan is the landmark of their country.
Between the 11th and 13th centuries, about 10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas and monasteries were built in the Bagan plains. But at present, only 2,200 temples and pagodas still remain to tell you about its history.
No one can guarantee that the remaining temples or pagodas are free from any geologic hazard, so the city deserves a visit before they become history too.
Imagine ascending in a hot-air balloon over 2,000 pagodas and temples that are scattered across the 25-square-kilometer plains, just like gemstones dropped on a jade plate.That may be one of the most memorable moments in your life.
It was reported that the Myanmar government will submit its draft application to UNESCO's World Heritage Center in September 2017. If the application and the inspection go well, the Bagan Archaeological Zone may become the first World Heritage Site in Myanmar in 2019.
Don't miss the chance to get close to the next World Heritage Site.
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Excellent planned and executed Myanmar excursion
Asia Highlights and their local Myanmar partner "mAsia" did an excellent job in planning and execution of a one week trip to Myanmar.The various tour guides and drivers had good knowledge and good command over English. More
Gerd,
Jan 2018
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Planning our trip
We have spend that last eight months planning a trip to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. Alisa Lia was creative & patient helping us customize our tour to include the sites and adventures we were excited to see. Hard waiting for the trip to start. More
Jamie Danner,
Oct 2023
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My experience in Thai
All of this was well organized by the local office. The holiday was wonderful. Our guide, Mr. Longdy( Siem Reap)were exceptional. He shared his extensive knowledge of the many wonderful places we visited, and were flexible to take us to additional places along the way based on discussions. Thank you so much .shared their extensive knowledge of the many wonderful places we visited, and were flexible to take us to additional places along the way based on discussions. More
kelli,
Jul 2023
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Seamless Planning
From the day I submitted an inquiry request, I instantly received a response from Monica asking my preferences for my trip. She has been attentive and responsive to our every needs and we very much appreciate it. Looking forward to our trip in November but many thanks to Monica for making this experience to seamless thus far. More
Sana Samhouri,
Jul 2023
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Very professional agency for a memorable trip to Asia
A special thanks to Albee who worked with us and helped to tailor the itinerary to our taste, she was amazing and always available for whatever we needed. The trip would not have been the same without her and her team. Thank you! More
Daniela,
Jul 2023
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It was our first time in Cambodia and …
It was our first time in Cambodia and we had a wonderful time. The accommodations, food, and sites were really beautiful. We ended our trip with a relaxing massage. Sam was very accommodating to our needs and knowledgeable. Thank you for the laughter and for being so kind. More
Amy Oakes Moon,
Jun 2023
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Our guide Borin - never boring!
Our guide Borin, in Cambodia, was knowledgeable, understanding and thoughtful in every aspect of the plan he put together for our trip to Siem Reap and in its execution. He can read the room, and knew exactly how to pace the tour, when to pause, when to break, and how to prepare us for the maximum benefit. He is extremely kind and caring, and it showed at every turn. He also is a dab hand with the camera, and we have a lot of great pictures to show for it. Kudos to my Asia Highlights coordinator - Cathy Chen, for picking Borin. Borin works with a driver (007) who was also very kind and caring. Whenever we returned to the car, he would have cold towel rolls and chilled water to refresh us. So amazingly considerate. It was an unforgettable experience More
David Muliyil,
Jun 2023
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Great visit!
Our guide, Anna, was fantastic! She was highly informative and a delight to spend our days with. Would request her again if we were to return! More
Alejandra M Almonte,
Jun 2023
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We've had such a great experience…
We've had such a great experience planning our honeymoon with Alisa at Asia Highlights! We gave her our dream itinerary, thinking that it might be impossible to do all the things we wanted, but Alisa made our dreams a reality! She's gone so far above and beyond to answer ALL of our questions and make little adjustments that will make a huge impact on our experience. More
Lauren,
Jun 2023
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Alisa knows how to work fast and please a customer.
