Top things to do in Hpa An Myanmar 

Hpa An  (Pronounced “Pa-an”) is a beautiful serene town which is a great first place to stay if you cross the overland border from Thailand because it is around a 3-5 hour drive from the Maesot-Myawaddy border. Top things to do in Hpa An Myanmar

Top things to do in Hpa An Myanmar

A driver will be able to take you to any of these. We have explored and pinned them all to help you plan.

• Explore Kan Thar Yar bridge and lake
• Climb mount Zwegabin
• Visit Kayauk Kalap Lake and Monastery
• Explore the Bat Cave
• Walk around Kawgun Cave
• See Ya Thay Pyan Cave
• Relax at Ye Pagoda River View Point

OR

You could do it yourself! Go on a crazy cool Adventure >>> CHECK OUT OUR HPA AN BY MOTORBIKE BLOG>>>

Top things to do in Hpa An Myanmar 

1. Kan Thar Yar bridge and lake

Start at Kan Thar Yar bridge which crosses a beautiful lake with a mountainous backdrop. If you take a walk across the bridge and around the lake early morning you will see many locals fishing, exercising and generally getting on with life on their usually lovely smiley way.

The gorgeous Kan Thar Yar (pronounced “Kan-tie-yar”) lake will only take around 10-15 minutes to walk to from the centre of town (the clock tower area). It is lovely and peaceful in the early morning. You may wish to walk around the lake so it could be worth planning around an hour for your time there. Directions from the clock tower: Walk 50m along the main road to the traffic lights. Turn right at the lights. Follow the road for around 15 minutes. The road bends round the the right, don’t panic, just keep following the road. You will pass Kan Thar Yar guest house and then see the lake. The following map shows the location of the lake: Top things to do in Hpa An Myanmar 

Top things to do in Hpa An Myanmar 

2. Climb mount Zwegabin and stay in the monastery 

This may well be a highlight of your trip to Myanmar so it is well worth budgeting the time for. You can get to Zwegabin by motorbike, bicycle, taxi (motor bike taxi or tuk tuk style taxis) or even by hitch hiking. It is possible to trek up and down in a single day- however staying in the monastery at the top is an incredible experience which enables you to take in the atmosphere of the mountain at dusk and dawn.

Top things to do in Hpa An Myanmar 

For an amazing blog with LOADS more information on this adventure Read more HERE >>>

Top things to do in Hpa An Myanmar 

3. Kayauk Kalap Lake and Monastery

Leaving here you cross the junction and head west to Kayauk Kalap lake and monastery. aside from the main temple, you can walk across a little bridge to visit the impressive rock and place of worship. When entering, you must remove shoes and they typically greet you with a small yellow bracelet before you climb the little windy steps that wrap around the enchanted and quirky rock. Things to do around Hpa An Myanmar Burma

There is no charge at the point of writing but you can make a donation.

Things to do around Hpa An Myanmar Burma

4. Bat Cave

Further west bound there are several caves to explore. To get to the bat cave you take a right off the main road and through a little village. As the name suggests, there is a cave with bats in it; however they only open the cave itself at 6pm.  The place does stink of Guano (bat poo!) and you have to go barefoot for much of it, as it’s also a temple. Nice! After several questionable ladders you are rewarded with a beautiful view of the river.

There is no charge and we didn’t see anywhere to donate.

Best way to explore Hpa An by Motorbike

5. Kawgun Cave

Also referred to as Kaw Goon cave, it is on the other side of the main road that comes off the bridge.  Leaving the bat cave you can take the road that wraps around and under the bridge before taking a small south bound cement country road to the cave.  If you haven’t been anywhere like this before, it is worth exploring. There are ancient carvings and inscriptions all over the walls of the cave.  Over time they have built many newer Buddha statues inside. It comprises mostly of an entrance lined with Buddhas, a large enclosed laying Buddha and a cave with many inscriptions and newly built Buddha statues, including a sparkly disco one towards the back … not sure how else to describe it.

