Yangon Day Trips: Bago, Thanlyin, Twante
Yangon Day Trips: Bago, Thanlyin, Twante
Three different day trips leave Yangon in three different directions, and each one tells a completely different story about this delta, so picking between them comes down to what story you want.
Bago, the Mon capital that beats Shwedagon on height
About 80 to 90 km northeast of Yangon, roughly two hours by road, Bago was the ancient capital of the Mon Hanthawaddy Kingdom. Shwemawdaw Pagoda here stands 114 meters tall, taller than Shwedagon itself, and it’s paired with the 55-meter reclining Buddha at Shwethalyaung, carved in 994 CE, and the four 30-meter seated Buddhas of Kyaikpun facing the cardinal directions. A combined archaeological-zone ticket ($10 USD / 10,000 MMK, valid three days) covers Shwemawdaw, Shwethalyaung, and Kyaikpun together. It does not cover the excavated Kanbawzathadi Golden Palace of King Bayinnaung, which needs its own ticket for around $4 USD, so budget for that separately rather than assuming one pass gets you into all four sites. A private day-hire taxi runs roughly $40 to $55 for the round trip.
Thanlyin and the floating pagoda at Kyauktan
About 25 km southeast across the Thanlyin Bridge sits Thanlyin, once the 16th-century Portuguese trading enclave run by the mercenary Filipe de Brito. Climb to the hilltop Kyaik Khauk Pagoda for views across the delta rivers, then continue to Kyauktan Yele Paya, the floating pagoda perched on a tiny islet in the Hlaing River and reached by traditional motorized wooden sampan. It’s a shorter, easier half-day if you want history and a boat ride without committing a full day.
Twante, where the pottery is thrown by foot
Roughly 30 km southwest, reached via the Dala ferry and canal, Twante is a historic pottery center where potters still shape the huge glazed water jars known as Twante Ali on foot-cranked kick-wheels. George Orwell was stationed here as a colonial police officer, if you want the odd literary footnote. The town’s own gilded Shwesandaw Pagoda, dating to the Mon civilization, rounds out the visit.
What to skip
Don’t try to fold Golden Rock or Bagan into a day trip. Both need multi-day overland travel to reach and return from, and treating them as a rushed single day does the sites a disservice.
Before you lock in any of these, check current government travel advisories for Myanmar, given the country’s ongoing military rule; a private driver is the standard way to do any of these three trips, and hiring one who knows the current checkpoint situation is worth more than saving a few dollars on a shared minivan.
If a single day out isn’t enough temple time, our 4-day Yangon itinerary strings a couple of these regions together properly.
Verdict: Bago is the strongest single day trip of the three for sheer historical density, but budget the extra few dollars for the Kanbawzathadi Palace ticket separately since it’s easy to assume the combined pass covers it and be caught out at the gate.
Concrete tip: bring small MMK notes for site admission everywhere on these routes; ticket counters at Bago and Thanlyin are not set up to break large bills or take cards.