Located 11 km upriver from Mandalay, this enchanting former capital on the opposite side of the Irrawaddy River is something you absolutely must visit when staying in Myanmar (formerly Burma). It is possible to combine a visit to Mingun with a visit to Sagaing.
Mingun can be reached by boat from Mandalay and is famous for it's impressive unfinished pagoda, as well as for the Hsinbyume Pagoda.
My suggestion
Mingun can be toured in half a day. It's time enough to see the Mingun Paya - the unfinished pagoda - as well as the Hsinbyume Pagoda and Mingun clock tower, the biggest intact clock tower in the world.
Anonymous traveller
Seasoned Traveller
5
Located 11 km upriver from Mandalay, this enchanting former capital on the opposite side of the Irrawaddy River is something you absolutely must visit when staying in Myanmar (formerly Burma). It is possible to combine a visit to Mingun with a visit to Sagaing.
My suggestion
Take the boat to get there. It's not in the best condition, and it's very slow, but you have time to slowly – then, very quickly, almost impatiently – see the place you're heading for approaching.
The trek fills your trip with adventure but also enables you to come into contact with the country's nature and culture. This is the perfect opportunity to see a Myanmar far from urban rhythm and to reflect upon the impact of tourist activity and opening up the country on Burmese people, and upon the interest in travelling responsibly.
Môn and Kayin, States and neighbouring peoples in the south-east of Burma. Te anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss said, "the majority of customs of people is always marked by a style" and these two ethnic groups have in effect a style which separates them from other people in a way that is more severe than geographical frontiers. The Môn and the Kayins have their own Identity.
Nat Ma Taung, which is also called Mount Victoria, is the highest point of the Chin Hills and also the highest point in Chin State. It is more than 3,000 m high, which makes its one of the highest in south-east Asia.
When you talk about Burma (nowadays also called Myanmar), people immediately think about Buddhist monks, a multitude of pagodas with golden roofs, unequalled cultural riches or luxuriant forests. They usually forget that the country has coasts along a large part of its borders and is a seaside destination that hasn't yet been discovered by mass tourism.