Ngwe Saung Beach

Ngwe Saung runs for something like fifteen kilometres of pale sand backed by casuarina and palm, with a scatter of resorts along the northern half and long empty stretches beyond them. The sea is shallow and warm, the sunsets are straight out over the water, and a rock island connected by a sandbar at low tide sits at the southern end. Compared with Chaungtha up the coast it is quieter, more spread out and more expensive, and it draws Yangon weekenders rather than tour groups.

What you actually see

• The beach - around fifteen kilometres of pale sand, empty at the southern end.
• Lovers' Island - a rock outcrop reachable on foot across a sandbar at low tide.
• The sunsets - straight out to sea, which the coast's orientation makes reliable.
• The elephant camp - a working camp inland from the beach, visited from the resorts.

When to go

November to April is the dry season and the only sensible window. The southwest monsoon from May to October hits this coast hard, the sea becomes dangerous and most resorts close. Weekends and Myanmar public holidays fill the northern end.

Honest expectations

The road from Yangon is long and winding and takes most of a day. Outside the resorts there is very little infrastructure and few independent restaurants. Swimming conditions change quickly and there are no lifeguards; rip currents are a real hazard on this coast.

Nearby

Chaungtha Beach is up the coast, and Pathein is two hours inland.