Sagaing Hill

Sagaing is the monastic centre of the country: a ridge of hills above a bend in the Ayeyarwady, covered in several hundred stupas, monasteries and nunneries, with thousands of monks and nuns living on it. Covered stairways climb the slopes between shrines, and the terraces at the top look out over the river and the bridges. Soon U Ponya Shin is the best known of the hilltop pagodas, and U Min Thonze is a curved colonnade of forty-five Buddha images set into the hillside.

What you actually see

• Soon U Ponya Shin Paya - the main hilltop pagoda, with the view over the river bend.
• U Min Thonze - a crescent-shaped colonnade holding forty-five seated Buddhas.
• The covered stairways - long roofed stairs climbing the hill between shrines and stalls.
• The monastic community - working monasteries and nunneries across the whole ridge.

When to go

November to February for the weather. Early morning is when the monastic routine is visible and the light on the river is best. The hill is exposed and the middle of the day is hot on bare feet.

Honest expectations

Shoes off at every pagoda, and the stone gets very hot. Many buildings are private monastic property and not open. A car is needed to move between the sites on the ridge, and the zone ticket is checked at the main pagodas.

Nearby

Inwa is across the Myitnge, and Mandalay is half an hour northeast.