Hpa An is a small town located about 6 hours drive south from Yangon. We got a VIP bus again to have enough leg room. Mi Ba Gone is not as good as JJ Express but they got us there safely nevertheless.
The town of Hpa An has a laid back vibe and is easily seen on foot. It is less sophisticated than Bagan or Nyaungshwe in terms of tourist resources but this is also its main appeal. We were drawn here by the surrounding attractions too which you can get to by hiring a motorbike or if you are lazy like us, by hiring a pick up truck to drive you there.
The accommodation in Hpa An is on the basic side as the tourism is only starting to flourish. We stayed in Galaxy Motel which is conveniently located in the centre of town and had great reviews. It was super basic though, I’m talking diarrhoea colour walls, smell of drains in the bathroom and barely enough room to move around… but we only slept there really and the hospitality and kindness of the owners as well as the value for money and the amazing surprise breakfast more than made up for it.
We arranged the truck driver through the hotel and the cost of it was £17 for the whole day (we started at 9.30). The roads in the area are very bad and the truck has no suspension so you will feel the sightseeing in your back at the end of the day! It is all worth it though as the sights are truly amazing. The first stop on our journey was Taung Wine Mountain. We didn’t want to do a full blown trek as my foot was still full of blisters from the Kalaw trek and we read this hill only needed 45 min climb hence why we decided to to go there instead of the more popular Mount Zwegabin which needs several hours of climbing. I think it took us maybe an hour to go up but it was a very intense hike, very steep steps pretty much all the way to the top. I nearly died at the end but it was so worth it for the insane views and a sense of achievement.
After the hike, we went to Sadan Cave which is the longest one in the area. It is also a temple so you will need to take your shoes off for the walk through. It is really peaceful inside with lots of buddha statues and bats flying around. Make sure you take your shoes with you as at the end of it you can take a boat to take to nearby rice paddies and you can walk back to the entrance that way rather than walking back through the cave. I suspect it must have been very dry season over there as a large part of the river was dried up so we actually walked back for the best part of it. Nevertheless it’s a nice experience and you get to see lush green rice paddies and beautiful mountains on the horizon. There is a small entrance fee to the cave and the boat costs £2. All very worth it for the experience.
Our final stop was the Kyauk Ka Lat Pagoda. I have to say that we were pretty much done with the pagodas by that point but wanted to see this one because of the setting. It is located in the middle of a lake and makes for a nice sunset spot.
Back in town, we also took a walk along the river and through the daily night market. The area is a bit of a work in progress but I think it will be nice in a few years’ time.
Due to the proximity to the Thai border, there was a lot of Thai inspired food on offer in Hpa An. We ate twice in a place called Wadee (once by candle light due to power outage!). Both times the food was delicious and we felt fine afterwards which is a big achievement in Myanmar! We also had lunch in the Verandah restaurant which also serves as a travel advice hub and helps young people in the area get hospitality experience, definitely worth a visit.
Hpa An should feature on any visitor’s itinerary in Myanmar. It is very accessible from Yangon and if you don’t mind roughing it a little there are a lot of amazing sites to visit here.