Myanmar's luxurious, beachfront Ngwe Saung resort is easy to reach from Yangon, Mandalay, or Bagan. Regardless of starting city, travelers can hop a quick flight (45-90 minutes) to the town of Pathein and book a private transfer or hire a taxi to take you the rest of the way.
The oceanside resort, which boasts luxurious amenities alongside its white sand shores, is one of the top tourist attractions in Myanmar—and for good reason. In addition to soaking up the sunshine, the beach resort offers treats such as poolside massages or spa treatments. There are also spectacular sunsets, as well as activities like cooking classes, motorbike rentals, scuba diving, snorkeling, and nightly fire dancing shows.
From Yangon
Duration: 2.5 hours
It is fairly easy to reach Ngwe Saung from Yangon. You can fly to the town of Pathein—which sits an hour and a half east of Ngwa Saung—and take a taxi from the airport. The flights take less than an hour and there are numerous airlines that operate routes daily including Myanmar National Airlines, Air KBZ, Golden Myanmar Airlines, and Mann Yadanarpon Airlines.
The trip from Pathein to Ngwe Saung is about an hour and 20 minutes so once you add in security lines, the whole trip takes about 4 hours. Alternatively, you can hop on a bus or rent a car and be in Ngwe Saung in about 6 hours. The drive is about 155 miles (250 km).
From Mandalay
Duration: 3 hours, plus travel to/from airports
You can fly from Mandalay to the town of Pathein in less than an hour and a half. From Pathein, it's another hour and 20 minutes to get to Ngwe Saung. After factoring in airport time and security lines, the whole trip takes roughly 4.5 to 5 hours. However, it's still much quicker than traveling by road, which takes 13 to 14 hours.
Flights depart daily from Mandalay International Airport (MDL) in Tada-U, just 23 miles (37 km) outside town, arriving at the Pathein Airport (SBX).
From Bagan
Duration: 3 hours, plus travel to/from airports
Similarly to Mandalay, there are flights between Bagan and Pathein daily. You'll hop on a flight at the Nyaung U Airport (NYU) in Nyaung-U and land at the Pathein Airport (BSX). They take about an hour and half, and then you have another hour and 20 minutes to arrive in Ngwe Saung via taxi.
When you total the two legs of the journey, along with getting to the airport and through security, you're looking at about 4.5 to 5 hours of travel. Still, it's significantly faster than taking the 426-mile (686 km) trip by road which takes about 13 hours.