As part of my trip to Burma, I'm interested in visiting the temples at Bagan. I've read that it can be quite a circus with guides, touts etc offering to open temples (for a fee of course).

I'm really hoping to get some good photographs of the temples so any advice on how to get around (bearing in mind I will have a DSLR & probably a tripod) and a good place to photograph the sunset without having 100 of my new best friends next to me would be appreciated.

Also recommendations for non Government run hotels welcomed.

Thanks!

I did the Bagan tour in 2007. I did not have a problem with touts or hawkers. At one or two temples there were children soliciting for lipstick, etc. There were very few people tourists or locals at any of the temples. Things may have changed since then. A local guide is indispensable. The guide can save you much time and ensure that you get good photos. We stayed at Kaday Aung Hotel which is not Gov't owned. We were happy with our hotel.

Thanks - that looks like a pretty nice hotel and close to the temples. I'm not going to go on any organized tours - just going to do as I please. Suprised to hear that there weren't many tourists around - I've seen photos on flickr that reminded me of Angkor Wat - folks crowded onto the roof of a temple to catch the sunset.

Burma is one place in SE Asia where a local private guide just for yourself can really add a lot to the trip and end up saving you a lot of hassles, even you just engage somebody for a day or so in a limited geographic area. They'll know some optimum spots that you'd not find on your own, plus deal with language issues. I say this to you as a confirmed independent, anti-tour-group traveler with a lot of experience traveling in all the mainland SE Asian countries.

The Bagan touting scene is nowhere close to what you find at Angkor, and even the most crowded sunset photo-taking spot in Bagan is not going to be like the sunset circus you'd find at Angkor's Phnom Bakheng. There just aren't that many tourists floating around Burma--especially in the last 3 years or so--and if you go outside the Dec-Feb "high season," it will be even more sparsely attended.

This is what we did (travelling independently in 2008)

Day 1: Took a horse carriage ride around the temples with a local guide, cheap and cheerful.
Day 2: Cycled around on our own around the temples and nearby villages, absolutely amazing

there will be some sellers with sand painting and kids selling Burmese Days, but they are actually all very pleasant and sometimes interesting to chat to.
They are not by any means obnoxious like touts in India or Angkor.

We stayed in the town of Nyuang U in a guesthouse.

Also took a trip to Mt.Popa, if you dont mind climbing stairs in monkey pee, its worth a visit as well.

How did you find the local guide with the horse carriage? Any tips would be appreciated. Also, would you spend more time in Bagan or Yangon?

They'll find you
Normally hanging around outside hotels/guesthouses, at least they are in Nyuang U.

I'd say a couple of days in Bagan is enough.

Agree--they'll find you. Bagan vs Yangon: how much overall time do you have for this trip? Two full days in the Nyaung-U/Bagan area is usually OK, a third day to do a road trip to Salay and Mt. Popa. Yangon probably has enough for a couple of days. In Burma, on any travel day between cities, it's best to treat the balance of that day as bonus time, to allow for logistical irregularities. You can comfortably do Yangon + Bagan (assuming air travel between the two) in 5-6 days. If you have additional time...1 day, 2 days, 7 days...I'm sure we have plenty of other suggestions. I've yet to meet a person who went to Burma and cut out early voluntarily--most people lament they didn't have more time to spend.

Thanks for the advice! I plan to spend 4-5 days total. From your suggestions and from other related threads it looks like Yangon -1.5 days and the rest for Bagan? This is a side trip from my 15 day trip to Thailand. It's my first time in SE Asia and i'm struggling with the optimal allocation of time

I've been doing short trips to Burma for last two years because like others posters mentioned you will need weeks to explore all the places. Visited Bagan/Mandalay last month and Yangon/Ngapali back in December of 2009. Thinking of going there again for Inlay Lake and may be Shan State end of this year.

Ballon ride in Bagan is amazing, by the way. Highly recommended. Also, to watch a sunsets, you can only go up to 4 or 5 temples as the bigger and older temples are now closed for climbing. Some temples that you can climb all the way to the top were very crowded so get there a bit early if you want to have the best view. We also did the horsecart ride for a half day and enjoyed it. We requested the driver to take the paths where no cars can go/ be around (instead of taking the shortest and most direct routes between temples etc) and saw the most scenic views of the place. It was pretty awesome.

Stayed at Aureum Hotel (not sure it is government owned or not) and loved it. Good internet access and food (oh, we hated every meal we tried outside of our hotel's restaurant ). Also, hotel is located not too close to the old Bagan where all the temples/tourists are. But, the horsecart route from there to old Bagan is worth staying there

Here are some pictures took with the iPhone 4. Yep!

Wow. This is truly amazing! Any tips on negotiating a good price for the balloon ride?

Normally not negotiable at around $250+/pp
so is it money no object or tight budget??

Aureum hotel while not owned by the governemt are owned by one of the chief baddies, Ta Za through the Htoo group.

wow. great photos! I am headed there in November. Will also be going to Mrauk U so it will be interesting to compare the two.

I'll be lugging the D7000 and accessories. I think the balloon ride looks like a must for the photographer.

Booked the balloon ride with eastern safaris. Will post photos after I come back if everything goes smoothly