Ngwe Saung (Burmese ငွေဆောင်) is the location of several beach resorts and a small village in the Irrawaddy region of Myanmar.
Ngwe Saung is an aggregation of resort and other hotels stretched along 9 km of beach with a small village at the northern stretch. In addition, the beach is spoiled a little by the local motorbike and sometimes quad-taxi drivers going along the beach and offering tours and transport to tourists. Nevertheless, the beach is nice, and in case you are the beach resort type or want to take a timeout from the busy rest of Myanmar, this would be the ideal and, compared to Ngapali, inexpensive place to do so.
- Lover's Island. Walk across a sandbar at low tide to reach Lover's Island. This island is small and consists of a concrete statue of a Mermaid, a small religious site at the base of the island, and steps leading up to a small circuit of trails. Bring shoes due to the rocky underground. If you can get snorkeling gear, you can try it here instead of hiring a boat to Bird Island.
- Beach Pagodas. In Myanmar pagodas can be found in even the remotes places, since every person with a little bit of money wants to erect and distributes its own one. Hence, find another two on top of two rocks right here at the beach. 25,000 kyat for snorkeling trip.
- Bird Island. This island is located hours from shore and is nothing more than a rocky outcropping in the sea used by local fishermen to dry fish. The rocks are extremely sharp and there is not much to see. Reputed to be the worst island in Myanmar. However, since there is not much to do in Ngwe Saung, it is popular for excursions and bird watching. You can also organise a snorkeling, e.g. trip with "Mr Win", a local boat owner. Bring a life vest as currents are very strong.
- Elephant camp. This is also a school for children, and has 32 pupils aged between 5 & 14 years. Get your ticket at the north end of the town. just after All Seasons Hotel on the other side of the road. US$5.
Lover's Island. Walk across a sandbar at low tide to reach Lover's Island. This island is small and consists of a concrete statue of a Mermaid, a small religious site at the base of the island, and steps leading up to a small circuit of trails. Bring shoes due to the rocky underground. If you can get snorkeling gear, you can try it here instead of hiring a boat to Bird Island.
Beach Pagodas. In Myanmar pagodas can be found in even the remotes places, since every person with a little bit of money wants to erect and distributes its own one. Hence, find another two on top of two rocks right here at the beach. 25,000 kyat for snorkeling trip.
Bird Island. This island is located hours from shore and is nothing more than a rocky outcropping in the sea used by local fishermen to dry fish. The rocks are extremely sharp and there is not much to see. Reputed to be the worst island in Myanmar. However, since there is not much to do in Ngwe Saung, it is popular for excursions and bird watching. You can also organise a snorkeling, e.g. trip with "Mr Win", a local boat owner. Bring a life vest as currents are very strong.
Elephant camp. This is also a school for children, and has 32 pupils aged between 5 & 14 years. Get your ticket at the north end of the town. just after All Seasons Hotel on the other side of the road. US$5.
There is not much to do in Ngwe Saung, that's the idea. Just relax and enjoy the quiet time.
Bring enough cash because there are not many options to obtain money: there is one ATM at Ngwe Saung Yacht Resort, one at Yamonnar Oo Resort Hotel and another one at Emerald Sea Resort. Sometimes all three of them are out of service. Having said that, resorts usually accept all major credit cards. Also KBZ bank opened an office in late 2016.
- Painted umbrellas made in town or in Pathein.
- Fresh coconuts sold on the beach
- Grass sun hats: You will see locals walking along the beach with stacks of these bright green hats. Buy one for 500 kyat and you will have sun protection for a few days (they're not meant to last).
There are some roadside restaurants across from Yazuna Resort and Pearl Hotel and generally along the road parallel to the beach for US$2-4 per dish. In addition, many resorts (e.g. Sunny Paradise, Bay of Bengal, Emerald Sea Resort) have their own restaurant open to non-guests, with slightly inflated prices which however is compensated by the pleasant setting. Finally yet importantly, numerous restaurants are available in the village itself.
- Golden Myanmar Restaurant. 6-10PM. Seafood shack with local specialties.
- Jasmine Restaurant. They have BBQ seafood and meat including delicious side dishes. Good value for money. 3-4,000 kyat.
- Royal Flower Restaurant. Live music & cocktails.
- Soe KoKo Beach House & Restaurant, 2. Quarter, Myo Pat Road (At the northern end of the village take the road right, +95 9 5001025, +95 9 5132440. 8AM-midnight. The restaurant serves a delicious variety of Myanmar, Thai and Chinese dishes as well as fresh seafood in a relaxing atmosphere, indoors and open air. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Tea, coffee, beer.
- Silver Blue Sea. This is a very pleasant and well located restaurant with a vast menu including vegetarian options. 2-4,000 kyat.
- UME Japanese Restaurant & Café. Until 2AM. Nightly fire shows. Japanese and western menu. Beer and Music.
- See Sar. US$2-5.
Golden Myanmar Restaurant. 6-10PM. Seafood shack with local specialties.
Jasmine Restaurant. They have BBQ seafood and meat including delicious side dishes. Good value for money. 3-4,000 kyat.
Royal Flower Restaurant. Live music & cocktails.
Soe KoKo Beach House & Restaurant, 2. Quarter, Myo Pat Road (At the northern end of the village take the road right, +95 9 5001025, +95 9 5132440. 8AM-midnight. The restaurant serves a delicious variety of Myanmar, Thai and Chinese dishes as well as fresh seafood in a relaxing atmosphere, indoors and open air. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Tea, coffee, beer.
Silver Blue Sea. This is a very pleasant and well located restaurant with a vast menu including vegetarian options. 2-4,000 kyat.
UME Japanese Restaurant & Café. Until 2AM. Nightly fire shows. Japanese and western menu. Beer and Music.
See Sar. US$2-5.
There is no club, however the very modern and stylish Bay of Bengal Hotel (see below) has disco-like events. Otherwise, try one of the many restaurants and teashops in the village, which serve beer, coffee and tea throughout the day.
- Chaung Tha – Like Ngwe Saung, famous for its beautiful beaches. It can be reached via Pathein by bus, 7-8,000 kyat, 3-4 hr. Or you can hire a direct motorbike taxi along the coast for 8-13,000 kyat, which is much more exciting, picturesque and probably better for your stomach. The latter includes at least two river crossings. Reported durations vary widely between 45 min and 4 hr, so clarify beforehand.
- Pathein – Famous for its handcrafted umbrellas. Pickups and buses take 1.5 hr and cost about 3,500 kyat. Private taxis are around 30,000 kyat. You will most likely get dropped of at the city bus station in the center. Take a motorbike taxi to the highway bus station or start from there, depending on where you want to go. Possible onward destinations from Pathein include Ngapali and Pyay, but also Yangon.
- Yangon – Buses start at 06:30, 07:00, 08:00 and 10:00. 8-12,000 kyat. For tickets ask around the guesthouses or in the village.