4000 Buddhist temples scattered across a wide plain in central Burma that is pushed up on 2 sides by the Irrawaddy River and described by Marco Polo as “one of the finest sites in the world”. Bagan rightly claims its title as the highlight of a trip to Burma, a UNESCO world heritage site and one of the top temple sites in the world.
But, as with giant temple complexes of such fame, my key tip is not to get dragged into the mass tourism of the place. Instead, try and give yourself an experience that feels more wonder and adventure rather than latest site to tick off on the tourist trail.
To do this, give yourself at least a day to head off on a bike and simply get lost amongst the wonder of it all. Your guide / hotel can give you the directions for where will have the fewest fellow tourists at the time of year – usually the Central and South Plains. This will allow you to enjoy Bagan for what it was like before Burma started to really open up and make you still dumfounded that even with so much variety in so concentrated a place, some temples the size of cathedrals simply have numbers rather than a name.
Getting that feeling of wonder by having some of these temples largely to yourself is what makes this such a memorable experience.
