In a nutshell
Currently, travel to Myanmar is not recommended. The German Foreign Office has issued a travel warning, as the security situation in the country is still considered critical. It is currently unclear when the situation will improve.
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Attractions in Mawlamyine
With over 300,000 inhabitants, Mawlamyine is the third-largest city in Myanmar. You wouldn’t necessarily know it, though — the place actually feels quite laid-back. There’s plenty to see and do here, and we’re going to walk you through the best of it right now.
Sunset from Kyaik Thanlan Pagoda
The most beautiful spot in Mawlamyine is arguably the Kyaik Thanlan Pagoda. It sits on a small hill and offers a seriously great view over the city.
It’s most stunning here at sunset. That’s when the locals — and pretty much every tourist in town, which during our visit amounted to about ten people — gather to watch the sun go down behind the wide river.
The pagoda itself is also well worth seeing. There’s even an elevator to take you to the top, so you don’t have to break a sweat to enjoy this fantastic panorama.
Near the Kyaik Thanlan Pagoda there are several other pagodas, some of which also offer lovely views. We didn’t manage to visit all of them during our time here, but this one alone is worth the trip up.
Mosques in Mawlamyine
Mawlamyine has a surprisingly large number of mosques. The largest is the Kaladan Mosque, which was recently renovated and has lost a bit of its charm as a result.
In the immediate surrounding area there are a few smaller mosques that show the wear of time — and honestly, those are the more atmospheric ones.
Strand Road
Strand Road is Mawlamyine’s waterfront promenade. Along this wide riverfront street beside the Thanlwin River, you’ll find a number of lovely colonial buildings to explore.
In the evening, a night food market sets up at the southern end of Strand Road. Locals flock here to eat grilled food from the many stalls — and yes, you can absolutely grab a cold beer here too.
Highlights in the Surrounding Area
The area around Mawlamyine has some great things to see as well. We did a half-day tour with a driver and visited three sights — totally doable and well worth the effort.
Since we were still a bit worn out from the tuk-tuk tour in Hpa-an shortly before, we decided to go by car this time. The whole thing set us back 35,000 kyat.
The Largest Reclining Buddha in the World
Just outside the town of Mudon, 30 kilometers from Mawlamyine, a truly special sight awaits: the largest reclining Buddha in the world. The Buddha is called Win Sein Taw Ya — in other sources it’s also referred to as Zinathuka Yan Aung Chanta.
We couldn’t find out which name is the correct one, but that doesn’t really matter.
The Buddha is 180 meters long and 35 meters tall — a seriously massive structure.
Construction has been ongoing for more than 20 years, and from the outside it’s now largely finished. The interior, however, is still a construction site, and in many places it already looks like it’s in need of renovation again.
Directly across from it, construction of a second Buddha has already begun, though so far only a rough skeleton is visible.
Kyauk Ta Lone Pagoda
Not far from the largest reclining Buddha is the Kyauk Ta Lone Pagoda. It sits atop a rock that offers a great view over the surrounding area.
The climb is no joke, though. A total of 600 steps — some of them quite steep — must be climbed barefoot. But it’s absolutely worth it.
Directly across stands a second rock with a Hindu temple on top. Here you only need to climb 300 steps, though they’re guarded by a huge troop of monkeys and are pretty littered. In our opinion, that climb isn’t worth your time.
Kyaik Ma Ya Pagoda
Third on our list was the Kyaik Ma Ya Pagoda. It’s quite pretty, but it’s not a must-see in the Mawlamyine area — you can skip it if you’re short on time.
Our Hotel Recommendation for Mawlamyine
We stayed at the Cinderella Hotel in Mawlamyine. At 45 euros per night, it offered one of the best value-for-money deals of our entire Myanmar trip.
The rooms are beautifully furnished, the minibar is a full-size refrigerator — reportedly the largest minibar in Southeast Asia — and the staff wear white gloves in true style. The whole decor feels like a museum. We loved it.
The verdict: anyone who doesn’t stay here only has themselves to blame.
Check out the Cinderella Hotel Mawlamyine.
If you’d like to know which hotels we stayed at on our trip through Myanmar and what we thought of them, check out our full guide: Myanmar Hotel Tips – All the Accommodations from Our Trip.
Mawlamyine: Getting There and Moving On
Most travelers come to Mawlamyine from Hpa-an and then head back north to Yangon, or they do the route in reverse.
Between Hpa-an and Mawlamyine
Between these two places you have the choice between a bus ride and a boat trip — both offer really scenic journeys. Buses run hourly.
The bus costs 1,000 kyat and takes just under two hours. The boat trip costs 8,000 kyat and departs in the morning at 8 AM.
Between Mawlamyine and Yangon
Numerous buses run between Yangon and Mawlamyine.
The trip takes about six to seven hours. We really recommend the buses operated by Mandalar Minn Express, which run to Yangon three times a day. They’re seriously comfortable — huge seats, with two on one side and just one on the other side of the aisle.
The seats even have built-in monitors where you can choose from about 20 different movies. And it’s not even particularly expensive — the trip costs only 10,000 kyat.
Book your tickets in advance. When we arrived at the bus station and bought a ticket for two days later, there were already only five seats left.
Our Video from Mawlamyine
To wrap things up, check out our travel video from Mawlamyine. Our camera was with us throughout our two days in the city.
Watch our video from Mawlamyine
Our Verdict on Mawlamyine
Mawlamyine is a truly beautiful and relaxed city — we could easily have stayed for more than just two days. To really see all the highlights in the city and the surrounding area, plan for at least three days.
Have you ever been to Mawlamyine and maybe have a few tips to share? We’d love to hear from you in the comments!
