Hpa-An

Saddan Cave — Boat Through a Cathedral of Stalactites

Saddan Cave (16km south of Hpa-An; USD 3 entry; the most accessible and most spectacular cave in Myanmar; the enormous entrance chamber — 50m high; filled with thousands of Buddha images placed by pilgrims over centuries; the stalactite cathedral; the underground lake at the back of the cave where local wooden boats paddle through to the exit 500m further and emerge on the other side of the mountain into a lush valley of rice paddies and the flooded cave entrance visible as a mirror in the morning light; the most extraordinary single cave experience in Southeast Asia) is the non-negotiable Hpa-An destination.

Saddan Cave by hired motorbike (16km south; motorbike taxi USD 5 return; USD 3 entry; the local wooden boat paddle through the underground lake at the back of the cave is included in the entry fee — the 10-minute paddle in a dugout canoe through the stalactite ceiling to the exit is the finest single underground experience in Myanmar; the exit side has an atmospheric walk back to the road through rice paddies and past the flooded external cave entrance; 2h total visit).

Zwekabin Mountain — the Pagoda-Topped Summit

Zwekabin Mountain (723m; the limestone peak rising directly above Hpa-An; the 3h hike from the Lumbini Garden base via a concrete stairway and a final section of natural path; the summit pagoda; the panorama of the Thanlwin River valley, the rice paddies, and the surrounding karst peaks; the dawn climb is the finest Hpa-An experience for active visitors; the golden monkeys (Mandalay monkeys) living on the limestone cliffs visible on the ascent) is the finest mountain hike accessible from any Myanmar city.

The Zwekabin dawn hike (depart Hpa-An at 3:30am by motorbike taxi USD 3 to the Lumbini Garden base; the 3h ascent in the dark with a headtorch; the summit by 6:30am for the dawn; the valley of the Thanlwin River in the morning mist; the rice paddy carpet visible below; the most extraordinary mountain dawn in Myanmar outside the Shan Hills; the descent 2h; return town by 10am).

Kyauk Ka Lat Pagoda — the Pagoda on the Rock Pinnacle

Kyauk Ka Lat Pagoda (3km south of Hpa-An; free; the Buddhist pagoda built on a single vertical limestone pinnacle rising 50m from a lake; the reflection of the pinnacle in the still water; the most photogenic single image in Hpa-An; accessible by the bridge to the pagoda base or viewable from the lake shore; the sunrise reflection of the pinnacle in the morning lake creates the most extraordinary Hpa-An photography opportunity; the monks resident on the pinnacle top) is the most distinctive Myanmar religious site outside the Shwedagon.

Kyauk Ka Lat at dawn (arrive by bicycle 30 mins before sunrise; the pinnacle reflected in the still lake; the morning mist around the base; the pagoda on the summit glowing as the first light hits; the most extraordinary landscape photograph in the Hpa-An region; entirely free; 3km bicycle from Hpa-An). Return for the motorbike taxi to Saddan Cave at 8am to combine both sites in a single morning.

Photo: Anagoria, CC BY 3.0

Bat Cave (Kaw Goon Cave) & the Thanlwin River Sunset

Kaw Goon Cave (4km from Hpa-An; USD 1; the 7th-century cave with the largest collection of Buddhist votive tablets in Myanmar — the thousands of tiny clay Buddha votive plaques pressed into the cave walls dating from the Mon kingdom; the most historically significant cave in the Hpa-An region) and the Thanlwin River sunset (the Hpa-An waterfront; the river at 6pm; the limestone peaks visible in all directions; the boat traffic on the river; the daily open-air river food market visible from the bank at dusk) are the two best complementary experiences after the main cave and mountain.

The Kaw Goon Cave morning (USD 1; the 7th-century Mon votive tablets; the cave lit from a single entrance; the thousands of clay Buddhas on every surface visible only with a headtorch; 1h; combine with the Saddan Cave visit the same morning). The Hpa-An waterfront at 6pm (the free evening social space; the limestone peaks in the sunset; the Thanlwin River catching the last light; the most beautiful free urban evening in Myanmar outside Yangon and Mandalay).

Photo: Christophe95, CC BY-SA 4.0