Magway

Magway Overview

Magway is the capital and the second-largest city in the Magway Region of Myanmar. Magway is an important Buddhist pilgrim site.

Magway - the famous destination of Myanmar tourism

There are plenty of pagodas and monasteries scattered around Magway. The monasteries in Magway are all carefully built and crafted to reflect Buddhism, the main religion practiced by the majority of the locals. The region also has several festivals dedicated to the celebrations of pagodas. Thousands of tourists and locals crowd these places just to donate items, oil lamps, pray and pay their respects to the holy places. The most famous pagoda in Magway is Myathalun Pagoda, located in the north of the city. 

What To Do And What To See In Magway?

Magway Region is truly blessed with many famous places that can meet every travel style you may have. Here are some of our suggestions:

Mya Tha Lun Pagoda 

First on the must-see list is Mya Tha Lun Pagoda - a Buddhist pagoda and the landmark of Magway. According to legend, the pagoda was initially built by a wealthy man called U Baw Gyaw and his wife. It was raised from its original height of 16.9m to a height of 26.5m by King Saw Lu (1077-1084) of Bagan. The pagoda faced a huge earthquake in 1847 and it was rebuilt by the mayor of Magway, Min Din Min Hla Kyaw Gaung to the present height of approximately 31.7m. It is famous because The Bed of Buddha is placed inside it.

Magway - Myathalun Pagoda

Nga Ka Pwe Taung

Opposite Myathalon Pagoda is Nga Ka Pwe Taung, a rare geographical site in Magway Region with an interesting legend passed on by locals for generations. The lake is a burping pool of butane gas and mud, over years, four mounds were created atop the lake. The name of the mud pool can be translated into “Dragon Lake” because the locals believe that there is a dragon living inside the mountain, and every time it breathes, the mud pool bubbles up. As a result, two out of four mounds were named after the children of the Dragon King, with the largest being named Thu Sei Ta after his daughter and the second-largest Nanda after his son.

Nga Ka Pwe Taung - a burping pool of butane gas and mud

Beikthano Ancient City

With a distance of only around 64km from Magway, Beikthano Ancient City is a great place you should visit. It is one of the three Pyu cities designated by UNESCO as a world heritage site in 2014. The Archaeology Department uncovered more than 50 mounds in Beikthano over the period of 40 years. The palace and city site are still standing, and the buildings are carefully preserved and protected.

Beikthano Ancient city entrance gate

Shwesettaw Pagoda

Also known as “Settawya”, the pagoda became famous after footprints of the Buddha are said to be located at the pagoda. Arahat Sicea Vanda and Naga Namanda were each given one of Buddha's footprints, they then placed one on a hill and the other on a riverbank. The pagoda is encircled by a forest, creating a singular fusion of culture and the natural world.

Shwesettaw Pagoda

Shwesettaw Wildlife Sanctuary & Wetthekan Wildlife Sanctuary

If you want to try a more eco-tourism experience, then Shwesettaw Wildlife Sanctuary, which is only about 50km to drive from Magway, is the place you should visit. The area of 553km² is home to many types of flora and fauna, including rare bird species, Burmese star tortoises, and golden deer. It is divided into two sections, allowing tourists to enjoy a unique forest experience in the sanctuary.

Shwesettaw Wildlife sanctuary

Not far from the Shwesettaw Wildlife Sanctuary is Wetthekan Wildlife Sanctuary. Located in Salin Township, visitors get to enjoy the scenic view of the sanctuary that is close to the Irrawaddy River. The wetland area is decorated with fallen leaves from the nearby deciduous forest, giving it quaint surroundings.

What To Eat And Drink In Magway?

Magway is mainly of Bamar descent accompanied by other ethnic groups like Chin, Rakhine, Shan, and Karen. Magway is bordered by Sagaing Region, Mandalay Region, Bago Region, Rakhine State, and Chin State.

Shan khao swé

Shan khao swé or Shan noodles

Shan khao swé or Shan noodles are an easy-to-make Burmese recipe where chicken or pork cooked in tomatoes, is served over a bed of rice noodles. Shan noodles are also typically served with pickled mustard greens (monnyinjin), and sometimes with fried chickpea tofu (tohu nway). Shan noodles can either be served as a soup or as a salad and in both cases the sauce is similar, only the choice of noodles is different.

Kha yan chin thi thoke

Delicious kha yan chin thi thoke

Kha yan chin thi thoke is a type of tomato salad, plum tomatoes are sliced up and mixed with onion, peanut powder, salt, chicken powder, a pinch of sugar, and fried garlic oil.

Mont lin maya

Mont lin maya, which means “husband and wife snack”, is a traditional Burmese street snack. The dish consists of crisp, round savory pancakes made with a batter consisting of rice flour, quail eggs, chickpeas, and spring onions, fried in a designated metal pan.

Mont lin maya, which means “husband and wife snack”

Ngapyaw baung

Ngapyaw baung, which means banana pudding, is a traditional Burmese dessert or mont. The dessert is a pudding cooked using fresh bananas stewed in milk, coconut milk, and sugar, then sprinkled with sesame seeds or poppy seeds.

When To Visit Magway?

Myanmar has a total of three seasons: dry season (November to February), hot season (March to May), and rainy season (June to October). During the cool season, it’s almost like a tap turning off, and November sees a sudden cessation of the monsoon rains in Myanmar.

Nice weather in Magway

In this season low temperatures prevail over the whole country. Clear sky, fine weather, low humidity and temperature, and a large diurnal variation of temperatures are the usual features of the weather. Meanwhile, in the hot season, there is a period of a continuous and rapid rise in temperature, the winds are variable with much less steadiness and persistence, and violent local storms form in the region during May. The rainy season shows its appearance in lower Myanmar about the third week of May and gradually extends northwards and is usually established over the whole country by about the first week of June. It is the rain-bearing current in Myanmar.

The Tours From Magway

Magway - Bagan

Bagan is an ancient city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mandalay Region of Myanmar. From the 9th to 13th centuries, the city was the capital of the Bagan Kingdom, the first kingdom that unified the regions. During the kingdom's prime time, more than 10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas, and monasteries were built in the Bagan city alone, nowadays, around 2200 of them survive.

Bagan - a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Magway - Yangon

Yangon is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city in Myanmar, it was the capital until 2006 and is the most important commercial center in Myanmar. In Southeast Asia, Yangon contains the largest number of intact structures and urban core from the colonial era. The colonial-era commercial core is centered around the over 2,000 years old Sule Pagoda. The city is also known as home to Shwedagon Pagoda – the most sacred and famous pagoda in Myanmar.

Yangon Region

Magway - Mrauk-U

Mrauk U is the capital of Mrauk-U Township, located in northern Rakhine State, Myanmar. Mrauk U is of great cultural importance to the local Rakhine people and is the location of many important archeological sites. From 1430 until 1785, it was the capital of the Mrauk U Kingdom, the largest and most powerful Rakhine kingdom in history.

Hope our article has given you enough information about Magway. Want to take a trip to Magway and Myanmar? Contact Asia Private Travels for great deals on your next trip to Magway and Myanmar!