Bagan is unquestionably one of the most awe-inspiring sights in all of Asia, with over 10,000 RELIGIOUS monuments within its ancient walls.

Across 50 square kilometers, the ruins of over 10,000 religious relics standing in various stages of decay is a splendid witness to the 11th to 13th centuries A.D when Bagan was the center of the Myanmar Dynasty. It has a magical serenity found only in a few places in the world. Built in the 11th century and overrun just 200 years later by Kublai Khan, it was a city of magnificent proportions and splendor to rival Angkor, Jerusalem, or Rome. Today, the dwellings of King Anawrahta (1044-1077) and his people are gone, but their pagodas remain, lying along the banks of the Ayeyarwady amid dry dunelands and scattered fields and sugar-palm plantations. Climbing to the top of one of Bagan's pagodas, you can see hundreds of ruined pagodas of every size in every direction.

Mt. Popa is about an hour drive from Bagan but one that cannot be missed if you’re already in the vicinity. Although most Burmese are devout Buddhists, their brand of Buddhism is intertwined with the animistic beliefs (spirit worship) that preceded Buddhism's arrival in Myanmar. In Burmese cosmology, there are 37 primary spirits (called nats), and the Burmese people appease them with offerings of food, flowers, and money at special shrines. Popa Taung Kalat is the center of nat worship in Myanmar and draws large numbers of local visitors who come to worship at the Mother Spirit shrine at the foot of the hill. The highlight of this tour is a climb up Mount Popa. It takes 830 steps to climb barefoot to the top where you will find a small Buddhist monastery. Needless to say, views from the summit are spectacular.