Alisa is very helpful and works very fast. I am a very difficult client because Inknow what I want in therm of hotels and comfort. She had a lot of patience with me, and moved a lot the plan of the trip, always following my requests. It was a pleasure organizing my trip with her. I recommend her a lot! Thanks Alisa. Malala from Argentina. More
maria laura artola,
Jun 2023
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Trip-of-a-lifetime
In addition, I want to specifically mention the guides provided in certain locations. Rum, in Siem Reap, made the most memorable experience possible. His positivity was contagious - even when it felt like 1000 degrees and we were tired. He brought it all to life, and created a couple days of Ankor Wat, etc. that we will never forget! He heard my daughter's request for specific Cambodian food, and changed our itinerary to go to a village and eat at a locally known shop. He brought the dessert she asked about to us in the car! Overall, he and his driver "Lucky" were a reason to go to Siem Reap. In addition, the other guides (minus one which was switched out immediately) were stupendous. Mon in Bangkok was friendly and provided a great day there; Eak in Chiang Mai gave us a world-class food-tour and day touring the city and its surrounding temples with lots of laughs; Tommy in Hanoi kept us from getting killed in the traffic and gave a stupendous food and architecture/history tour - so very friendly and funny; the fishing village tour in Hoi An, as well as the side-car tour in Saigon, were both unforgettable! Thank you Sharon, and Asia Highlights. Would definitely use again for future trips! More
Teri Simpson,
Apr 2023
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Cambodia and Vietnam adventure!
Our guide in Cambodia, Meas Darapolaith (Pol), was absolutely amazing. He was knowledgeable, friendly and so helpful. His English was excellent and he shared important insights about history and the magnificent sites we visited. We highly recommend him! More
Jennifer Roth Krieger,
Apr 2023
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My daughter and I wanted to discover SE…
My daughter and I wanted to discover SE Asia. Being the first in that region, we wanted to use a tour service company. We ended up using Asia Highlights. From the beginning we were impressed with their services. We left home with of mind because all the pre-travel arrangements were taking care and communicate to us efficiently. All our questions were answered promptly. Once in the countries, we were welcome by our excellent tour guides. Everything was taking care for us. We did not have one issue. They selected the right tours guides for us, they were highly knowledgeable and so much attentive to our needs. We had Dhat in Vietnam and Borin in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I highly recommend Asia Highlights. I came back home so much rested, and with plenty of wonderful pictures and memories. I will definitely use Asia Highlights again for my next trip to Asia. More
Isabelle Dessaux,
Apr 2023
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Fabulous tour and guide in Cambodia
We have been touring Cambodia, guided by Borin ( and driver 007) for the last 2 days. What a fabulous experience! Borin has been a wonderful guide, the best so far in Southeast Asia, explaining the history and culture of Cambodia through his tours of the temples in and around Angkor, as well as the Landmine museum. He has answered all our questions, made sure we were comfortable, and that we have had great food. 007 made sure we always had enough water and cool towels for our face/neck.We highly recommend Borin as a tour guide for Cambodia!! More
Monica,
Mar 2023
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Best Travel Service for Asia Travel
Alisa Liu was in charge of making the arrangements and she helped us from the start to make all of the arrangements and also helped us when we had questions and requested some adjustments. Her service is of the highest professional level. We are 100% confident that our trip will be perfect. We’re also 100% confident that, if anything comes up during our trip, that Alisa will be there to guide us through and take care of us. We won’t even consider using another agency for travel around Asia and we would like to have Alisa work for us again. More
Leo Pospichal,
Mar 2023
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Tour of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand
