Bagan Temples: A guide to 5 little-known temples and secret passageways to sunrise spots blissfully devoid of tourists.
Marco Polo called the Bagan temples “one of the finest sites in the world,” and this capital city of the ancient Burmese kingdom is surreal. Perhaps the most aggressive construction project the world has ever seen was churning out temples at the rate of almost 2 a month.
The Bagan temples are actually just thin shells that house massive golden Buddha statues in every one like enormous Russian Matryoshka dolls. Each has barely enough air to breathe.
Half the fun of exploring Bagan is searching through some of the over 4000 remaining temples scattered across the sacred plain and finding seemingly undiscovered temples, secret passageways to hidden floors and sunrise spots that only the monkeys know about. Here are a few places to check out that you will likely miss if you get stuck in the tour group circuit.
Bagan Temples: Lawkaoushaung Temple (A on the map)
Best for sunrise. This beautiful temple just West of the towering Shwesandaw Pagoda that is dripping with package tourists at sunrise has second and third floor patios that hover above the tree line for spectacular 360 degree views of the Myinkaba plain shrouded in early morning mist.
If you show up at 5am, you will have to find the little key holder who lives in a hut just behind the temple. He will show you how to get upstairs. Your reward will be to experience the sunrise without a single tourist in sight.
Bagan Temples: North Guni Temple (B on the map)
This undervisited temple has some of the best sunset views of the ancient metropolis of Bagan. See if you can find your way through the hidden passages all the way to the 7th floor (I promise it’s there). You will have to exhale to make it through a few tight spots.
For more pictures taken with my iPhone, click here: Top 10 Ultra High Res iPhone pics
Old Bagan
I know what you’re thinking, avoiding crowds in Old Bagan? Yes! Just after your sunrise pictures, you have a few hours before the tourist hoards transform this peaceful village into a souvenir town. You can catch the morning meditation, the locals preparing their boats, and the cutest little Buddhist monks collecting their daily food donations from the community. Many people forget that Bagan remains a living religious site and one of the most important pilgrimages for Buddhists.
Bagan Temples: Pathada Temple (C on the map)
This temple has an outdoor Buddha that faces the sunset. A rare opportunity to capture Buddha with his surroundings.
Bagan Temples: Gawdawpalin Temple
This is an epic temple that would make Camelot jealous, with some of the biggest Buddha statues around. Problem is, the entire ground floor has been turned into a sprawling souvenir market complete with flashing neon lights and you cannot go upstairs.
Head out the gates to the south and you will find a forgotten temple with majestic views of Gawdapalin with trees covering all of the stalls selling trinkets. The keyholder can help you find all 4 levels.
Map of these Temples
You will probably get a map that shows the 15 or so most popular temples, so this can help you find these excellent places hidden just off the paths to the main attractions.
The travel and financial situation in Myanmar has changed dramatically in recent months. Click here to see updates that aren’t in the travel guides: 8 Myanmar Travel Myths
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at 6:48 am
Hi,thanks for all the incite, I am in Bagan now, just spent one full day on an e-bike hitting the main road traps and will give your map and advice a wing tomorrow morning. Keep going and keep writing, I’m liking what I’ve seen so far.
at 3:55 pm
Hi Brad
Thanks for your post on Bagan and the temples there. I never been to Burma on my travels in Southeast Asia so far, looks like I need to!
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at 5:30 pm
Thanks, Graham. Yes, go there before they build tourist attractions. So much living history.
at 5:45 pm
Interesting article! In Bengali (an Indian dialect) bagan means garden. I wonder if that corresponds to these temples.
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at 8:34 am
Some great shots Brad! We were just at Angkor for a week, amazing what these ancient civilizations constructed.
Frank (bbqboy)
Frank recently posted…Photos of Nong Khai, Thailand. You’ll see why we love this town…
at 10:30 am
Thanks, Frank! The scale of Bagan is unfathomable. I love Angkor. The crowds are tough to escape there too. The trips to less popular, unrestored ruins were the highlight of my last trip there. Have you been to Bagan yet?
at 9:09 pm
Great post. I just found you off of Twitter. I’ve always loved the photos of these temples. They are so magical looking at sunrise/sunset. I’ve left this place off my ATW trip later this year because I wasn’t sure how it would be for a solo female traveler. How do you feel it is here safety-wise? Thanks!
at 10:35 am
Thank you so much for reading and commenting, Sheri. It seemed safe as can be. Women would leave their purses on cafe tables while leaving to use the restroom. I’ve heard many stories of unrest but all way outside of the tourist triangle. Anne from http://parttimetraveler.com has a great perspective on female travel to Burma.
at 1:39 pm
Bagan looks absolutely magical. I’ve added it to my travel bucket list, thanks for the inspiring shots!
at 1:42 pm
Magical is exactly what it is, Monique. It definitely needs to be on your list. See it before tourism changes it forever.
at 12:00 am
We went to Mt Popa as part of a day trip, having hired a car and driver. The day also included a visit to village where they make palm sugar which was quite fascinating. We were lucky and also came to a village where they were having a special, and very colourful, ceremony for new monks. Mt Popa itself is fabulous from a distance and quite extraordinary up close – the Nat worship in Burma on full display. If you want to see an authentic example of the Myanmar people at one of their most unique places of worship this is it. You can read my post about it: ‘Burma (Myanmar) – part 7: Bagan area’. I hope this is helpful.
Alison
at 12:03 am
This comment will give you the correct link to my blog.
The one with my other comments is wrong (facepalm!)
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at 2:45 am
Hi Brad,
Thanks for your sharing. Btw, have you visited Mount Popa before?
