Mt. Popa National Park in Pakokku

very cool

Its not a National Park. Its a Mountain Park

Dont ever try to wear high heels or wadges, because there is no lift just stairs. But its beautiful..so many mongkeys are also staying in the pagoda but not inside just around the stairs. They are a lil biy aggresive to ask food from the visitors.

One of the "must" destinations in Myanmar. A 777 steps climb leads to a spectacular view over the vast landscape. The castle on the top is a rather confusing maze of several installations, but is well worth the climb.Admission is free but you are expected to provide money for the people cleaning. The little paper cones you can buy to feed the monkeys is a good buy as this is jolly fun. Beware - they are really fast so keep the ones you dont plan to give safe, or they nick all of them.

Public holiday many people

The inside of the temple is not as impressive as viewing it from the outside.

1 hour drive with sedan from BaganSome people recommend me to go there with motorcycle or Tuktuk.(too far to use these)I hired a car which is way more comfortable with no much difference in the price.If u are planning to go back by bus in the evening, I recommend you go there in afternoon after checking out your hotel( reason - takes about half day there, a better way to kill timeafter checking out)Many people beg along the way to the mount, its not because they need to be paid.Accordingly some hearsay, its because their ancestors were cursed and they are fulfilling these quest.According to their beleif those who were cursed and refused not to beg will suffer certain medical conditions or mihaps.Beware of the monkies along the steps to the summit of the mount.If you wanna feed them feed them in a particular place.Make sure you let them not see you bring them food or they will keep following you around.Keep your important items properly in a bag.If u are a generous person bring some changes to pay to cleaners along the steps.

Can smell of monkeys poo & pee. Not really tired when climb up the mountain.

Nice for a half day trip. The view from the bottom is nice to see but from the top the view is not too good as the air is hazy. Nice experience though with a lot of local tourists.

Took a hike from Popa mountain resort to the Monastery; awesome scenery on the way there and from the top of the Monastery. The monkeys were well-behaved 😁

Nice hike, about 4.8 miles from the start of the trail near the entrance to Popa Mountain Resort to the top. If taking a taxi from Bagan, ask for a ride to Taung Ma-Gyi (pronounced Gee). We paid 45000 kyats for the ride to and from, with sightseeing along the way there and back, including a stop at the monastery. Great views and a nice bit of variety to get out in the forest for a day.

Beautiful area with an astounding view. You can hike the perimeter of the old volcano. From the resort it is about 8km to the furthest top. 1:45h - 2h hike that can be fairly strainious at times, especially at the last kilometers up to the top. The terrain is fairly easy with steep steps at certain points.The only negative is the usual littering that can be observed in Myanmar in general. Here there are some attempts to provide garbage bins but they are not always used unfortunately. But considering the marvelous view you get when reaching the top it is easy to see beyond the littering.

Easy to travel from Popa and kyaukpadaung. Some people used to do hiking. Dont forget to bring water and foods. Go with partners. Feel cold breeze!

Most visitors miss the essence of Mt Popa even though they visit the region, end up visiting only the Taung Kalat, a volcanic plug. To experience the richness in biodiversity of Mt. Popa National Park, one should hike up till the summit, 4981ft, of the extinct volcano. Walking along the rim of crater is really fun.

A beautiful place, cannot mention its beauty

very nice and refreshing hiking experience, better to start early in the morning and it take two hours to reach at the top, and you will have a breath taking view and sceneries..

Very nature, very cool and breathe fresh pride of Myanmar.

Avoid religious days, where many locals pay a visit to this religious site. This may include full moon and new moon periods (according to some locals I askedas there will be long queues up the monastery and vehicles need to stop 1km away from the foot of the hill. Good views of the surrounding area, but not the best to climb during monsoon (its especially hot in the area)

Beautiful and semi-grueling hike. Worth a day trip here from Bagan.

A Good Place for trekking

Really nice attraction, not over run with tourists and the climb was decently easy.Beware there are two sections of very steep stairs that youll have to climb barefoot

We expected masses of tourists but instead almost only nationals went up to worship Buddha. This made going up the mountain to be very special.

Went up to Tuang Magyi. Its about an hour and half ride from Bagan by car. The hike was moderately difficult with multiple switch backs. It takes about 2 hours to summit to the pagoda on top. It overlooks Mt. Pop a itself.

Lovely 1/2 day trip from Bagan. Take care with the monkeys when you walk up to the temple though the stairs.

We went in the afternoon. The view was a bit hazy. Not many people and cleaners. The climb was easier than expected. The monkeys were calm when we were the only people going up. On the way down when we saw more people climbing, we heard some monkey business. Nice trip.

