Amarapura itself was once the capital, like other satellite cities of Mandalay. And now it is a suburb in which there are not even hotels for foreigners, since everyone who wants to see the bridge comes here in the late afternoon, just before sunset. And we also arrived.
U-Bane bridge(the people of Myanmar pronounce U-Payne) - this is the longest and oldest wooden (teak) bridge in the world. Its length is an impressive 1208 meters. The Ubain Bridge was built in 1849 and connects the two shores of Lake Tauntome. The piles for the U Bein Bridge (of which there are 1,086) were taken from material left after dismantling royal palace in the city, and transferred to the lake. This is how teak acquired its third life.
By the way, the famous Ubein Bridge is a unique attraction in Myanmar, which cannot be compared with any other attraction in the whole world. Just like the rock in Sri Lanka is unlike any other place on Earth.
Interesting fact: Ubain Bridge is not listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's longest wooden footbridge for political reasons. Instead, the Horai Bridge from Japan is indicated, despite the fact that it is half the length of the U-Bane Bridge.
There are 3 easy ways to get to Ubein Bridge from Mandalay:
- Method 1. The easiest and cheapest way to see the Ubain Bridge is to take a minibus in Mandalay that goes to Amarapura. The road is on it 500 kyats... You need to catch these small buses at the intersection of 84th and 29th streets. And say that you are going to the bridge to be dropped off closer. About two and a half kilometers from it. And then just ask - where to go. Or arm yourself with an electronic card and act independently. If you ask the locals, then everyone knows that foreigners are here for the sake of a bridge, so they will help. Back you will have to get out to the road to Mandalay and wait for the passing bus there. Or hire a motorcycle taxi right at the exit from the bridge for 5000 kyats or a car for 10000 kyats.
- Method 2. There is one more option. Also, a visit to U-Bane Bridge is part of a tour of the three (sometimes four) ancient kingdoms of Mandalay. If you choose this method, then, in addition to the bridge, you will be taken to Sagain, Inva and V. But it is worth knowing that, despite the fact that the problem with transport has been resolved, there will not be enough time to get to know four different cities at once. Moreover, such an excursion also involves a visit to a weaving factory. Worth it day tour will 45-55 thousand kyats, that is from 40 to 50 dollars, and within the framework of the tour, various additional costs are assumed, which will be very difficult to refuse.
- Method 3. If you do not need other cities and attractions, and you just want to get out of Mandalay only at sunset to the Ubain Bridge, then this tour will be worth 17000 kyats (15$).
How to get to Ubain Bridge from Sagain:
- It is not far from Sagaina to Amarapura, where the Ubain Bridge is located. You just need to cross the bridge over the Ayeyarwaddy River and drive a little more along the road. The cost of such a trip will be only 5-7 thousand kyats per tuktuk or 3-4 thousand per person.
- Finding transportation to U-Bane Bridge is fairly easy. Any tuktuk or car driving to Mandalay can be stopped. For a small fee, you will be dropped off without any problems.
U-Bane Bridge on the map
U-Bane Bridge on the map located in Amarapura next to Sagain, not far from Mandalay and its main attractions.
Open on a large Google map →
Legend on the map:
- Brown marker - Ubain Bridge
- Yellow markers - temples near the U-Bane bridge
- Blue markers - the location of Sagain and Mandalay relative to Ubain
Amarapura
Amarapura- the same small town in Myanmar as. However, Sagain is a cute town, and Amarapura is dirty and not very pleasant. And on this moment does not justify its name at all - "the city of immortality".
The city of Amarapura was founded by King Bodopai in the 18th century as new capital Burma, however, already his son moved his residence to the neighboring one, which was the former capital. For some time Amarapura was the main city under King Mindon. But he also decided that it was necessary to establish new town around.
However, the city of Amarapura is also famous for the fact that there are many weaving factories, and you can buy silk and cotton products. You can go there with an excursion and, of course, buy something. Weaving looms work here almost behind every wall, and when you walk through the city, you can hear their discordant chorus.
There are also several pagodas and monasteries in Amarapura (including one pagoda on the other side of the lake), but we did not visit any of these places during our visit. Like many others, we were primarily interested in the U-Bane Bridge. We will talk about it further.
Ubein teak bridge in Myanmar
U-Bane Wooden Bridge - Historic Site
U-Bane wooden bridge in Myanmar, it is the oldest bridge in the world on teak stilts. It was built in Amarapura almost 170 years ago. Teak is a very tough material and is renowned for its durability. For example, on the island of Java in Indonesia, century-old teak houses are known that tolerate well humid climate Asia and do not rot, and teak oil repels harmful insects.