The tour guides and drivers were another high point. All were very good, friendly, knowledgeable and spoke English well. There were two that I want to call out for their excellence. Chan Sovannarith in Siem Reap was our guide in Cambodia. He really made the experience special. His knowledge, willingness to answer all my questions, helpfulness and general attitude made him fun to be around. In order to praise the second exceptional guide I have to explain about an unfortunate occurrence that I had. I'm normally a very active senior, but after leaving Cambodia for Laos I was suddenly struck by the most intense back pain I've ever experienced, couldn't even roll over in bed (turned out to be sciatica). The guide, Mr. Sonophet, really went the extra mile. He went with my traveling companion and bought a back brace and medications for me. When that didn't help much he took me to a clinic where I was seen by a doctor, given a shot and pain meds. He hand-made a walking stick for me that I'm still using! He made it possible for me to somewhat participate in the activities, i.e. a bed on the boat down the river. When it was time to move on to Bangkok he got me a wheelchair at the airport. I can't thank him enough for these kindnesses! This problem lasted for the remainder of the trip, through Bangkok and Phuket and these guides were also very helpful getting wheelchairs, etc. It was a terrible disappointment to have this wonderful trip disrupted, but it would have been SO much worse without the great help that I received from the guides and my poor travel companion! More
Deb M,
Mar 2023
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In good hands with Sam
Sam Ol took very good care of us - lots of information, listened to and answered all our questions, was passionate about the places we visited and about his people and country. He was kind, had a great sense of humor, and made sure we felt safe and comfortable at all times. He helped us to fall in love with Cambodia in 3 short days. More
Carol Jones,
Feb 2023
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Best tour guide in Cambodia
When we first arrived at the airport in Siem Riep it was so nice to be greeted by Mr Sam Ol. We instantly fell at home when we saw his friendly smile. We were impressed by his great English and knowledge of the temples. On the tour to the temples Sam took care of us every step of the way. He took awesome pictures of us. It felt like we were on a tour given by our brother who is also a professional photographer. Also, we appreciate his humor as well as the fact he had an answer for every question we had. I give Sam 5 stars, best tour guide ever :) More
Len S,
Feb 2023
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Mr. Sam
Mr. Sam our guide in Cambodia, he and the driver out standing service they went above and beyond touring, my wife so amazed beautiful country, we're planning back here near the futures. Thank Mr. Sam,We'll feedback the whole trip next week when we be home in US More
Pho Lover,
Feb 2023
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Vietnam/Cambodia/Thailand
We are still in the middle of our trip, but we are just finishing up our time in Cambodia and our guide, Borin, has been AMAZING!!! He has truly made our time here unforgettable and I plan on referring all of my friends and family to come visit this beautiful country! Thank you, Borin, for everything you did to make our trip so fantastic! More
Danielle Blount,
Feb 2023
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Start planning
If you travel by regular means,such as private car or bike, you may soon get temple fatigue.
However, if you take other forms of transport, such as a hot-air balloon, horse-drawn cart, or cruise, when visiting them it will make your tour more interesting and allow you to enjoy the beauty of Bagan from different perspectives.
What can't be missed
Enjoy sunrises or sunsets on the pagodas
In September 2017, Myanmar will formally submit the application to the UNESCO's World Heritage Center and, in order to protect the temples and pagodas while the application goes through, the activity of climbing up the pagodas may be slowly banned.
In December 2016, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyialso appealed to the tourists to stop climbing on the pagodas.
That is to say, being able to climb up a temple or pagoda to watch the sunrise or sunset will also become part of Bagan's history.
Enjoy a sunrise from a hot-air balloon
A hot-air balloon ride is not a budget-friendly experience but most people consider it to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.It is also the only way to experience the breathtaking scale of Bagan's historical district.
When the hot-air balloon gently takes off into the morning sky, everything is covered by the dark. But when the balloon unceasingly ascends and is flying, the sun's rays slowly break through the clouds, and the outlines of the temples and pagodas gradually appear. The sun rises slowly, and the view becomes wider and wider.
The mist embraces the temples and pagodas, just like a fairyland. The sunshine son the red-brick temples and pagodas, and they look as though they are twin kling with golden lights.
It's not only spectacular but also magical.When you are flying over the historical district, it's like you are engaging in dialogues with history.
The flight will definitely be safe and smooth with Western pilots and modern equipment.The pilots are all exceptionally qualified. They will also be considerate and rotate the balloon so that everybody can see the red-brick temples whilst the other balloons are dotted in the sky around you.
Travel by different means
If you are afraid of seeing too many temples and pagodas,which might give you aesthetic fatigue, traveling by different means,such as private car, cycling, hot-air balloon, horse-drawn cart, or even trekking, may pull you slightly out of this type of fatigue.
