Travel from Yangon to Mrauk U

There are two ways to travel direct from Yangon to Mrauk U: by bus or by plane. By bus the journey takes 18 hours, by plane it takes 50 minutes. There are two airlines flying on this route, Myanmar National Airlines and Myanmar International Airways, and flights cost 5 to 8 times as much as bus tickets.

Bus Times to Mrauk U

There is a single direct bus service a day from Yangon to Mrauk U which you can book online.

• Shwe Mann Yandanar passengers travel in a modern air-conditioned bus with an on board toilet.

Buy Tickets to Mrauk U

Use the Search Box below to buy your bus tickets from Yangon to Mrauk U:

• Flights from Yangon to Mrauk U can also be booked through the Search Box above.

Yangon Bus Stop

Shwe Mann Yandanar bus services from Yangon to Mrauk U depart from Aung Mingalar High Way Bus Station.

Mrauk U of Bus Stop

Shwe Mann Yandanar bus services from Yangon terminate roadside in front of the KBZ Bank in Mrauk U Town.

About Mrauk U

Modern day Mrauk U is a small town with little commercial activity and a very small number of visitors. However, from 1430 until 1785 it was the capital of the powerful Arakan Kingdom which ruled over much of Bangladesh and Myanmar using its powerful navy to control a large territory from it base it the Central Myanmar state of Rakhine. The Arakan Kingdom was, at that time, well known internationally with Portuguese and Dutch traders visiting the city, and a small mercenary force of Ronin (master-less Japanese Samurai Warriors) providing close protection to Mrauk King. This one mighty civilisation built hundreds of palaces, forts and temples in and around Mrauk U, only a small proportion of which have been properly explored and the archaeological site as a whole has not been promoted or developed for tourism, with entrance fees only charged at one of the many hundreds of sites you can visit.

The ruins are concentrated into three clusters, one to the north of Mrauk U, one to the east, and one to the south. The Northern group is the best known and most visited. In this area you can visit the mighty Shittaung Pagoda (for which you must pay a 5,000 Kyat entrance fee) and only slightly less impressive Andaw-thein Temple, and a fairly long list of other sites worth seeing if you have the time. The highlight of the Eastern group is the vast Kothaung Temple featuring a pagoda on a large base with (reputedly) 90,000 Buddha images adorning the inside and outer structure of the temple. There is vaulted inner hallway at Kothaung Temple which is easily accessible and very impressive. the Southern group of ruins has two well known hilltop pagodas, Shwe Taung Pagoda and Zinamanaung Pagoda, with views over the Mrauk U area. Looking out from these temples you can get a better grasp of the scale of the ancient city as a whole. A number of temples which remain partially enveloped by vegetation are visible from the hilltop. You need to hire car and driver to visit these three groups of ruins, both because they are spread out over a large area and because access is restricted on account of the current unrest in Rakhine State. If, for whatever reason, the out of town temples in Mrauk U are inaccessible then there are several sites, such as the Royal Palace and a museum, which you can walk to in the town centre.