This is the last destination of our Myanmar trip, the Old Bagan. We left Mandalay around 3 pm and arrived in Bagan at 7:30 pm. The bus ticket costs us 9,000 kips ($6.15) per person per way. Our hotel in Mandalay helped us to book the bus tickets going to Bagan.

(See the articles about Mandalay for your reference: 5 interesting destinations in Mandalay and Hotel Review: Wilson Hotel – Mandalay)

We were both hungry when we arrived so we just dropped our things at the hotel and headed straight to the restaurant for dinner.

Oh! Before I forget, upon entering the city, you need to pay for their “Bagan Entry Ticket” which will cost you 25,000 Kips. And please always take it with you while roaming around Bagan because there were officers who checked it even at 4:45 am. It means any time of the day. You can also take a picture of the ticket and you can just show it to them once the officer asks for it.

The highlight of this trip is the waiting game to witness the amazing and stunning sunrise. We just had a roughly 3-4-hour sleep but it’s worth it!  

To be honest, I can’t remember already where exactly this spot is. All I can remember is while driving on the road around 4:30 am going to the best sunrise spot, the receptionist recommended to us, there was a man who approached us. He said he knew a perfect spot for the sunrise. But there’s a catch, we need to buy one of his paintings. 

Well, I didn’t waste time so I asked him first how much would it cost us. And he said from 40,000 Kip, he will give it for 15,000 Kip. I agreed, then that’s it. The next thing we know, we are already at this spot right here. Truly amazing!

See the picture below to see how beautiful the sunrise is. 

After the sunrise, we went back to our hotel around 8 am which was just perfect for breakfast.

Read the article: Six Stars Guest House to know more about where we stayed.

Later that afternoon, we headed back to Yangon which was very sad. Because I know there’s still a lot of things to discover and to know about the Old Bagan.

So if you’re planning to visit Bagan I think you have to allot like 3-5 days to dive in and experience the authentic culture of the ancient city. We had a short time here in Bagan. And a night is not enough to explore it. But overall, it was a fantastic experience and I’m looking forward to being back here in the future.  

If you have know other places in Bagan, Myanmar that you can recommend, feel free to comment below and share your experiences. You can also email me at jk.lumayno@juanjourneyofficial.com or message me on Meta or Instagram for more information about my whole journey.