If you wish to climb to the top of the outside of the cave for a impressive look out, you can do so for free and it takes about 15-20 minutes.

Top things to do in Hpa An Myanmar 

They do charge a compulsory ‘donation’ of 5000 kayt (4 USD / 2.5 GBP) to go inside this cave.

Top things to do in Hpa An Myanmar Things to do around Hpa An Myanmar Burma

6. Ya Thay Pyan Cave

Whilst you are in the area of Kawgun cave, it is worth taking a visit to the Ya Thay Pyan cave. Personally, I enjoyed this cave much more because it has a much more intrepid feel and it is possible to explore more deeply.

Ya Thay Pyan Cave is back down the road you came up on and on the left. It is sign posted. As you get closer, there is a fork in the road, take the left one. Personally, we loved this one and found it to be unexpected highlight. Not only are there quite often monkeys around, but the cave goes way deeper than you expect.  You will need a torch as you venture further back. The Buddha’s pitter out and it becomes all about the exploring the cave. You still have to be barefoot as it is holy; so if scrambling over rocks and squelching through mud barefoot isn’t your thing, then maybe just check out the statues at the front. If it is your thing, it’s great fun and offers an epic view at the end.

At the point of writing (2016) there was no charge for the cave, however there is a place to make donations. At present the road to this cave is not shown on google maps. If you are travelling south bound along the road towards Kawgun cave (away from the main road) there is a right turn before you get to Kawgun cave. Follow this road and go left where there is a fork in the road. After a 3-5minute motorbike ride you should arrive at the carpark of Ya Thay Pyan cave.

7. Ye Pagoda River View Point

Pretty much anywhere on the East bank of the river will treat you to a stunning sunset. If you have time, head for Ye Pagoda, a west facing spot very close to town. If you arrive earlier, quite a few locals are willing to sail you to the mini mountain known as Par Pu for an adventure.

They only ask for 500 kyat (0.4 USD / 0.25 GBP) for each person, each way and they will wait for you. It should take 1 to 2 hours.

Things to do around Hpa An Myanmar Burma

Looking for a place to stay ?

We have put together some great blogs on local guests houses you can book along the way…

Bagan>>     Inle Lake>>    Kalaw>>     Mandalay>>     Hpa An>>    Hsipaw>>      Pyin U Lwin>>     Myawaddy>>

Or if you prefer to get organised and book everything in advance, this should be uber helpful:

Book you room in Yangon HERE (Explore the golden cities temples)

Book your room in Nyaung U (Bagan) HERE (A base for exploring famous temples)

Book your room in Inle Lake HERE (See the famous local fishermen)

Book your room in Kalaw HERE (Prepare for the Iconic Inle Lake Trek)

Book your room for Mandalay HERE (Walk the beautiful U Bein Bridge)

Book your room in Pyin oo Lwin HERE (Explore stunning waterfalls)

Book your room in Hsipaw HERE (For beautiful hill tribe trekking)

Book your room in Hpa An HERE (For climbing Mt. Zwegabin)

First Time in Myanmar ?? 

Myanmar is changing rapidly, so up-to-date blogs (like this one, ahem!) will be a great source.  But If it’s you’re first time visiting Myanmar you will probably want to grab a travel guide too. I always think you don’t need more than a ‘Rough Guide‘ as it is about making it your own adventure! They have a pretty cheap kindle copy as well as the actual book.

There’s always more…

Don’t miss out on the epic awesomeness of Myanmar, make sure you check out our TOP 10 THINGS TO DO IN MYANMAR and SHARE SHARE SHARE it with anyone you know who’s heading there …

Things to do around Hpa An Myanmar Burma

Be part of a community! 

We really hope you have an epic adventure! Please let us know how it goes and if anything changes please let us know so we can amend it for the next traveler! Be that person who thinks about others and gives back to the travel community!

We travel better together.