Epic Travel → Asia & the South Pacific → Myanmar → Sagar

Location: Western Shan State, Myanmar

Time Required: 1 day

Red Tape/Notes: While scenic, the boat ride is long and the boats are typically a sort of long, open (canoe-esque) craft equipped with an outboard motor, and as such can be fairly loud. You may want to bring a book or something of the sort to occupy you since you won’t be having much conversation.

What’s Nearby?: Cycling to Inle Lake, Inle Lake, Taunggyi Balloon Festival

Few people come to this area, and for many years it was not open to tourists. It’s reached via a long but very scenic boat ride (2.5 – 3 hours) to the south end of Inle Lake, and down a small creek which eventually connects with a larger lake in the south. Sagar is a ruined royal capital, and there are many ancient pagodas and monasteries in the area. The sunken stupas are the real highlight – built in the 16th and 17th century, they’re partially underwater for a few months out of the year. You can also visit Tar Kaung, which has over 200 picturesque stupas, and provides a nice contrast with the sunken stupas due to the differences in their age and condition. You’ll also make other stops which are helpful for breaking up the trip and are rather interesting, like the Sae Khaung Pottery village, when they craft beautiful oil and water pots and fire them in underground kilns.

Epic Travel → Asia & the South Pacific → Myanmar → Sagar