Kakku Pagodas

Kakku is a field of stupas: more than two thousand of them, narrow and tall, set in close rows so that walking among them is like moving through a forest of spires. Most are brick and stucco, many carry stucco figures on their bases, and some have been restored in gold and glass mosaic while others are left grey and broken. The site is Pa-O and lies in Pa-O administered territory, so visits are arranged through a guide from Taunggyi, which is a requirement rather than a recommendation.

What you actually see

• The stupa ranks - over two thousand slender spires in tight rows across the site.
• The stucco figures - guardians and deities on the bases, weathered to different degrees.
• The restored and the unrestored - gilded and mosaic stupas standing beside grey broken ones.
• The Pa-O villages - the surrounding country, with its distinctive dark dress and headcloths.

When to go

October to March is the dry season. The full moon of Tabaung, usually in March, brings a Pa-O festival that fills the site. Mornings have the best light down the rows.

Honest expectations

A licensed Pa-O guide from Taunggyi is compulsory and is arranged before setting out; independent visits are not possible. The road is rough in sections. Restoration work has been uneven and some visitors find the gilded stupas jarring beside the originals.

Nearby

Taunggyi is forty kilometres northwest, and Inle Lake is beyond it.