Is that place worth for visit?
at 8:44 am
No, tell me about Mount Popa
at 7:22 pm
Hi Brad, nice to meet you. Wow! Your blog, and your energy, both fabulous. I hardly know where to start, but chose here because Bagan was such a special place for us. We *loved* Myanmar.
I’m definitely interested in doing a guest post, and will follow up with you on that in the near future (and on the right page).
Thanks for following our blog. I hope you enjoy the stories of our journey, both inner and outer.
Cheers, and happy travels,
Alison
at 8:11 am
Hi Alison, thanks for stopping by and following. I’ve got lots of crazy things planned. I loved Myanmar too. I regret not making it to Lake Inle.
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at 4:22 pm
Inle Lake was amazing. Definitely one of the highlights of Myanmar for us – so you’ll just have to go back there!
at 11:15 pm
Thanks for sunrise tip. I went there today and had the whole temple for myself! The view was beautiful as well.
Cheers,
Simon
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at 8:17 am
Simon, that is great to know. All of the tour operators herd everyone to a handful of the big temples. They have great views but the “spiritual feeling” of Bagan at sunrise is lost for me in the crowd of tourists.
Brad Bernard recently posted…Extreme India Challenge Rickshaw Run: Death Summons Us to the Sacred Ganges
at 4:20 pm
I wish I had seen this before going to Bagan. Wonderful pictures.
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at 9:31 am
This is great! A friend of mine is planning to go in November and I’m considering joining him too.

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at 9:19 am
I tried to visit these temples years ago, but unfortunately an uprising had just started, we were under a curfew, I could hear shooting in the streets at night so…Glad you decided to follow my blog. The Ethiopian adventure will continue for a while and then poetry, recipes, new adventures.
at 3:31 pm
Brad,

What a wicked post Brad! Really informative, well written, and the pictures are solid. I wish I had seen this post before going to Bagan!
David Ouellette recently posted…Bagan, Myanmar – The Most Beautiful Place In The World?
at 6:19 pm
Thanks, David. Bagan is such a magical place, especially at sunrise with the spires of thousands of temples suddenly illuminated across the plain, the scale is humbling.
…but tripping over tourists to find a place for my tripod at 5am takes a bit of the magic away for me. It’s getting more crowded by the day, so these are some amazing places to experience the sunrise the way I think it was meant to be experienced. Those pics are all on an iPhone, imagine if my good camera didn’t crap out.
at 9:36 pm
I feel you on tripping over tourists, I got to the sunset spot an hour and a half before sunset and dudes were already setup with their tripods and red rings. I didn’t get the best spot, but I was happy with how the pictures turned out.
What happened to your camera? I think I would cry if my camera died before Bagan.
at 11:18 pm
Yeah, you got some ridiculous sunset pics there, wow!
I’m not sure what happened to the camera, probably the condensation. It was completely fogged-over the first day and wouldn’t turn on the second. I guess I’ll have to go back and give it another shot. I heard they have some sort of e-bicycles now! My legs were dying after that trip!
at 11:51 pm
Yup that’s not uncommon, I met a guy in Borneo who’s camera died in the jungle for the same reason. We think they’re so tough, but they need time adjusting to temperature differences right? My intervalometer died a few weeks ago in the Colombian Andes because of the cold. Very disappointing.
Why don’t you try the horse cart instead? The ultimate, of course, would be the hot air balloon option…
at 11:15 am
Thanks for this list! We’re visiting Bagan early next year – this will come in handy :-). (Janice visited Bagan before Burma opened up to tourism. Bagan wasn’t very busy then…)
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at 11:18 am
Thanks for reading. Yeah, Bagan is a magical place and with so many temples you can turn off the main paths and you feel like you are discovering things for the first time. The country is feeling the growing pains of tourism and modernization, so go there as soon as you can. Massive crowds, busses and noise at many of the key sunrise/sunset spots prompted me to seek out more spiritual places to take pics and “experience” Bagan awakening for a new day the way it was meant to be.
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at 8:16 pm
Hi Brad,
Thank you so much for sharing this useful information on Lawkaoushaung Temple.
It is truly a spectacular place to take photo of sunrise as you mentioned.
At 5:30 am. last Sunday 9th March ,I woke up still undecided which of the temple to go for sunrise. We were on Shwesandaw Pagoda for the sunset the day before, and it was packed with people but worth it for the magnificent sunset view.
I knew time was running out ,and the sun would come up very soon. Thanks to technology I was able to find your Blog on Google and the rest was a great memory.
at 9:47 pm
That’s awesome! I’m glad you were able to find it. Many of those maps are less than accurate, ha! The main ones have great sunrises too, but tripping over tourists is not the most relaxing experience.
at 2:27 am
I had no problem to get lost and be alone in Bagan. There are so many temples there. When I rented a bicycle on the second day I didn’t run into anyone for almost 2 hours!
Anyone, who don’t believe, can check it out on my site! 🙂
at 11:25 pm
Secret, gut sucking passage ways, keyholders, being found on different levels – ooh, you’ve painted a nice picture. Would love to get to Burma, cheers.
at 8:57 pm
Great information on Bagan. Where did you get that map? That would really help in my planning.
at 8:38 pm
They have maps everywhere there. Thing is most aren’t very accurate. Plan on a fun adventure exploring and asking for directions.
at 12:34 pm
Stunning shots! If you like photography, we’d like to invite you to participate in the next edition of our popular Travel Photography Competition.
Happy travels!
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at 10:06 am
Hi Brad, I like the format of site, is it something you put together on your own or was it developed for you?