4 Best Sights in Bagan, Myanmar

Complement the stupa ogling with a visit to this museum, which is a short walk from Ananda Temple and Old Bagan's restaurant row. It's been woefully neglected and is a mess, but there are roughly 850 objects on display here, all pieces of Bagan's rich history. There are excellent wood carvings of the Buddha, intricate bronze pieces, and even ancient coiffures used at the time by the chicest of women. It's interesting to see the frescoes here and then compare them to the real ones inside the temples.

Some 2,200 11th- to 13th-century ruins dot Bagan, an enormous amount but a mere fraction of the more than 10,000 that once stood. The temples, pagodas, and stupas are simply astonishing. Some are very large and have been renovated, while others are tiny and stand in disrepair among rambling grasses and brambles. The expanse of the ruins is staggering; from the side of a long, dusty dirt road they pop up, completely abandoned and yours for taking. Each and every stupa, temple, and pagoda is truly breathtaking, but visitors will find the liveliest is Ananda Temple, which has beautiful frescoes and houses four 31-foot-tall Buddha statues. Its location at the end of restaurant row means it gets busiest around lunch.

If you've got an extra day in Bagan and have tired of the temples, this is an easy half-day trip. Fifty miles southeast of Bagan, the extinct volcano of Mount Popa, known as Popa Taung Kalat, rises to 2,418 feet, on the flank of Taung Ma-gyi (the "Mother Mountain"), an extinct volcano which is almost 4,980 feet high. It's a 777-step barefoot climb all the way to the top; along the stairwell are souvenir sellers and, at the top of Mount Popa, a complex of pagodas, monasteries, shrines, and stupas, collectively known as Popa Taung Kalat Temple. Beware of monkeys who can turn nasty if they sense you've got treats and whose droppings are everywhere; wet wipes are a must. A taxi (four passengers) from Bagan will run you around K45,000, and you can stop on your way at a palm sugar plantation and distillery. Nearby Popa Mountain Resort is lovely and offers great views.

If you fancy more exercise than stepping your way to the top of Mount Popa and intend to take to the trails around Taung Ma-gyi, the "Mother Mountain," allow an additional full day (or leave at dawn) and bring your hiking shoes. There are a variety of hiking trails, some leading to the rim of the volcano crater and others to waterfalls. The word popa comes from the Sanskrit word for flower, and as you're hiking up, you'll see how lush it is, and how the vegetation changes with the altitude. This is a good hike on which to follow a guide; your driver should be able to find you one or you can ask at Popa Mountain Resort. From there to the crater can take up to five hours.