Bagan, Mayanmar

Bagan (or Pagan) is an ancient city that was the capital of the first Burmese empire. It is located in the dry central plains of the country, on the eastern bank of the Irrawaddy (or Ayeyarwaddy) River. As the heart of Burma during ancient times, Bagan serves as home to temples and buildings built from the 11th century to the 13th century. There are more than 2,000 pagodas and temples to be found, most of which were built by the ancient kings and leaders of Burma.

Among all the cities in Myanmar, Bagan is the most ideal destination for tourists to visit regardless of the time of the year. Unlike cities in the lower part of Myanmar, Bagan does not experience a rainy season and it is the perfect climate of Bagan that enables tourists to discover and explore the ancient city with ease all year round.

Bagan may be an old city, but it does offer something fresh to its visitors. There are many contemporary hotels and establishments for the modern adventurer.

How to get there?

When entering Bagan you pass through a ticket booth where you present your passport and purchase a US$10 ticket valid for your entire stay. These passes are also needed for accommodation as hotels and hostels take down the ticket number when you check in.Staff at the ticket booths round out their salaries by selling pirate copies of George Orwell's Burmese Days for around US$5, though if you negotiate you can get them down to $2.

BY PLAIN

You can fly to Bagan from Yangon on Air Mandalay [1], Air Bagan [2] or Myanma Airways [3]] for about US$ 65. Air Mandalay and Air Bagan also fly from Mandalay. (Yangon airways ceased operations for a while, but say they will resume operations on 16 October 2011).From the airport to New Bagan, it takes about 15-20 minutes by car, and usually this will cost around 7000-10000 kyat. Most midrange and luxury hotels will give you a free pickup from the airport.

BY TRAIN

Overnight trains run daily from Yangon, departing at about 4PM and arriving in Bagan at about 9AM the following day, at prices ranging from a few thousand Kyat (a few dollars) in second class, to US $50 for a "luxury" sleeper. There is a direct train service running from Mandalay to Bagan with two departures daily. Tickets are available directly at the railway station and cost about US$6 one way. The journey takes about seven hours. Most train routes in Myanmar are fairly nice, however when going on the Mandalay-Bagan route expect the train to be incredibly crowded. You will also have limited room to store your stuff, as well as cramped uncomfortable sitting conditions.

TOP 10 HOTELS

1:Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon

2: Sedona Hotel Yangon

3: Hotel Yankin

4: BEST WESTERN Green Hill Hotel

5: Royal White Elephant Hotel

6: MGM Hotel

7: Hotel Windsor Yangon

8: Emerald Palace Hotel-Nay Pyi Taw

9: Mandalay Hill Resort

10: Sedona Hotel Mandalay

WHAT TO SEE IN BAGAN?

Bagan Archaeological Museum

Ananda temple

Gawdawpalin Temple

The total cost you will have to pay to visit bagan, maynmar is around 2 lakhs per person.