Myanmar: Bagan Sunrise and Sunset Tips


Bagan is a stunningly beautiful landscape, one which thousands of professional and amateur photographers visit every year to capture beautiful images. As most people with an interest in photography are aware, the best time of day for shooting outdoors is when the sun is low on the horizon casting an appealing golden light across the landscape and painting the sky a myriad of colours. The sun in Myanmar is very powerful and a couple hours after it has risen the light it casts is very harsh, washing out colours and contrast and not helped by the daily traffic kicking up dust across the plains.

Bagan Sunrise

Wake up early and you’ll see stunning Bagan sunrises

With that in mind, to capture the best possible images you want to be up and about  early and late in the day and taking a nap in some A/C shelter in the scorching middle of the day. With thousands of temples in the area naturally some will offer better views of the rising/setting sun than others. Some get very busy and some stay fairly quiet. For sunrise I generally looked for accessible temples on the western side of the plain, facing the rising sun in the east. For sunset I switched to the western side where I could get a good view across the plain toward the sunset. In both cases I was basically trying to maximise the amount of temples in my field of view. Here is my pick of some of the best spots.

BaganSunriseMap

Sunrise

1. Shwesandaw Paya – Possibly the busiest temple in Bagan but there’s a good reason for it. The views from the upper levels of the seven-tiered structure are some of the best in Bagan. It’s size, views and easy-to-drive-up-to location make it a magnet for the tour buses in the area but you can beat them all to it by just getting there a little earlier. There’s no gates or keyholders so you can get up anytime. There are good views of both sunrise and sunset but given the position on the plain I thought sunrise from the south east corner would be the best. I was keen to get one of the best spots so I arrived just after 4am. I was first up there but perhaps a bit too enthusiastic as nobody else showed up for about 45 minutes – good job I brought my tablet to read off! Despite the wait it was really peaceful being up there alone and seeing the predawn glow appearing on the horizon. Once 5.30am came around the scene had changed somewhat. My corner of the temple was completely filled with people. The lower levels (5 & 6) were slightly slower to fill up so if you arrive late I’d check those out first to bag a good view. The dawn was as impressive as promised and despite the crowds was still nice and peaceful.

Shwesandaw Paya Crowd

The morning crowds at Shwesandaw Paya

 

Sunrise from Shwesandaw Paya

Balloons at sunrise from Shwesandaw Paya

2. Lawkaoushaung – The first spot we visited in Bagan. Just off the road that goes between New and Old Bagan is a medium sized temple. If you are travelling from NB to OB it is past the village of Wet Kyi Inn. After you head back up the hill there is a sandy road that branches off from the main road (be careful going from tarmac to sand on those eBikes too!) and the temple lies around 100 yards up this road. The temple is locked at night so if you’re first there in the morning you’ll have to find the sleeping local outside to let you in and show you the way up. Once up there you will have as much peace as anywhere in Bagan. We were joined by around five or six others but that was it. For the best shots you can clamber onto the roof from the top terrace level which will take you slightly above the treeline rather than just below.

Lawkaoushaung sunrise

Pre-dawn glow at Lawkaoushaung

 

Lawkaoushaung sunrise, Bagan

Sunrise view from Lawkaoushaung

3. Hot Air Balloon – OK it’s not a temple and at around $300 a pop it is expensive. However the views we got of the Bagan plains from the hot air balloon were better than any we got elsewhere. It is a truly unique way to experience this unique place: hundreds of feet in the air in virtual silence. The trips offer amazing views of the temples and roads of the plains.

