Golden Rock, Bago & Kyaiktiyo

The tour begins with a 90-minute drive from Yangon to Bago. You’ll make a quick stop in Bago to see Shwemawdaw Pagoda, the tallest pagoda in Bago. The Mon people built this temple in the 10th century. Visitors can admire Buddhist shrines as well as shrines to nats—the animistic spirits that made up Myanmar’s oldest belief system.

Next, the tour continues with a long drive to Kinpun, and then a short trip via public transportation for the final 6.2 miles (10 km) to the top of Mount Kyaiktiyo. Before you see the pagoda, you’ll stop by the Kyaik Hto Hotel, which has rooms furnished with twin beds. Finally, in the soft sunshine of the late afternoon, you’ll admire the golden boulder that supports the Kyaiktiyo Pagoda. According to local legend, the boulder is in held in place with a single strand of the Buddha’s hair. Devotees have been adding gold leaf to the rock for many years, and still do to this day—but only men are allowed to touch the rock or visit the pagoda’s inner sanctum.

In the morning, the next leg of your journey begins with a ride back to Kinpun. Then the tour continues back to Bago, where you’ll once again stop to see interesting Buddhist sites. The Shwethalyaung Buddha is the second-largest reclining Buddha statue in Myanmar. Scholars believe it was built in 994. For many years it was grown over with jungle until a British explorer re-discovered it in 1880. This tour also stops by the Kyaikpun Pagoda, which was built in the 7th century, and has four 98-feet (30-m) tall Buddhas seated back to back. After this more in-depth look at Bago, you’ll drive back to Yangon and return by the evening.