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Kyaiktiyo ::
is one of the most interesting and sacred Buddhist sites of Myanmar. The sacred boulder, covered in gold leaf, is balanced precariously on the very edge of a cliff. The legend says that the rock maintains its balance due to a precisely placed Buddha hair in the 7.3m high stupa that caps it.
(Admission to Golden Rock Pagoda: US$ 6,-)
Starting very early in the morning from Yangon, we drive 1 ½ hrs to Bago, and then another 4 ½ hrs to Kinmon Base Camp at the foot of Kaiyktiyo Mountain, from where you will board a truck to get up halfway to the mountaintop. This ride takes between 45 – 60 minutes. From there you need to hike another 45 minutes or be carried right to the top in a bamboo sedan.
The teashop in Waw make a good stop on the way to Kyaiktiyo. You will be staying at one of the hotels clustered around the mountain-top.
Depending on your perferred arrival time in Kaiyktiyo, there might be time to visit some sights in Bago on the way to the Golden Rock.
Information on Kyaiktiyo:
The incredible balancing boulder stupa is about 20km from the little town of Kyaikhto, which is midway between Bago and Thaton. The delicately placed gold leaf covered boulder right atop Kyaiktiyo Mountain is one of the most sacred Buddhist sites in Myanmar.
King Tissa received the enshrined Buddha hair in the 11th century from a hermit who instructed the King to search for a boulder, whose shape resembles the hermit's head, and then enshrine it in a stupa on top. There are amazing sunsets and sunrises to see and the huge rock shows its most beautiful colors at dawn and dusk, while the pilgrims light candles and meditate all through the night.
A hike from Kinmon Base Camp up to the top of the mountain takes about 4 to 5 hours. Part of the way is steep and hard to climb, so doing the hike downhill is probably an easier option.
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