The town and district of Pyay, also known as Pye, is located in the Bago Division of central Myanmar. The town resides on the Ayeyarwady River (Irrawaddy River) and is popular with tourists for the surrounding landscape and river valley.
Pyay came into existence when the British colonizers built the British Irrawaddy Flotilla Company in the latter part of the 19th century so they could move stock between Upper and Lower Burma along the Irrawaddy.
The western part of Pyay District has the Rakhine Yomas mountains, where trekking is quite popular with a guide, along with the Bago Yomas mountains toward the east. Forests and valleys make up the northern part of Pyay, while plains cut a swathe across the south.
Pyay has a few decent guest houses and restaurants. Be sure to try the local rice salad.
Getting There & Away
Pyay is 260kms north of Yangon on Highway 2 and is accessible by bus or train from the capital. Buses take half a day to get here and the ride is fairly bumpy while trains are more comfortable but a lot slower. Yangon International Airport (Mingladon) is the country’s main airport receiving flights from across the region.
Things to Do
Pyay Attractions
- Pyay trekking
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The rakhine yomas and bago yomas mountains to the west and east of town respectively have good trekking.