Crossing U Bein Bridge, Myanmar 24 Aug 2016
About this photo
In the province of Myanmar's Mandalay region lies Lake Taungthaman, a seasonal body of water which dries up in the winter and leaves fertile, arable land in its wake. It is spanned by the 1.2km (0.7-mile) -long U Bein Bridge, constructed from the teak planks of Inwa by King Bodawpaya’s mayor (U Bein) following the move to Amarapura. Little altered in two centuries, it takes 15 minutes to cross on foot.
Discover the U Bein with Insight Guides: it's one of the excursions in our wonderful Old-World Myanmar holiday. This is a morning excursion as the bridge is best seen in the morning light when hundreds of locals – from farmers and market stallholders to groups of monks – plod over it. Tea stalls dotted along the bridge provide much-needed shade and sustenance.