The hike to the top the crater is immersed in lush tropical forest, so the view is basically zero until the summit. The view from the top is amazing, if the weather is nice. The hike itself takes 3 to 4 hours roundtrip. When we visited, a great number of locals rode up the trail by motorbike, which in our opinion ruined the atmosphere. Lastly, the trail is scattered with trash (sadly, like most public places).

It is a good place to visit if you are interested in the local traditions.

Amazing and pleasant place!

Very good place for visit.

A lot of people ask for donations. The place is not clean with lots of waste.

A national park that holds a lot of resources and beauties. Feel the nature and embrace it. You will get many memories in return.

Absolutely must see if you are in Bagan for few days. This temple is build on the top of lava montains. We get all the way to the top. Lovely view on the mountains but for me doesnt worth the effort to get on the top ( the stairs are dirty and you cant keep your shoes on)

A most unusual day trip from Bagan. In order to get to the top of the mountain with the temple, you have to climb a few hundred steps guarded by evil monkeys who will go after your stuff. They look cute, but theyre not! Its not a bad idea to bring a stick to fend them off.

When visiting Bagan, take a half day trip with a private driver (below USD 50 per carto this mountain. Youll see and learn a lot about the spirits.

Beautiful forest area with nice resort

Reach for the first time 2017 Aug weekend. Lots of stairs. Good for workout. 10 to 30 mins walk. Got railing and not dangerous. Nice scenery. Got lots of monkey and they want to grab your belonging thinking its their food. When I go up there is a people at every one storey height, clean the stairs and they ask for donation. They did a great job cleaning the stairs. Along the way I saw around 20 or more people who do the cleaning.

Very nice view and fresh air.

Nice view from far. To get to the top, you need to climb thousand steps of stair.

View=Brilliant! Got small souvenirs shops. Got monkeys which sometimes can be a bit aggressive, steal/rob your stuffs so watch out.. and care when you feed because some of the areas up there; feeding them is totally prohibited. The moutain is quite steep and tiring to get to the top but its view from up there is worthy. But personally though, it was raining when i went there so it was quite frustrating for me because it was terribly dirty and smelly, wouldnt recommend going there when there is rain.

Its just about one photo. The monastery itself is very dirty. There are also lots of mokeys! Take care, they are not friendly at all.

The place isnt historic unless you consider 70 years as such. The main attraction is the stair climb itself -passing on your way many gift stalls, avoiding monkey poop and feeding the monkeys. The top is bit disappointing with modern-style altars and unimpressive view of the area.

Great place to visit. There are quite a lot of steps to get to top and in bare feet but just take it easy and its not a problem. Watch out for the monkeys they will snatch anything out of your hand or camera or bag off your shoulder if you get too close or not careful. But it is well worth a visit.

this place is good to see in the early morning to see the sunrise. if your whether is clear you can see beautiful scenery from this mountain peak. but in early morning monkeys are on the road and its very dirty. local will start cleaning the road around 6 am . many people come here to worship the pagoda.

Something Interesting to do if you get tired of looking at temples in Bagan. It took around 25 minutes to climb to the top, passing by tons of street vendors selling a wide range of products. Beware of the monkeys - they will boldly steal food straight from your hands! Once at the top the view is pretty nice, worth the climb

Entire place has been monetized for the tourist. Very bad monkeys all around that will attack you to steal everything. Way to many buses, which makes parking horrible. Cant people just leave temples alone and not monitize them for profits from tourists. No culture of any kind here

One hour drive from Bagan - trip can be done in half a day. USD40 for return trip as of Jan 2nd 2017.

Definitely worth the trip. My favorite part was that this seemed like an attraction for even the locals as they came to make offering and pray to the Nats and Buddha. The monkeys were neat to watch just be careful with your belongings, they will snatch whatever they can grab, especially food right from you.

This is a beautiful area, featuring a large basaltic volcanic plug with a pagoda on top. There are many stairs that will take you to the top. Beware the monkeys (which can become aggressive). The stair cleaners do a nice job cleaning monkey poo off the stairs and can be given 100 kyat if you are feeling generous. You will be asked make small donations near the top, and at the top (1000 kyat is likely more than enough). Negatives for the base of Mt Popa pagoda (street levelis that there are many hawkers and lots of trash. The streets easily become quite congested; you may want to take a taxi most of the way, then walk)

Some nice views across Mt. Popa and the neighbouring countryside, but they are easily obscured by dust/smoke during dry season. Temples are pleasant, particularly those slightly off the standard trail, but nothing spectacular. One way to spend a few hours away from Bagan but perhaps not worth a special trip.

Its okay, left feeling kind of meh. The 777 step climb is not that difficult but you will be harrassed by both hungry monkeys and locals asking for donations at every turn- ignore both. Once youve been to the top and enjoyed the view theres not much else to do. A small smattering of shops at the bottom selling mostly touristy rubbish, did have some amazing food though. Unless youre planning on tackling the mountain itself, two hours is more than enough time to spend here.