These are the different ways to show you the beauty of Bagan from different angles, and each of them has its own merits.
Itinerary
Day 1 pagodas and sunset
Bagan arrival
Proposal 1: Visit pagodas in the afternoon and before the sunset, by boarding a boat and cruising across the Irrawaddy River. The boatman will prepare some refreshments and the boat will reach the center of the river to stop before sunset.
You will be away from the noise and dust, quietly sitting in the boat, watching the glittering river, enjoying delicious snacks, listening to the wind blowing over the trees and the lake as well as the birdsong. When the sun slowly sinks, the clouds become colorful due to the reflection of the sunlight.
Proposal 2: Visit pagodas in the afternoon by horse-drawn cart. The surrounding pagodas are all more than 800 years old and there is no sign of modernization.
As the horse-drawn cart gallops through the forest of temples, the dust is blowing and the hooves are clattering.Imagine you have stepped into a time tunnel and are witnessing history.
One hour before the sunset, you can climb up a high pagoda,such as the Shwezigon Pagoda, and wait for one of the most breathtaking sunsets of your life.
Day 2 Sunrise and pagodas
There are two ways to enjoy the sunrise in Bagan: climb up a pagoda or fly in a hot-air balloon.
If you prefer to watch the sunrise on a pagoda, the best time to leave your hotel is at about 6 am. If you prefer to enjoy the sunrise from a different angle, then a hot-air balloon adventure is highly recommended.
You will be collected from your hotel at about 5:20 am and, at the launch site, there will be fruit and cakes as well as coffee. When the balloon ascends with the sun, the breathtaking site of stupa after stupa will appear through the delicate mist, which will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
After the balloon has landed, champagne and pastries will be served to celebrate the safe landing and a certificate will also be awarded to you to celebrate your courage. This will be one of the highlights of your trip to Bagan, as well as to Myanmar.
Best known temples and pagodas list
The Asia Highlights team has handpicked some of the 2,200 pagodas, which are either the most famous of the temples or the most distinctive. In short, they are absolutely not to be missed for your Bagan trip.
1. Shwezigon Pagoda
This standswith Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon as one of the sacred pagodas in Myanmar. It's the most efficacious pagoda in Bagan, and the prayers are the most frequently answered. It is the oldest pagoda in Bagan and the best pagoda from which to enjoy the sunset.
2. Thatbyinnyu Phaya
This is the highest pagoda, standing at 67 meters. It used to be the best place to watch a sunrise and sunset; however, in order to protect the pagoda, the stairs to the top have been blocked.
3. Ananda Temple
This features a standing statue of Buddha with perfect proportions. However, since September 2016, a large-scale repair has ruined its natural beauty.
4. Dhammayangyi Temple
This is the biggest temple in Bagan. The temple was built by King Narathu to make up for his sins of killing his father, King Alaungsitha, but it was not finished until Narathu was assassinated.
5. Gubyaukgyi/Gubyauknge Temple
Famous for its exquisite murals,this temple has 547 well-preserved paintings depicting stories of Buddha's previous lives.
6. Sulamani Temple
This temple is one of the most frequently visited in Bagan. It is famous for its interior decoration.
7. Htilominlo Temple
This is the last Burma-style temple in Bagan.
Tips for Traveling in Bagan
It's usually very hot at noon in Bagan. It's a good choice to choose a restaurant to enjoy lunch or to go back to your hotel for a swim in the pool.
You need to stand barefoot or sit on the cold ground while waiting for the sunrise, so it's necessary to take warm clothing.
Do not hide your excitement from the camera when taking a trip in a hot-air balloon. If you ask politely, other passengers will take a photo of you, which will be a good memory for you.
Visit Myanmar with Asia Highlights
Asia Highlights provides customized tours throughout Myanmar tailor-made to fit your interests. Trips typically start or end in Yangon or Mandalay.
Get a head start on planning your dream vacation today.
- 9-Day Myanmar Highlights Tour
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- 16-Day Myanmar Tour with Irrawaddy Cruise
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