Bagan is probably Myanmar’s most famous destination and one of those places that one has to see for themselves to appreciate its beauty. After a week spent in the chaotic and rough cities of Yangon and Mandalay, we headed to Bagan and were immediately relieved to find peace among the pagoda dotted plains. Deciding where to stay in Bagan can be quite confusing based on what we found online, therefore we wanted to help you decide which is best by sharing our tips.

Also known as the land of thousand pagodas, Bagan is outstandingly unique. The plains, where a bushy but not dense vegetation grows undisturbed, are dotted with more than 2000 pagodas. These are the only remaining ones from the original 10,000 that were built during the 11th and 13th century.

During the 9th and 13th century, Bagan was the capital of the Pagan Kingdom, the first kingdom that unified the regions that would later constitute modern Myanmar. During the Kingdom’s height, it became a cosmopolitan centre for religious and secular studies, thus explaining the constructions of the unusual number of pagodas and temples.

Today Bagan is a dream destination for many travellers who want to experience the magic of seeing the sunrise over the pagoda dotted fields or appreciating its beauty from one of the famous hot balloon rides.

Given its popularity and to protect the ancient remains, Bagan is tightly managed by the government and upon arrival, an entrance fee of 25,000 Kyats needs to be paid, roughly 16$ (if you pay directly in dollars they will charge you more). Another measure that has been recently put into place in order to protect the pagodas, is to close the entrance to almost all pagodas so that visitors cannot climb on top of them. At the time of our visit (November 2018), there were only four or five pagodas still open. As you can imagine, few of these remain a secret to tourists, making them quite crowded at the key times of sunrise and sunset, but nonetheless an unmissable experience.

During our four days in Bagan we were determined to watch sunrises and sunsets on top of the accessible pagodas and we missioned every day with our electric scooters to try find yet another one. We were lucky enough to visit 3 of the 4 (or 5?) open pagodas, which were all quite different and gave us different views over the valley. The best way to find the pagodas would be to ask around to the locals, which will either help you for free or might try to sell you one of their paintings (which is just a way to get a tip for sharing their knowledge!).