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Voykit pocket guide · Myanmar
Pyin U Lwin
ပြင်ဦးလွင်
Go for 2 nights as a cool break from Mandalay: 1 day for the gardens and town, 1 for Anisakan Falls. Skip if you need reliable transport.
Pyin U Lwin (formerly Maymyo) is a British-era hill station at 1,070 m in Central Myanmar, about 67 km east of Mandalay. It stays cooler than the plains, rarely above 30°C in summer, and winter nights drop below 10°C. The town is small, walkable in the centre, and known for colonial houses, the National Kandawgyi Gardens, strawberries, coffee and Indian food. Two nights covers it well. Transport links are the weak point: no scheduled buses, and the rail line north over the Gokteik Viaduct was damaged in August 2025 and has not reopened, so check before you plan around trains.
- Country
- Myanmar
- Local name
- ပြင်ဦးလွင်
- Best months
- Nov–Feb (cool, dry)
- Avoid
- Mar–May (hot and hazy), Jun–Oct (rain)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- MMK
- Money
- Payment and banking conditions are not assessed here; check with your bank and your government advice.
- Daily spend
- Budget 25,000–40,000 kyat excl. bed · Mid 50,000–90,000 kyat excl. bed · High 120,000 kyat+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- Emergency
- Police 199 · Fire 191 · Ambulance 192
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Indian thali-style meal | 2,500–7,000 kyat |
| Burmese curry set with side dishes | from 2,500 kyat |
| Strawberry jam or a punnet of strawberries | 1,000–5,000 kyat |
| Local coffee | 500–1,500 kyat |
| Bicycle rental, one day | 1,200–2,000 kyat |
| Pick-up seat to Mandalay | 1,500 kyat back, 2,500 kyat front |
| Shared taxi to Mandalay | about 8,000 kyat |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- MDL · Mandalay International
- No flights to Pyin U Lwin; road transfer from Mandalay, about 2 h
Typical fares
- Pick-up Pyin U Lwin → Mandalay
- 1,500 kyat in the back, 2,500 kyat in front (check)
- Shared taxi Pyin U Lwin → Mandalay
- about 8,000 kyat (check)
- Private taxi Pyin U Lwin → Mandalay
- about 30,000 kyat, about 35,000 kyat to the airport (check)
Get around
The centre is walkable. Bicycles rent for about 1,200–2,000 kyat a day from hotels; horse-drawn gharries and motorcycle taxis cover longer hops. Pick-ups run the Mandalay road all day. For the gardens and Anisakan Falls, arrange a bike, gharry or taxi.
See and do
Known for
- National Kandawgyi Gardens
- Colonial hill-station houses
- Strawberries, coffee and flowers
- Indian and Nepali food
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Anisakan Falls | Pick-up toward Mandalay to Anisakan village, then about 2 km on foot to the trailheadPick-up toward Mandalay to Anisakan village, then about 1.2 mi on foot to the trailhead | About 1 h each way |
| Pwe Kauk Falls and Pyeik Chin Miang caves | Taxi or share taxi on the Lashio road | About 1 h each way |
| Gokteik Viaduct | Train toward Lashio and back the same day | Half a day or more |
| Mandalay | Shared taxi or pick-up | About 2 h |
Sleep
- Clock tower and Mandalay-Lashio Road
- Centre of town, walkable to the market, pick-up stands and most restaurants. Some road noise starts early.
- Near the Shan Market
- Quieter streets, guesthouses with gardens, close to morning pick-ups heading to Hsipaw and Lashio.
- South of town, near the gardens
- Colonial houses and the National Kandawgyi Gardens; you need a bike, gharry or taxi for everything else.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | မင်္ဂလာပါmingalaba |
| Thank you | ကျေးဇူးတင်ပါတယ်kyay zu tin ba de |
| How much is it? | ဘယ်လောက်လဲbeh lauk leh |
| Where is the toilet? | အိမ်သာ ဘယ်မှာလဲein tha beh ma leh |
| Stop here, please | ဒီမှာ ရပ်ပါdi hma yat ba |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Scams and watch-outs
- The Gokteik Viaduct was damaged in August 2025 and trains north of Pyin U Lwin are not running: check before planning a rail trip.
- There are no scheduled buses to or from Pyin U Lwin; you use pick-ups or shared taxis.
- Winter nights fall below 10°C: bring a layer.
- Government-run colonial hotels are a visit, not necessarily a stay.
Pyin U Lwin is a small, calm town and the main risks are practical: steep, slippery trails at the falls, early-starting road noise, and transport that does not run to schedule. Check your government's travel advice for Myanmar before booking anything.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Pyin U Lwin yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- National Kandawgyi Gardens
- Colonial hill-station houses
- Strawberries, coffee and flowers
- Indian and Nepali food
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Myanmar Ministry of Hotels and Tourism: tourism.gov.mm/
- Myanma Railways: www.myanmarailways.gov.mm/
- Wikivoyage: Pyin U Lwin, revision 5298584 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5298584
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Pyin U Lwinပြင်ဦးလွင်
ဒီလိပ်စာကို သွားပါ
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Pyin U Lwin; most are in Yangon, with a few consulates in Mandalay.
Carry small kyat notes: pick-ups, gharries and market stalls rarely give change for large bills.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/pyin-u-lwin). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.