Bagan Balloon Sunrise

Sunrise from the hot air balloons is quite magical

 

Bagan Balloon Sunrise

Seeing Bagan from the air is well worth it

Sunset

4. Thisa Wadi – The first temple I sought out for sunset  lies just off the southern road out from New Bagan. If you are travelling out from NB it is just past the unmistakeable huge pentagonal temple called Dhammayazika and Thisa Wadi itself is pretty unmissable being about the size of your average house. Although a large temple it is fairly quiet and the internal ‘secret’ staircases will allow you up to a high terrace to watch the sunrise. However on this terrace you will eventually be joined by at least a couple of tour buses and therefore what I’d recommend is a quick climb up onto the next terrace (a young postcard seller showed me the way) where you can make your way up to the top level. The reward for squeezing through a couple of small gaps is an even better view and the satisfaction of being one level up from the rest of the tourist horde.

Thisa Wadi Sunset

Sunset at Thisa Wadi

5. Buledi / Bulethi – This large rounded temple lies just off the road between Old Bagan and Nyaung-U. It is fully climbable with a few places to perch, which all offer great views across to the west (including most of the bigger, more well-known temples). This one gets very busy so try to arrive around 4.30pm to grab a good spot. However it was probably the best sunset temple view I came across.

Bagan Buledi Sunset

The Buledi sunset was probably my favourite

 

Bagan view from Buledi

Sunset view from Buledi

6. Irrawaddy Riverside – Again I’m throwing a curveball in here. One day we were travelling out for sunset when it became apparent we wouldn’t get to our target temple in time. We we’re in the village of Myin Ka Bar between Old and New Bagan and decided to sack it off and head down to the riverbank. It turned out to be a great decision. A young lad showed us the way down on our bikes and left us to it. We sat on a rock by the river in absolute silence with no-one around bar a couple of locals walking by and watched a beautiful sunset with only the hunting kingfishers for company.

Bagan Sunset by the Irrawaddy

Sunset by the Irrawaddy was an unexpected highlight

That’s it from me. We only had three days in Bagan so I only had three of each available. If you look around online (and at the maps of the area) you’ll be able to find numerous other recommendations for these sites. From what I’ve seen there are also the two Guni temples, Pyathadar Hpaya, Oak Kyaung Gyi and quite a few others that will offer rewarding sunsets.

 

Extra Photography Tips

 

Get there early – Straightforward enough. Beat everyone else to the location and bag the best spot.

 

Be prepared – The early morning in Bagan can be a little chilly but warms up quickly so wear a few layers and bring some water for later. Don’t forget your flashlight to navigate round in the dark – there aren’t many streetlights!

 

Tripod – A tripod will be your friend in a low-light situation like dawn and dusk, especially if you want to keep your ISO low and depth-of-field high. Try not to be the dick with the massive manfrotto monstrosity in everyone’s way though – there are plenty of walls and ledges to balance cameras on and I had fine results with my Fuji X-E1 and my sturdy-but-small travel tripod. Of course you may need something more substantial if you take my next recommendation…

Bagan sunrise glow

Capturing the pre-dawn glow will require a long shutter speed

Telephoto lens – Can’t stress this enough if you are really keen on getting the best photos. A standard lens offers a good wide view of the plains and allows you to capture the wonderful sky colours very well, but to really pick out the best temple silhouettes and segments of landscape you will need something in the 70-200mm range. There were times in Bagan where I would have promised my first born child to have a tasty zoom lens. I’ll have to wait til next time!

 

Hang around as long as possible – The colour changes that occur are quite beautiful and can vary a lot from the same vantage point. The sunrises tend to start a deep red before fading to a grayish colour. The crimson sun won’t pop up over the horizon, rather it will appear somewhere just above the horizon. At this point many people leave but sticking around a little longer yields two bonuses: firstly once the sun creeps above the fog it casts a beautiful golden colour across the scenery; secondly the hot air balloons take off between 7.30 and 8am each day and look great as they pop up into the sky and giving you all manner of new composition opportunities. Similarly after the sun has set and the colour fades it often returns in spectacular fashion about 15-20 minutes later with deep crimson and indigo tones. Of course that means you have to wait and travel back in the pitch black, which might not be possible, ideal, or even safe, but I do regret not staying later more often.

Bagan twilight glow

Staying out late yields a lovely twilight glow

 

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