Boat Journey from Mandalay to Bagan

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Treasures of Myanmar in a Week – Day 3

Sailing down the Irrawaddy river from Mandalay to Bagan is one of the nicest experiences we had in Myanmar. It was a great decision we took to travel by boat despite knowing that the travel time would be longer than buses. Myanmar has recently opened up to tourists and its transportation system is yet to keep up the pace with the flow of tourists. It takes a lot of time to travel between cities close to one another. The boat journey helped us avoid traversing through rough road by bus or deal with crowded train journey. In fact, it allowed us to get a real taste of life on the river, experiencing both sunrise and sunset over stupa-lined river banks.

Highlights of the Day

  • Boat from Mandalay to Bagan
  • Check in at Motel Zein
  • Nyaung-U’s Restaurant Strip

Mandalay to Bagan by MGRG Express

There are many boat companies that offers the most popular boat journey in Myanmar connecting two of the biggest tourist spots of the country. Bagan is around 200 km far from Mandalay but the boat journey takes around 10 h downstream. If you plan to come to Mandalay by Bagan upstream, then it would take one more hour.

There is no fast boat, though there are slower boats taking a multi-day cruise or a passenger boat loaded with locals. However, we chose to book with a more comfortable option – MGRG Express.

MGRG Express has created and launched a new boat with beautiful design and passenger safety making the journey more comfortable. Hence, we booked with them online.

The boat was scheduled to depart at 7 AM and we had to check in 30 min before. The driver who took us in and around Mandalay for the last 2 days came to pick us up at 6 AM. He dropped us at MGRG Express office near Mandalay Jetty, between 26th and 35th Streets of Myo Pat Road.

The boat ride included two meals – breakfast and lunch. Also, there were bottled water and soft drinks for free. Large bottles of the  local beer was available for about 1.5 $. The boat had two small washrooms that were clean.

Breakfast box from our hotel in Mandalay
As breakfast was included with our stay in the hotel in Mandalay, the staff prepared a breakfast box for us – though it had egg that I did not want, but rest was OK
The upper deck of the boat
There was an upper deck with rattan lounge chairs – we preferred to sit there with warm clothes on as it was too cold and windy during the early hours
Sunrise from the boat
The sun rose from the other side of the Irrawaddy river – such a pleasant sight it was!
View of a boat hotel from MGRG Express boat
This was Mandalay Karaweik Mobile Hotel where you can stay in this boat on the banks of Mandalay – was not a convenient option for us as we were more into land activities in Mandalay
Breakfast was served in the boat too
Breakfast was also served in the boat after an hour of sailing – it had a pastry, a croissant style bun, a banana, and a hard boiled egg, and instant Burmese style coffee was also served in large plastic cups
Interior of the boat
There were padded chairs at the back of the lower deck, but the view outside from there was not really interesting
View of the bridge from the boat
This bridge on Mandalay-Shwebo road connecting Mandalay and Mingun by road is one of Mandalay’s most famous sites that could be captured well from the boat
Stupa-lined river bank - a beautiful sight from the boat journey
The sight of numerous golden pagodas looming over humble fishing villages along the river banks is common throughout the boat journey
Lunch served in the boat
We had mentioned to the staff that we are vegetarian – we were served veg noodles, rice with a bit of stir fried veggies, plus sliced raw tomato and onion on the side
The lower deck of the boat
There were comfortable sofas at the lower deck where we enjoyed having lunch and we took rest there too while it was sunny upstairs
Sunset from the boat
Never miss the sunset from the boat – it gets more spectacular while sinking at the horizon
The boat was on schedule and it anchored at Nyaung-U jetty at around 5 PM

Motel Zein

After you reach the jetty in Bagan, many horse carts and taxis would approach you to drop at the hotel. Make sure you discuss the price before boarding it.

Firstly, we bought two tickets for Bagan Archaeological Zone for 25 $ each from the ticket office. Later, we then reached our hotel by a horse cart. I strictly discourage this but we had no other options. Our hotel was only 2 km away from the jetty. It was difficult to walk the distance with luggage. The horse cart driver offered us to take around the temples of Bagan the next day. But we declined it politely. This is because we had plans to roam around by E-bike. You can rent E-bikes from almost anywhere in Bagan.

We had booked a twin room in Motel Zein online, which includes breakfast. The hotel staff were kind enough to give us few vegan options to choose from. They also gave us a map to understand the routes of Bagan. They also marked few preferred places to check sunrise and sunset in Bagan. We booked an E-bike from the reception well in advance for the next day.

Motel Zein, Bagan
Motel Zein is an ideal place of stay for travelers seeking charm, comfort, and convenience in Bagan as the hotel is located strategically close to the restaurant strip of Nyaung-U and also accessible to the temples of Bagan by E-bikes or bicycles that you can easily rent from the hotel
Twin bedroom at Motel Zein, Bagan
We got clean, spacious air-conditioned twin rooms with TV, complimentary tea and instant coffee, cupboard, mirror, slippers, free WiFi, etc.
Neat and clean washroom at Motel Zein, Bagan
The attached bathroom was clean and toiletries were provided

Restaurant Strip at Nyaung-U

There are many vegan as well as vegan-friendly restaurants scattered all over Bagan. We were staying close to Nyaung-U area. The best area to hit was the restaurant strip at Thiripyitsaya Street No. 4 of Nyaung-U. It was within a km from Motel Zein – so we walked. We had a great meal for 17 $ for two at Bagan Zay.

