Bagan is one of the most popular destinations in Myanmar. Comparable to the famous temples complexes of Cambodia at Siam Reap, the temples of Bagan include some 2,000 red brick Buddhist temples dotted around a massive plain. Exploring Bagan is an absolute must for anybody visiting Myanmar, it’s an experience unlike any other. However, as Myanmar is a very, very hot country, and the Bagan temple complex stretches out over several hundred hectares, walking between temples simply isn’t an option. Enter; e-bikes.

Visiting Myanmar? Read my guide on what to expect here.

UNDERSTAND

Electronic bicycles, AKA, e-bikes, are bikes run by battery, rather than foot power. They look like little mopeds, and the vast majority of e-bikes in Bagan are made in China, and thus, are very cheap, occasionally faulty, but will get the job done. There are a huge range of e-bike operators in Bagan - they line the two main streets of town. Expect to pay around $5 USD to hire a bike for the day. As tourism is increasing in Bagan, so too are the range of operators who’ll try to rip you off, so make sure you shop around for a bit before choosing one. None of the operators run websites, so I won’t be able to link any here. Suffice to say, go for a walk around the town of Bagan and haggle for prices - they all use the same bikes, so quality won’t really differ.

It’s completely legal for foreigners to hire e-bikes in Myanmar. You don’t need an international licence - they’ll just take a copy of your local licence or passport, and you’re pretty well free to go. The bikes are pretty low horsepower, but can get up to around 50 kmph, if you push them, as we did. They are generally pretty responsive, handling wise, and while I’m no expert on motorbikes, they drive pretty easily and safely.

HOW TO PREPARE

No matter what season you’re visiting Bagan, it’s pretty likely that you’ll be very, very hot. Bagan stretches over a massive plain, with very few trees. The sun will be unrelenting, the only shade you’ll get will be inside temples, and the locations to buy water few and far between, for hugely jacked up prices. Before leaving, make sure you put on sunscreen, wear protective clothing, and ensure that you cover up somewhat - it’s hugely insulting for both women and men to expose their legs, or shoulders in Buddhist temples. Also, as you’ll be taking your shoes on and off every time you enter a temple (MAKE SURE YOU TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF), I’ll also recommend wearing shoes that can easily be taken off and on; Birkenstocks, perhaps? I’d suggest you pack the following with you on your e-bike - all of the bikes have a little compartment under the seat where you can store the following;

• Water (2 L per person)

• Hat

• Sunscreen

• Sunglasses

• Map of the temples (operators should provide you this when you hire the bikes)

OUR EXPERIENCE

We had two of the most fun days of our entire trip on e-bikes in Bagan. While I won’t write in too much detail about the temples themselves, as I cover that in some detail over here, suffice to say, e-bikes were an awesome way to visit the temples. The pathways between temples are generally unsealed, sandy or loose dirt, so riding the e-bikes through them actually proved to be sort of challenging at times. However, I only fell once on some loose sand, and Carlie remained upright for our two days exploring the temples of Bagan. The e-bikes didn’t falter or struggle too much with the terrain, and we were lucky enough to be blessed with two perfectly sunny days, so viewing and driving conditions were absolutely divine.

We both really loved the freedom our e-bikes provided; bored of a temple? Fine! Jump on the bike and away we go! See a large tour group at a temple? Don’t worry about! Turn down the next pathway and escape the masses! It was so excellent to be able to do our own self guided tour of the temples, which you can read more about here. While the weather was extremely hot, with temperatures sitting at around 40°C all day, we both sat pretty comfortable on our bikes as we whizzed between the amazing and very, very excellent temples of Bagan.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

• Road rules in Myanmar, much like all of South, and South East Asia, are very free and easy. If you take your e-bikes onto any roads, expect motorbikes, trucks and cars to be zipping past you in and and all directions. They will likely be driving on whatever side of the road seems right to them at the time, at speeds that will rip the hair from your chest, and with little care for your or others safety. Be very, very careful if you take these bikes out onto the road.

• Ensure that your travel insurance covers you to ride motorbikes. While the definition of a ‘motorbike’ changes country to country, these little bikes are certainly powered by a motor, thus, if you seriously injure yourself, you’ll want to be sure that your insurance covers you. You won’t be able to go fast enough inside the park to crash seriously, but, anything is possible. Be careful out there!

• The cost of e-bikes, around $5 AUD is pretty fair. While I don’t recommend that you pay more than that, also don’t feel the need to haggle too seriously. Haggling culture isn’t too strong in Myanmar, so you’ll likely offend merchants that you challenge too much.

• The cost of entering the Bagan temple complex is around $25 AUD, per person. While this is expensive by South-East Asian standards, I promise you, it’ll be worth it.

• There isn’t much food inside the Bagan temple area, as mentioned above - come prepared, eat before you go, and take lots and lots of water.

Any questions, comments or concerns? let us know in the comments below!