Page 225 - The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

BAGAN BAGAN AND AROUND 223
Destinations Kalaw (3 daily; 8hr); Magwe (5 daily; 4hr); spending around $200 to Mandalay, or $250 to Inle Lake. 5
Mandalay (5–6 daily; 7hr); Meiktila (2 daily; 3hr 30min); By train The railway station is 5.5km southeast of Nyaung
Nyaungshwe (2 daily; 8hr 30min); Pakokku (hourly; U, past the airport (around K7000 by taxi). The only
1hr); Pyay (daily; 8hr); Taunggyi (2 daily; 9hr); Yangon licensed ticket seller anywhere in Bagan is located, rather
(5 daily; 10hr). improbably, at Blue Sea (T061 60949 or T09 204 0135),
By taxi If you can get a group together, taxis (seating a frozen-food and fish wholesaler on Main Rd in Nyaung U.
three, or four at a squeeze) are a convenient and reasonably Destinations Mandalay (daily; 8hr); Pyay (daily; 10hr);
affordable option for travel further afield. Count on Yangon (daily; 19hr).
GETTING AROUND
Bagan’s sights are spread out over a considerable distance, so it’s more than likely you’ll need some form of transport to
explore it all.

By bike Cycling is an enjoyable way to explore Bagan, By horse-drawn carriage The classic way to tour Bagan
although most of the bikes available for rent lack gears and is by horse-drawn carriage – a romantic, if not terribly
are often not in the best shape, which can make pedalling comfortable, way of exploring the sights, saving you the
even fairly modest distances hard work – the sandy bother of navigating your own way and allowing you to cut
backroads between outlying temples can also snag wheels along the sandy backroads which are hard work on two
and sap your strength with surprising rapidity. If you’re wheels. Rates start from as little as K25,000/day or
cycling between Nyaung U and Old Bagan, note that the K15,000/half day, and you can book through your hotel or a
wide and relatively traffic-free Anawrahta Rd offers a more local tour operator, or even approach a driver directly – in
peaceful ride than the narrower and busier Nyaung U– Nyaung U they can often be found hanging around at the
Bagan Rd via Wet Kyi Inn. There are bikes for rent all over top end of Thiripyitsaya 4 St and around the bus station.
Bagan for K4000/day. By taxi For maximum speed and comfort, you can hire
By e-bike Tourists aren’t allowed to ride motorbikes in a taxi to explore the temples, although you’ll miss out on a
Bagan, although renting an e-bike (which is like a cross lot of the atmosphere of the archeological site while stuck
between an electric bicycle and a moped) offers a inside a vehicle. Rates are around K35,000/day, or K20,000/
reasonable (if slightly slower) alternative, and saves you half day.
the effort of cycling. Chinese-made e-bikes are available to By tourist bus At the time of research, the authorities
rent from many places in Nyaung U and New Bagan – small were experimenting with a hop-on-hop-off tourist bus.
electric motors (operated via a moped-style handlebar The buses run around a dozen times a day, and take a
throttle) give you a cruising speed of around 20–30km/hr, circular route around the main temples and hotel areas of
depending on the size of the bike. That said, you might Bagan. Buses run to a strict timetable and tend to depart
want to take your bike for a test drive before committing to each bus stop on time. For more on the service – and to
it. E-bikes generally cost around K8000/day, or K9000/day check if it has become a permanent fixture – see
for slightly larger and more powerful models. Wwonderbagan.com.
INFORMATION AND TOURS
Tourist offices There are tourist offices in both Nyaung be hired for $20/day, although their services are likely to be
U, on Anawrahta Rd, and New Bagan on Bagan–Chauk considerably more hit and miss.
Rd (daily 9.30am–4.30pm, although this can change; Tours Ever Sky (Thiripyitsaya 5 St, Nyaung U; T061
T061 65040). There’s not much actual information 60895, Eeverskynanda@gmail.com) is a helpful and
available, although staff can arrange taxis to tour Bagan reliable general tour operator, offering trips around
and to the airport (K5000/6000/7000 from Nyaung U/ Myanmar, car rental, ticket purchasing services and more.
Old Bagan/New Bagan respectively). They can also Tourist Information & Travelling Services (T&T; Thiripyitsaya
provide guides (see below). The office in New Bagan is 4 St, Nyaung U; T09 4037 19542, Esm.somkiat@gmail
by far the most helpful. .com) is also a good, long-established travel agent offering
Guides Guides can be hired through Bagan’s two tourist car rental, bus tickets and local tours. They also offer
offices or through most tour operators around town. fortune telling, which might be worth considering before a
Professional licensed guides cost $35/day. Local guides can long bus journey.
ACCOMMODATION
Bagan is no bargain, thanks to the number of visitors. The cheapest accommodation is clustered in Nyaung U, although
inexpensive accommodation is rare. Similar places stretch down the main road into the village of Wet Kyi Inn, about 1km