But a tree cannot live forever, especially if it has already been cut down. Now only a small part of the original bridge remains. Basically, these are logs standing upright, on which the bridge is supported. Unfortunately, the logs rot and are gradually being replaced with concrete piles. So the further you go, the less original will remain in the U-Bane Bridge. But so far it really makes an impression and is worth visiting in Amarapura for its sake.
We have seen a wide variety of teak buildings and structures in Asia, such as the huge teak houses in and the temple in Kun Yuam in, but the U-Bein Bridge in Myanmar seemed to us the most grandiose of them all. Teak is actually a wonderful building material.
But the people of Myanmar love him very much.
The Ubain Bridge is still alive today, not just a tourist one. It sways a little from side to side and squeaks as if it’s complaining. It is used every day not only by foreigners, but also by local residents, of whom there are quite a few. Under the bridge and nearby, they live, fish, children play. They live, of course, very poorly, just in poor conditions. But this is the reality.
Now that tourists are interested in the bridge, local residents there was an opportunity to earn. They trade everything. A fortuneteller is sitting in one of the gazebos on the bridge. Although, as it seemed to me, only Burmese who believe in astrology go to him, as we do in Newton's laws.
There are impromptu cafes on the islets at the foot of the bridge. Well, all sorts of charlatans also come across, where without them in such a promoted tourist place. Therefore, as many as 8 police officers are on duty on the U-Bein Bridge!
An impromptu tourist amphitheater awaits its sunset hour on the lakeside right under the Ubain Bridge
Watching life at the bridge is very interesting, albeit sad. A real drama erupted right before our very eyes when the duck breeder came to sort things out with the boatmen over the killed duck. He was very upset and threatened them with a machete, and his wife ran after him and tried to calm him down. Fortunately, it cooled down quickly and no one else was hurt.
But the main thing is that we, tourists, will come and go, but people will stay here and will go about their business across the lake on the U-Bane Bridge for many years to come.
They live in huts like this and are engaged in duck breeding and fishing in Amarapura.
Photo of Ubain Bridge at Sunset
As I already said, the Ubain Bridge is most popular with tourists in the hours before sunset. At this time, hundreds of tourists (mainly from Mandalay) come to Amarapura, armed with photographic equipment of various calibers. For them, cafes are opening on the shores of Lake Tauntome, where you can have a cocktail and a little snack while enjoying the best view to the U Bane Bridge.
However, the best way to see the Ubein Bridge on sunny days is to hire one of the hundreds of boats from boaters along the lake waiting for customers. It costs about 15-20 dollars, depending on the number of people in the boat. The boatman will take you to the best point on the lake, from where it is best to take a photo of the U Bein Bridge at sunset, when the red sun falls beautifully towards the horizon.
We decided not to waste time on a boat trip, but to walk along the bridge and do beautiful pictures Ubain from different points, including the island, which can be reached by stairs.
RoomGuru. He immediately looks for best deals on the Internet and shows the most profitable ones. It remains only to choose the right one and go on vacation!
The Goteik Viaduct is one of the most famous engineering structures in Myanmar (formerly Burma). It was built during the reign of colonial England and in 1900 was recognized as the largest railway overpass in the world. To this day, Gotek remains the most high bridge in Myanmar.
The viaduct is built in the very heart of the country, about 100 km northeast of the largest city of Mandalay, it connects Pyin-u-Lwin (the summer residence of the British colonial administrators of Burma) and Lashio ( The largest city northern Shan state). The railroad bridge was built to allow Britain to expand its sphere of influence in the region. The entire structure was manufactured at the Pennsylvania Steel Works.
Construction of the bridge began in 1899 and ended in 1900, at which time it was recognized as the largest railway bridge in the world.
The dimensions of the viaduct are impressive: the 689-meter bridge is supported by 15 pillars. The height of Goteyk is 102 m. Despite the fact that both before and after its construction, many reinforced concrete bridges appeared in the world, only Canadians managed to "surpass" the Asian giant. In the province of Alberta, they built the Lethbridge viaduct, equal in height to the Goteika, but twice as long as it. Equal in size to the Burmese wonder bridges Joso (Washington), Poughkeepsie (New York) and Kinzua (Pennsylvania). 
Today, Goteik is known among tourists all over the world, because taking a train ride over the abyss is a pleasure for real daredevils. The train travels extremely slowly so as not to loosen the century-old bridge, which today is not in the best condition. Traveling along the viaduct takes about 25 minutes, during which time everyone has time to enjoy the picturesque landscapes and take some wonderful pictures.
At the sight of such an attraction, many of us have a quick heartbeat and breathtaking, however, knowing how Buddhist calmness the inhabitants of Myanmar have, one should not be surprised at the popularity of walks along the viaduct.
