Bago Day Trip from Yangon: Shwemawdaw and Reclining Buddha

At 114 metres, Bago's Shwemawdaw Pagoda stands taller than Shwedagon, and it is only one reason to leave Yangon for a day. Bago, 85 km away, was once the capital of southern Myanmar, and its monuments still show the scale of that era. After the drive, your private guide takes you to Thamanay, a Buddhist seminary where about 150 monks live and study. Then comes Shwemawdaw, visible from far across town, followed by the 55-metre Shwethalyaung Reclining Buddha and the four giant Buddha images of Kyaik Pun Pagoda. On the way back, stop at Taukkyan War Cemetery, where more than 6,000 Allied soldiers of the WWII Burma campaigns are buried. Before reaching Yangon, visit the Shwenyaungbin shrine, a sacred banyan tree that is home to the nats, Myanmar's guardian spirits. You are back at your hotel in the late afternoon. Book this private day trip for a side of Myanmar's history that many visitors skip.