Places · Myanmar

Natural Wonders of Myanmar: The 4 Most Beautiful Places to Visit

4 places in the atlas

Myanmar runs from Himalayan foothills in the north to tropical coasts and islands in the south, with a dry central plain between hills and highlands. Shan-highland lakes like Inle support cultures lived entirely on the water; extinct volcanoes such as Mount Popa rise green from the arid plains beside dramatic volcanic plugs; and in the southeast, limestone karst erupts from the paddies around Hpa-An, hollowed into vast cave shrines. Great rivers, forests, and long coastlines complete a strikingly varied land. Below are the 4 natural wonders of Myanmar in the atlas — the most beautiful places to build a trip around, each with what makes it remarkable, when to go, and how to reach it. Best overall time: The cool, dry season of roughly November to February is the most comfortable time across most of the country.

Hpa-An Karst, Kayin State, southeastern Myanmar

Hpa-An Karst

Kayin State, southeastern Myanmar

A landscape of sheer limestone karst mountains rising straight from emerald rice paddies in southeastern Myanmar, riddled with vast caves full of Buddha images and roosting bats.

Karst landscape Southeast Asia
Inle Lake, Shan State, Myanmar

Inle Lake

Shan State, Myanmar

A vast, shallow highland lake in the Shan hills where fishermen row standing on one leg, whole villages stand on stilts, and gardens float on the water itself.

Lake Southeast Asia
Mount Popa & Taung Kalat, Mandalay Region, central Myanmar

Mount Popa & Taung Kalat

Mandalay Region, central Myanmar

An extinct volcano rising green from the dry central plains of Myanmar, beside a sheer volcanic plug crowned by a golden monastery reached by 777 steps.

Volcano Southeast Asia
The Myeik Archipelago, Tanintharyi Region, southern Myanmar

The Myeik Archipelago

Tanintharyi Region, far southern Myanmar, Andaman Sea

Around eight hundred islands scattered down Myanmar's southern coast — limestone and granite under unbroken rainforest, barely inhabited, and closed to outsiders until 1997.

Island Southeast Asia

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