Menu of Bagan Zay Restaurant, Nyaung-U
The street was lined with restaurants each displaying its menu outside, and Bagan Zay’s menu caught our eyes as it has vegan-friendly options and offers a blend of traditional Burmese recipes with a twist of western influence
Pita bread with hummus
La Pitapas was an excellent order that had pita bread accompanied with different types of hummus – one with a Burmese twist as well
Rice with Burmese curry and lentil fritters
Rice with Burmese curry made of cauliflowers accompanied with lentil fritters was simply delicious
Cocktail at Bagan Zay Restaurant, Nyaung-U
The restaurant also had a wide range of cocktails – Mojito just set my mood
On the other end of the street, there were many street stalls selling gifts and souvenirs

Overall, the day was great. Our experience with MGRG Express was really good. The boat staff was friendly, service was scheduled, and the journey was very comfortable. I would encourage anyone traveling in Myanmar to board the river boat. You will get to enjoy the slow life of countryside. We have to wake up early the next day too as we cannot afford to miss the sunrise in Bagan. Hence, the wisest thing to do now is to sleep early tonight!

NET EXPENSE FOR 1 PERSON (IN USD)

Let us have a look at the expenses of Day 3 in Myanmar – Mandalay to Bagan.

  • Mandalay to Bagan (boat): 50
  • Hotel in Bagan for twin sharing (1 night): 20
  • Getting around: 2.5
  • Entrance fee of archaeological zone of Bagan: 25
  • Food: 8.5

Total expense (roughly): 106 USD

For an overall idea of itinerary and expense of the trip, whether for solo or couple or group of any number of people, feel free to contact me on Contact Us page. You can also have a look at Treasures of Myanmar in a Week – Itinerary and Expenses.

If you are planning for a much-organized, tastefully-curated, stress-free yet exciting vacation, consider booking your holidays at Travel Love Repeat. It is going to be a treat for sure!

30 thoughts on “Boat Journey from Mandalay to Bagan”

  1. Christina

    It’s great to know there’s a comfortable way to get from Mandalay to Bagan. The food looks tasty and I’m quite surprised at how comfy the seats look. Myanmarr is high on my list and I would really love to visit the country before it changes.

    Reply
  2. Nisha

    Never been there so the post interested me more. Good to know there’s a comfortable boat ride from Mandalay to Bagan. The food served on the boat & packed one, both looked good to me. And those sofas are a good way to relax! So clean as well. But didn’t you feel sea sick on such a long boat ride? I think I would have if the water is choppy.

    Reply
  3. Medha Verma

    The boat does look quite interesting, especially those lounge chairs, looks more like a sundeck in a hotel than on a boat. What a relaxing way to travel. I haven’t been to Myanmar yet, I have heard such mixed reviews about the country. What attracts me the most is the fact that it is not very touristy as many other Southeast Asian countries. And the food looks amazing. Thanks for so much info on the boat journey from Mandalay to Bagan, with a cost breakdown!

    Reply
  5. Jojo

    Those boat seats and couches looks really comfy! Never seen those on a boat before! I think it’s cool you opted for a boat commute instead of a bus or train. Totally agree that it would be more of a relaxed commute than on an over crowded bus or train

    Reply
  6. Adele

    I don’t know many people who have been to Myanmar and so this post is super interesting. Its good to know that there are comfy boats to get to Bagan. Nice that you show the kind of food you were provided with and also super useful as always is the cost of things at the end!

    Reply
  7. Candy

    The river boat sounds like a great way to spend the day exploring. I get sea sick very easily, was the ride smooth? It’s great to hear that the staff was friendly and they they accommodated your diet. I like how they provided water for free 🙂

    Reply
  9. Follow My Anchor

    I would definitely make the same choice you made. I love boats! Cruising down the river would be amazing for me and according to what you write it sounds like it was a very good experience. I need to visit Myanmar soon!

    Reply
  10. Nicole Hunter

    I love the idea of taking a slow boat connecting the two major tourist hubs. I just love being on a boat and seeing the authentic way of living along the shores. The boat looked really lovely and the food looked pretty good too.

    Reply
  11. Sydney

    This looks like a really comfortable and fun boat ride! My boyfriend and I recently watched some Youtube videos on Myanmar and I believe a similar boat journey was featured. Hopefully we can visit and try it out for ourselves!

    Reply
  12. theaveragetourist

    I’ve never been to either of these destinations but it looks like this boat journey would be a great way to get from one spot to the other. I hope I can get to these places and if so, I’d love to try this boat ride. The food looked pretty decent as well.

    Reply
  13. Alexander Popkov

    Wherever there is a possibility – I take a boat. Most of the time they are much better than ground transport. I liked yours. I think I can recommend you going on boat in Norway. Best experience.

    Reply

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