South East Asian Trips

Pyin Oo Lwin was formerly known as May Myo. It is a resort town in Mandalay Division in Myanmar, located some 67 kilometers east of Mandalay, and at an altitude of 1070 meters (3510 feet). It was initially a Shan village situated between Naungcho and Mandalay on the Lashio-Mandalay road.

During the British colonial occupation, the British, in 1896, developed it as a hill station because of its cool alpine climate, especially during the hot season. The colonial government of Myanmar would move to May Myo during the hot season to escape from the high heat and humidity of Yangon. The name May Myo means May Town in Burmese, and comes from the town's first administrator, Colonel May. As a legacy of the colonial period, the town has approximately 10,000 Indian and 5,000 Nepali inhabitants, who served in the British Indian Army and settled in May Myo after the British left, and granting independence to Burma. May Myo was also an important educational centre during colonial times, with the Government English High Schools, such as St. Mary's, St. Michael's, St. Albert's, and Colgate, all based in the town. It is also home to the Myanmar Defence Services Academy (DSA),

Major Attractions

Kandawgyi National Garden - It was known as May Myo Botanical Garden. It consists of a variety of plants, trees, flowers and animals. It is a 49 acres natural forest. It opens daily from 7am to 5.30pm.

Pwe Kauk Water Fall - It is 8km from the town, off the Lashio road. It is a pleasan picnic spot.

Peik Chin Myaung - This is a large Buddhist shrine cave about 27km from the town. About 600 meter path leads through the cave. Inside the cave are several Buddha images donated by locals.