Is an impressive engineering structure in the heart of Myanmar, built over a century ago. It has not only survived, but also works - we decided to get on the train and take a ride on it! Today is a report on Myanmar trains, railroad and, of course, about the viaduct itself.
We bought a ticket at the railway station in Sipo right before departure - we decided to go to the city of Pyin Oo Lwin. There are no computers here, there is just a ticket form where the destination and place are entered. By the way, the seats on this train are only seated - ordinary and of a higher class.
The fare is printed on the sheet - only $ 2 for 7 hours of travel!
The cashier told me that the usual places were over, I had to take them to an elevated one, which we did not regret. There are wide soft armchairs, which, moreover, turn directly to the window. Have you ever seen this? Cool!
On a Myanmar train
While we were waiting for the train, we watched the rest of the passengers
For local people, the train is not only a means of transportation, but also a market - immediately after the arrival, an active trade unfolded. And the colorful grandmother is looking for her carriage
Now we are finally going. Initially, the train goes across the plain, gradually accelerating and giving the opportunity to admire such views in the vicinity.
Rural landscapes of Myanmar
People are working in the fields, collecting hay
Fields in the vicinity of Sipo
No harvesters for you, only small vehicles for transportation
In Myanmar, in the province, it is customary for the entire village to wave to the passengers of a passing train, not just tourists. Here is a small brick factory - they also waved, and we gave them :-)
When the train accelerates, it starts to sway mercilessly from side to side! So much so that the backpack, which was lying on the top luggage rack, tried to fall off - I had to tie it tightly. You can't even imagine how much it shakes, probably a glass of water will almost empty if you put it on the floor. All railway infrastructure in Myanmar is badly worn out and has not been repaired for a long time.
Bustling trade is taking place again at some stations
On the way, we saw unusual nests twisted right on the wires
Sockets on wires
Goteik Viaduct
During colonial England, Britain tried in every possible way to strengthen its influence in the region, and reliable transport routes- a good help in such a matter. In 1900, after a year of construction, the viaduct was completed, spanning the gorge with the river, at that time it was the highest railway bridge in the world.
Viaduct view
Just think: the height of the entire structure is 102 meters, and the length is 689 meters. The finished structural elements were smelted from steel in the United States and delivered to Myanmar. Despite the fact that more than 100 years have passed since construction, only a few such modern structures can surpass or compete with Goteyk.
Before leaving the bridge, the train overcomes two tunnels in a row and emerges from the rock.
The train travels very slowly so as not to overload, because the structure is already old. It only plays into our hands - we have time to thoroughly examine and photograph everything from different angles.
On a train over a precipice
There is an abyss below us - more than 100 m, it rages mountain river in tropical thickets, and steep cliffs rise above all this.
Gorge and river
Now there are only two trains a day on the viaduct: Mandalay-Lashio and Lashio-Mandalay. However, in order to drive exactly along the viaduct, it is not necessary to cover all this distance, because such a journey will take the whole daylight hours. You can take a train in Mandalay by purchasing a ticket to Sipo for 2750 chat (just over $ 2). True, it leaves as early as 4 in the morning, so it is more convenient to make a trip to reverse direction or to the city of Pyin Oo Lwin, which we did. Departure from Sipo at 9.40, and on the way 7 hours.
We visited a few more cool places in Myanmar, you can read more about them on the links:,.
Myanmar, a country located in South-East Asia, on the Indochina Peninsula, is not yet as popular with tourists as, for example, Thailand or Hong Kong. But even in this comparatively small state there are a number of attractions that definitely deserve the attention of travelers.
The Ubain Bridge is at the same time the oldest and longest wooden bridge on the planet - of course, it belongs to such unique objects that it is simply impossible not to visit. The exact date of the construction of the Ubein Bridge is unknown. Scientists call the year 1850, and the bridge was built in just one year.
The construction used durable teak wood, which remains from the former royal palace in Ave. The total length of the Ubein Bridge is 1.2 kilometers. It consists of two parts that connect at an angle. This pedestrian bridge connects a small village with the city of Amarapura, crosses the waters of Lake Tauntome.
To visit the Ubein Bridge, head to Mandalay County, in central part Myanmar. The bridge has always been of great importance to local residents, since during the rainy season they simply have no other opportunity to cross the lake. Today, Ubain Bridge is also an important tourist attraction that brings considerable profit. local population actively offering travelers various souvenirs.
Tourists love to sit in one of the covered verandas with benches from where beautiful view to the surroundings. There are nine boat passages under the bridge. The bridge is guarded by eight police officers, so the safety of tourists is guaranteed.
Although teak is particularly durable, some of the 1,086 supports that support Ubein Bridge have already had to be replaced with concrete ones. This did not spoil the general impression of the ancient, solid and very beautiful building.
Ubain Bridge - PHOTOS
