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Formerly known as Maymyo, Pyin U Lwin is a hill station 69km out of Mandalay, about an hour and a half drive. As it is 1000m above sea level and enjoys a relatively cooler climate it once was the summer capital for the Raj in Burma and a retreat for the British from Burma’s scorching heat. As a result, Pyin U Lwin is well known for its colonial style houses. There still remains a large Indian population because during British times it was the military centre of the Indian Army.

Pyin U Lwin is a production centre for silkworm rearing, pharmaceutical production, flower and vegetable production. It is also the home of the Defence Academy of the Burmese military and an important military base. If you took away the military presence and the green uniforms it probably would be quite a quaint little town. However, for me their presence tainted the peaceful destination in a way (perhaps that could just be my biased opinion).

Pyin U Lwin was another day trip we made from Mandalay. Sights we visited included:

Kandawgyi National Gardens: established in 1915, it has a diverse and abundant collection of flora. The grounds have a rose garden, an elevated forest walk, a stupa in the middle of a pond, bamboo, an orchid garden and Nan Myint Tower. It was a nice spot to relax and reconnect with nature.
Chinese Temple: built by the many Yunanese immigrants to the town
The Candacraig: colonial mansion built as a guest house of The Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation in 1904.
Town centre: horse and cart reminiscent of that which was used in colonial times. This style can only be found in Pyin U Lwin
Anisakan Falls: is located outside of Pyin U Lwin town. We had to convince our guide several times that we didn’t mind that it was going to be a 3-4 hour return walk (we think this may have been more for his benefit!). To reach the falls you have to descend a track for most of the way and they are nestled in a rugged gorge with a stupa at the base. We had an entourage of hill tribe people following behind us carrying drinks hoping that we would purchase one on our journey. Matt and I were decked out in our new waterproof shoes and couldn’t believe how agile our Sherpa-like entourage was wearing their thongs. We struggled in some muddy patches even with our shoes! Anisakan Falls was definitely worthwhile visiting, the walk ended up taking only an hour and a half and the track was through lush green jungle. Chapatis had to be on the menu after this walk!

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