Bucket List / Experience Goals
Balloon Over Bagan
Still to do
Drift at dawn above more than 2,000 ancient temples as mist lifts off the plain of Bagan.
The adventure
It begins in the dark, with the roar of burners and the great envelopes of the balloons slowly filling on a dusty field. Then you lift off, silently and gently, and the sun rises over the Irrawaddy River just as you clear the treetops.
Below, the plain is studded with temples in every direction: tall white stupas, red-brick pagodas with crumbling terraces and golden spires catching the first light. Morning mist and woodsmoke hang between them, horse carts trundle along the dirt tracks, and the shadows of the other balloons slide across the ground. From the air you finally understand the scale of what was built here between the 11th and 13th centuries, when Bagan was the capital of a powerful kingdom, and why it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019.
Why it’s epic
- More than 2,200 temples and pagodas survive from a kingdom that once built over 10,000.
- Bagan was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019.
- Ananda Temple and Shwesandaw Pagoda are among the most famous sights from the air.
- Sunrise flights float over the Irrawaddy River with views stretching to distant hills.
What it is
Bagan has more than 2,000 temples and pagodas spread across a plain.
How to do it
Balloon flights run at sunrise between October and March.
Top tip
Check UK Foreign Office advice for Myanmar before booking.
Need to know
- UK Foreign Office advice for Myanmar has warned against travel to much of the country since the 2021 coup, which also affects insurance.
- Check whether balloon companies are currently operating before planning; flights have been suspended in recent years.
- The balloon season runs roughly October to March, when winds are calm and skies are clear.
Plan this trip
- Rough cost
- £2,000 to £5,000 per person, including flights from the UK
- Time needed
- Sunrise flight
- Best time to go
- October to March
- Fly into
- NYU airport
Balloon flights are expensive for a short trip, and flights into Myanmar add to the cost.
Make it happen
Why it’s on my list
Bagan, formerly Pagan is an ancient city located in the Mandalay Region of Myanmar.
During the kingdom’s height between the 11th and 13th centuries, over 10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas and monasteries were constructed in the Bagan plains alone, of which the remains of over 2,200 temples and pagodas still survive to the present day.
Floating above these magnificent temples, savouring an exquisite sunrise sounds like absolute bliss!
Comments