Po Win Taung Caves

Po Win Taung is a low sandstone hill riddled with several hundred artificial caves, cut and decorated from around the fourteenth century into the eighteenth. The chambers hold thousands of carved Buddha images and, more importantly, murals: painted scenes of the life of the Buddha, of jataka tales and of court and daily life, some of them in remarkably good condition because the caves have kept them out of the light. Macaques live all over the hill in large and confident numbers.

What you actually see

• The murals - painted scenes in dozens of chambers, some with strong surviving colour.
• The carved images - thousands of Buddha figures cut from the living sandstone.
• The chamber network - several hundred caves at different levels across the hillside.
• The macaques - a large resident troop, bold around food and bags.

When to go

November to February is dry and comfortable. Bright days help, because the chambers rely on daylight from their entrances and a torch is otherwise needed. The monsoon makes the road from the ferry slow.

Honest expectations

There is no lighting in most caves, so a torch changes the visit entirely. The macaques will take food, water bottles and anything loose, and are not shy about it. Getting there involves a river crossing and a rough road, and the site sees very few visitors.

Nearby

Shwe Ba Taung, a set of chambers cut into a ravine, is a short walk away, and Monywa is across the Chindwin.