Things to do in Hpa-An
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Hpa-An
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months. Dry, green from the rains, cool enough mornings to climb Zwegabin, waterfalls still full.
Good shoulder months. October is lush with late rain possible. March is dry but heating up fast.
Hottest month and Thingyan water festival. Sightseeing shrinks to dawn and dusk and transport shuts down.
Monsoon. Torrential rain June to August floods cave approaches and rural roads. Greenest paddies and kayaking season.
What's on
- Kayin New Year December or January, first day of Pyatho
The Karen major holiday in Hpa-An, with don dance competitions, traditional dress, food and drink.
- Thadingyut Festival of Lights Full moon of Thadingyut, October
End of Buddhist Lent, with candles and illuminated pagodas at the start of the best season.
- Thingyan Water Festival About 13 to 16 April
Burmese New Year water festival. Joyful and soaking, with a near total shutdown of transport and services.
- Tazaungdaing Festival of Lights Full moon of Tazaungmone, November
A second lights festival a month after Thadingyut, a pleasant bonus in the best season.
Best things to do in Hpa-An
Sadan Cave
Kayin State's biggest cave, walked through past Buddha statues and exited by boat across a hidden lake.
Kaw Gon Cave
A shallow cave plastered with thousands of small clay Buddhas, with steps up to a river plain viewpoint.
Yathae Pyan Cave Viewpoint
An easy through cave that opens to a rear viewpoint over emerald paddies, best in late afternoon light.
Kyauk Ka Latt Pagoda
A pagoda balanced on a limestone rock in a lake, with Mount Zwegabin behind it, made for sunset photos.
Bat Cave
At dusk a river of bats pours from this cave for twenty minutes or more, watched from the pagoda steps.
Kan Thar Yar Lake
The town lake promenade with a straight view to Mount Zwegabin, best at golden hour by the night market.
Lumbini Garden
More than a thousand seated Buddhas in rows at the foot of Zwegabin, and the trailhead for the climb.
Shwe Yin Myaw Pagoda
The town centre river pagoda where locals gather as the sun drops behind the karsts across the Thanlwin.
Where to stay in Hpa-An
Riverside and town centre
first trip, food and transport
Walkable to the river pagoda, morning market, tea shops and most restaurants, with tuk tuks for every cave.
Foot of Mount Zwegabin
dawn climbs and quiet
By Lumbini Garden and the trailhead for dawn climbs, with dinner limited to your lodge unless you ride to town.
Think twice about
- Myawaddy border road corridor
The corridor with recent fighting, checkpoints and closures. Do not base along it in any near future window.
- Isolated rural stays outside Hpa-An town
Unlit roads and distance from food and transport for no benefit. Base in town or at the Zwegabin foot lodges.
Best restaurants in Hpa-An
Kan Thar Yar Night Market
Lakeside stalls for Karen mohinga, Kayin rice meals, barbecue and avocado smoothies from mid afternoon.
Veranda - Youth Community Cafe
A youth run garden cafe with good coffee, juices, avocado salad and Burmese dishes in a calm setting.
San Ma Tau Myanmar Restaurant
A long running local Burmese curry lunch with many side dishes, best at midday when the curries are fresh.
Thai Village Restaurant
The town's go to Thai table for tom yum, salads and barbecue, a change of register from Burmese curries.
Wadee Restaurant
A popular cheap town restaurant mixing Burmese dishes with Chinese Burmese fried rice, noodles and soups.
Mya Kan Thar Food Centre
A lakeside food centre of Burmese, Karen and Thai stalls, handy for lunch or an early dinner by the water.
Golden Tamarind
A main road sit down restaurant with a broader Burmese and Thai menu for groups wanting table service.
Khit Thit
A named local tea shop for sweet tea, mohinga and noodles, a good first lesson in Myanmar tea shop culture.
Outdoor things to do in Hpa-An
Mount Zwegabin
A steep stepped climb from Lumbini Garden to a summit pagoda with the best view in Kayin State at sunrise.
Thanlwin River
A sunset boat down the Thanlwin past gold lit karsts, timed to finish at the Bat Cave emergence.
Kaw Ka Thaung Cave
A cave temple with a stream fed swimming pool under the karst, Hpa-An's local swim stop.
Kyone Htaw Waterfall
A wide terraced waterfall two hours from town, strongest and best for swimming from October to January.
Best hotels in Hpa-An
Keinnara Hpa-An
A 19 key rustic eco lodge at the foot of Zwegabin, the most polished stay in the Hpa-An area.
Hpa An Lodge
Karen style cottages in gardens by Zwegabin with a pool and one of the area's better lodge restaurants.
Hotel Gabbana
The town's best known mid range hotel, with a cafe and bakery and staff used to arranging cave day cars.
Soe Brothers Guesthouse
The classic budget guesthouse, valued for its cave day tuk tuk tours and traveller advice as much as its rooms.
Galaxy Motel
A clean, central, no frills motel, the private room budget alternative to the guesthouse scene.
Is Hpa-An expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | MMK 70,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | MMK 180,000 a person |
| Splurge | MMK 450,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Thanlwin River: a few days ahead
- Kyone Htaw Waterfall: a few days ahead
- Keinnara Hpa-An: weeks ahead
- Hpa An Lodge: weeks ahead
- Verify every bed directly and in writing close to travel, as listings are stale and numbers may be dead.
- Book the sunset boat the day before through your lodging and confirm it that morning.
- Distrust any operator demanding full prepayment to an overseas account.
Is Hpa-An safe?
- Do not travel now.
- Never photograph the military, checkpoints or soldiers, and do not post criticism of the military in country.
- Cave floors are wet and barefoot. Bring a torch and take your time. Never feed the monkeys.
- Do not swim in the main Thanlwin channel. Swim only where locals swim at Kaw Ka Thaung and Kyone Htaw.
Hpa-An travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Kawgun Cave sold as a standalone half day is overrated. It belongs in the west bank loop.
- Saddan Cave on a domestic public holiday is crowded and may lose power. Go on a weekday morning.
- The Zwegabin climb at midday in March or April is miserable. Go at dawn or not at all.
- Any luxury priced Hpa-An package in dollars is a trap in a town with no luxury supply chain.
Getting around Hpa-An: public transport and more
- Walk Hpa-An town. Hire a tuk tuk or car by the day for a west bank loop or a south and east loop, price agreed before setting off.
- Yangon to Hpa-An was five to six hours by road in normal times. Never assume the Mae Sot and Myawaddy route is open.
- Bicycles suit the flat town and lake plain. The Saddan road is rough, so a car beats a tuk tuk for that run.
Who Hpa-An suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Hpa-An your trip
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