Deep within the rolling hills of Magwe region, set upon the banks of the Man River, Shwe Set Taw Pagoda offers one of the most thrillingly unique experiences in Myanmar.
Ostensibly, it’s a place of pilgrimage. A steep winding temple complex which contains at its centre a gigantic Buddha footprint where visitors (unless you’re a woman) can crawl inside a gilded gold cage to pay their respects.
But, in truth, the pagoda at Shwe Set Taw doesn’t quite command the local centre of gravity as much as you may think. You get a real sense of a place that has stretched and expanded from humbler spiritual origins to a more madcap weekend-getaway resort.
It’s a rough and ready festival village, crowded with restaurants and souvenir shops, stalls selling dried fruit spices and huge trunks of thanaka. For more than a mile, small huts line the river, partitioned off by bamboo bridges creating numerous self-contained swimming areas where revellers splash, jump, shower and shampoo, pose for group photos and float about in rubber rings, while hawkers balancing impossibly large bowls of exotic snacks on their heads patrol the banks.
It’s a sensory overload and then some. And it’s quite unlike anywhere else in Myanmar.
If all this relentless euphoria becomes just a wee bit too much don’t worry—there’s quiet to be found too. If you follow the bend of the river westwards, you’ll come to a small local village (20.095567, 94.523703). It’s crowd-free, good for swimming, and it showcases a less gaudy and more authentic side to the local area.
Pursue this route for another couple of miles, (20.089477, 94.510662), and you’ll arrive at a makeshift mini-resort of about half a dozen or so bamboo huts built out into the middle of the river.
Presumably set up by an enterprising local farmer or fisherman, it presents a perfect spot for a chillaxed afternoon to knock back a few *Myanmar beers and leap from the large rock that sits in the middle of the river.
All in all, this makes for an insanely fun weekend. Shwe Set Taw is only open for business from February to April—a very small window indeed. But if you want a weekend in Myanmar you’ll never forget, it’s more than worth wiggling through.
Need to Know
Nearest Town: Magwe
How to get there: From Magwe you’re probably looking at around 80,000-100,000 kyats for a weekend return by car (three hours to get to the pagoda).
Where to stay: There are huts ranging from 50,000 kyats (no shower, shared toilet), and 70,000 kyats (toilet and bathroom) to 100,000 kyats (neater, tidier and with air-con).
When to visit: February-April.
*Note: Shwe Set Taw is almost entirely dry. This means that if you do fancy a drink you’ve got to bring your own—and do try to be subtle.
