Taungoo

Taungoo is about 275 km from Yangon. The old road to Taungoo took about 6-7 hr. The new road makes it only 3-4 hr.

• By train Taungoo is halfway to Mandalay from southern destinations, including Bago. The track is rough in places, but it is far from the most uncomfortable rail journey in the country. The meals are unexceptional (try the pork noodles), but getting to the meal car can be an interesting experience.

It is the mid-way to Yangon or Mandalay if you want to go by car. Good for your night stop and rest. Tourists stop overnight at Taungoo when they travel from Golden Rock to Inle or Mandalay by hire car.

• Thandaung Gyi. Old colonial hill station which is home to Naw Bu Baw prayer mountain and some other sights. There have been reports that the area is closed, however it was opened in June 2013; a passport check is usually not required before entering the area, but make sure to bring copies anyway. There are multiple B&Bs in the village (8,000-30,000 kyat). There are several routes up and down, the cheapest option is to find a truck from the central square in Taungoo, but for a more comfortable ride it is best to call ahead to a B&B in Thandaung Gyi so that they can arrange a car for you (30,000 kyat). An alternative is to find a motorcycle driver in Taungoo (16,000 kyat). The trip takes about 2 hr one-way through teak forests. There is a tea plantation at the top. Lots of armed forces are present, however the checkpoint is run by a welcoming tourism ministry. They might ask your religion. (updated Apr 2018)

• Naw Bu Baw. The name of a mountain, and the lady who is said to guard it. The mountain is highly regarded by Karen Christians, and is accessed through the old British hill station town of Thandaung Gyi (pronounced "than down gee") (NB this is not the same town as the newer relocated Than Daung at the bottom of the mountain). (updated Apr 2018)
• There is a small restaurant with outstanding fishhead soup (muhinga) between Happy Restaurant and the mountain. Look for a small building with two tables and a baby hammock inside. Ask prices first, some restaurants have been rumored to charge more than 2,500 kyat for a basic local meal, which the local people consider to be scandalous.
• There is a local pick-up that goes up the mountain, but it only runs in the early morning.

• Pho Kyar elephant camp is about 2 hr from Taungoo, if you love nature and elephants.

• Hotel Amazing Kaytu, No.(8), OhtKyautTan, ☏ +95 54 23977, amazingsales@myanmar.com.mm. US$43-55. 
• Mother House. 
• Myanmar Beauty Hotel 2 (Myanmar Beauty Hotel 2, 3&4), Pauk Hla Gyi Str, Min Gyi Nyo Qtr (Near Kabaung bridge), ☏ +95-9-784040402, drchanaye@gmail.com. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. Situated in the southern end of Taungoo right next to rice fields and a farmers' village. There are two types of room, standard and superior. All rooms have a bathroom inside with warm shower and A/C. Superior rooms are big and have panoramic views of rice fields and Karen mountain. Breakfast is enormous with lots of home-made traditional dishes and fruits. US$30-55. (updated Jul 2016)
• Myanmar Beauty Guest House I (in the north part of town, and in the middle of the action, just north of the market). Mostly local people stay here, but if you are on a budget, ignore what Lonely Planet says, they do have a license for foreigners. Accommodation is basic and the screened upper parts of the walls do not allow for a lot of privacy, but it does let in the breeze and keep the mosquitoes out. The staff is extremely helpful and knowledgeable. There are two Internet cafes next to the hotel. Taxi motorcycles are on the corner a block away towards the church. There is a reasonably priced local coffee shop they can drive you to from the hotel; it is best to take a motorcycle taxi. There is a beer garden three blocks away, on a side street; turn north before you get to the church. Do not be fooled by the "beer garden" part of it, there is excellent food, and a generator to keep the beer cold for power failures, so you can find the restaurant by following the lights from the main road, or get back in the dark if the surrounding area loses power. Single US$10. 
• Myanmar Beauty Guest House II, III & IV (at the south end of the main drag, next to a rice paddy). Rice paddy, teak floors. Single US$40 per night.. 
• Myanmar Thiri Hotel. 
• Pan Swedaw Hotel. 
• Golden Guest Inn, No. 570 Pauk Hla Gyi street, Min Gyi Nyo Quarter (cycle taxi), ☏ +95 9 258211142, yannaung.im2@gmail.com. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. US$15. (updated Nov 2016)

You might want to think about heading to 🌍 Loikaw, which is about 210 km northeast of Taungoo. South of Loikaw and west of the Salween River in the mountains between 1,000 and 1,500 m is where the Kayan people live, including the famous Padaung women with their golden brass neck coils that seem to stretch their neck (but actually cause a lower shoulder).