Ayeyarwady Delta travel guide
A giant patchwork of lime-green paddy and twisting waterways, the Delta Region west of Yangon is the rice bowl of Myanmar. Its famed fertility derives from the silt deposited by the Ayeyarwady as it reaches the end of its 1,200km (750-mile) journey from Upper Myanmar to the Andaman Sea, fraying like the end of an old rope into hundreds of narrow, sinuous channels.
Although rice cultivation is the mainstay here, the Delta also supports numerous fish farms producing carp, threadfin and giant sea perch, as well as prawns and other shellfish for export. The resulting prosperity has spurred a sharp rise in population since Independence, yet little government money has been invested in sea defences, despite the fact that most of the area lies at only 3 metres (10ft) above the high-tide mark.
Much of the Delta can, with time and determination, be explored by government ferries and other small boats, but in practice, travellers tend to head from Yangon to its largest city, Pathein, via the main road skirting the north of the region, and from there proceed to one or both of the beach resorts on the west coast: Chaungtha and Ngwe Saung. More conveniently covered in a day trip from Yangon, Twante is a pottery town renowned for its gilded pagoda, the Shwesandaw, though note that to reach it you’ll need to obtain a permit.
Top places to visit in the Ayeyarwady Delta
Twante
The day trip west to the pottery town of Twante, on the Ayeyarwady Delta, is deservedly among the most popular from Yangon, not least because of the enjoyable (if short) ferry trip over the river at the journey’s start. The crossing only takes five minutes. Once at Dalah, on the opposite bank, jeeps are on hand for the remaining 45 minutes by road.
Twante has one significant pagoda, the spectacular, 76-metre (250ft) Shwesandaw, which was built in 1057 to enshrine hairs of the historical Buddha, Gautama. The canal banks around the town are lined with pottery in all shapes and sizes. Visitors can see potters at work and completed pieces being fired in old-fashioned kilns.
Pathein
With a population of around 237,000, Pathein (also known as “Bassein”) is the capital of the Delta and Myanmar’s fourth-largest city. It has a noticeably more upbeat and well-heeled feel than many Burmese cities of comparable size, thanks largely to its port, which handles the bulk of the region’s lucrative rice trade. Pathein’s other claim to fame is its traditional parasol workshops which, along with a handful of impressive Buddhist monuments, entice a steady stream of travellers to pause here en route to or from the beach resorts further west. Transport connections from Yangon, 190km (118 miles) east, are frequent, with daily trains and buses, as well as an overnight ferry that’s one of Myanmar’s great river journeys.
Pathein’s resplendently gilded centrepiece is the Shwemokhtaw Pagoda (“Stupa of the Half Foot Gold Bar”), whose shimmering, bell-shaped profile soars in spectacular fashion above the city centre, market area and riverside.
The pagoda’s presiding image, housed in a hall on the south side of the complex, is the Thiho-shin Phondaw-pyi sitting Buddha, believed to have been one of four sculpted in ancient times in Sri Lanka and floated to the Ayeyarwady Delta on a raft.
Chaungtha
A five-hour drive from Yangon, Chaungtha Beach is the area’s only fully fledged resort, albeit a very low-key one by the standards of Southeast Asia. Yangonites descend here in droves on weekends to paddle, take bullock cart rides and pony treks along the sand, and dine out on fresh crab at sunset time. If you visit during the week you’ll find the place much more peaceful. There’s a good choice of reasonably priced accommodation, most of it in simple tiled bungalows right behind the beach, and plenty of seafood restaurants. Should you tire of lazing around, local boatmen are on hand to ferry visitors out to nearby White Sand Island, just off the southern end of the beach, where the water is clearer. Alternatively, turn right at the beachfront and keep walking for a kilometre or so past the sandy outcrop until you reach a stretch that’s almost always deserted.
Ngwe Saung
A short hop down the coast, Ngwe Saung (“Silver Beach”) is the Delta’s other beach destination. It’s a notch more tranquil and exclusive, attracting a mix of affluent Yangonites on the one hand, and intrepid foreign backpackers on the other: while the former stick to the swanky resorts at the north end of the bay, the latter press on to the more isolated south side, where a handful of small guesthouses provide budget rooms. Comprising 14km (9 miles) of gently shelving, golden sand backed by casuarina and palm trees, the beach remains gloriously unspoilt, though new high-end resorts are springing up each year, equipped with pools, spas and water-sports facilities. A short wade at low tide takes you to Lovers’ Island, just off the centre of the bay, which is surrounded by translucent turquoise water.
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