The famous legendary Pagoda on the Golden Rock about 160 Km from Yangon and 11 km of hiking from the base camp at Kyaikhto. Visitors can also go by car up to a point about a mile away from the Pagoda. This pagoda is situated on a rocky mountain 3615 ft above sea level.

          The Kyaikhtiyo pagoda is one of the most ancient and celebrated of all pagodas in Myanmar. It is situated in the vicinity of Kyaikhto township, Thaton district. The pagoda is said to have been built during the life-time of the Buddha over 2400 years ago. According to Mon tradition, the name is a corruption of Kyaik-ithi--yo being derived as follows;

          In Mon language the word "Kyaik" means " pagoda" and " yo" " to carry on the hermits head"; in Pali the word" ithi" means a hermit and therefore the name means " the pagoda carried on the hermit's head; the tradition is that after the hermit had obtained the hair from the Buddha, he was carrying it on his head inside his hair knot till he found a boulder which resembled his head, and so he built the pagoda on its enshrining the relic, substituting the boulder for his over head.

          The pagoda, about 15 feet high, is situated on the hill of the same name on the ridge between Sittaung and Thanlwin. It is built on a huge, almost egg- shaped, rounded granitoid boulder perched on the very summit of a projecting and shelving tabular rock, which in itself is separated several feet from the mountain by a rent or chasm, now spanned by a small foot bridge of iron and on the further side drops perpendicularly into a valley blow.

          On the extreme verge of this sloping rock table, and actually over hanging it by nearly half, is perched this wonderful boulder (now completely gilded with gold, thirty feet high and surrounded by the pagoda. By gently rocking the boulder a thread can be passed underneath; seemingly appears as if the additional weight of a few pounds, or a strong wind, would send it sliding down from the place it has occupied for unknown centuries watching over three thousand feet into the sloping valley beneath and we know what freakish law keeps it in its position .

          Anyway pious Buddhists attribute it to the power of the relic enshrined in the pagoda.

          This relic is a hair of Gotama given to a hermit residing on the mountain by the Buddha himself as he was returning from the second heaven of the Nats whither he had gone to preach the law to his mother. It is of considerable celebrity and attracts crowds of worshippers annually beginning from October to March which is the seasonal prigrimage period for worshippers Especially on the full moonday of Tabaung, the platform of the pagoda is lighted with ninety thousand candles offered to the Buddha and thousands of worshippers gather around the pagoda offering fruits, foods incense to the Buddha. Sometimes reflected rays of colour from the Buddhas image were said to have been observed by the worshippene.

          Accessibility to the pagoda is easy; a visitor can moceed to Kyaikhto by train or by the 200 km road by car via Bago. The distance from Kyaikhto to the base camp Kimmunsakhan is 12 km. For quicker access and for convenience sake a new road has been cut through the jungle from the base camp to the foot of the Kyaikhtiyo ridge. From there one can make the half hour climb to the top. In the old days, the only route to get to the pagoda was by a 12 km. hike through the jungle. The gradient considerably smoothened and well trodden, but steep in some places with names like "Shweyin Sot" ( suffocated in the chest) "Po-pyan taung (grandpa retreat) "Hsaing-ta-mok". The Hsaing tilts up ts head) etc. There are about 20 camps along the tract and on the way there are stalls in which tea, cold drinks and fruits are available. The whole route is sheltered from the sun by the jungle canopy.

          On top of the platform of the pagoda, the panoramic view of the pagoda is astounding, and in the vastness of these blue mountain ranges the sunset and sunrise are spectacular and scenic. The sun usually shaped as a gigantic fiery red ball peeps up slowly and majestically from the hill tops of the eastern horizon, seeming to come out of the deep blue mountain. The sunset is remarkable, moving, scenic and romantic. In general, the Kyaikhtiyo area has a distinctive hue, pale buff and gray, delicate green pink and blue and sombre hues. There is none that can match its vastness, its majesty, its ornate sculpture and its wealth and variation of colour. Whoever stands upon the brink of the plateau of Kyaikhtiyo beholds a scene unrivalled in the country. Scenic treks and trails lead to all important site with their own distinctive features.

The route to Kyain Hti Yo from Yangon

Trekking to Kyaik Hti Yo Pagoda and surrounding area

One of the beautiful scenes of the Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda Trip, 7 miles trip	One of the beautiful scenes of the Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda Trip	One of the beautiful scenes of the Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda Trip
Porters for travelers; carrying the baggage and goods	Porters for elder travelers	One of the beautiful rest areas in the jungle
Trekking in the jungle	Stepping up the hill	Crossing so many small bridges
"Big water stream" camp, 2 miles 5 furlongs	Along the jungle	Crossing the jungle
Stepping down again & again	"A Little Camp" Camp at the 6 miles	Valley of the mountains
Yoga's accepting the donation at the Souvenior shop	Crossing the jungle	Crossing the jungle again!
Stepping up again!	Stepping down again!	Winding road for the Trucks & Porters
Entrance of the Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda	Trucks and visitors at the entrance	Porters and visitors at the entrance
"Shwe Nan Kyin" Spirit Place	"Shwe Nan Kyin" Spirit Place	Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda in side view
Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda in side view	Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda in lower view	10,000 lights Night Scene of the Full-moon night of October
Night Scene of the Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda	Night Scene of the Fullmoon night of October	Local snack shops at the bazaar
Souvenir shop at the bazaar	The bazaar	The trip to Crow Mouth Mountain
Stepping up to Crow Mouth Mountain	Stepping down to Crow Mouth Mountain	Entrance of the Crow Mouth Mountain
Devotee are throwing the coins to the Crow Mouth and praying there!	At the Crow Mouth Mountain	Kyauk Htat Kyi Pagoda, located about 1 hr hiking trip from Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda; the rope is for climbing to the top.
The trucks stop at Yoga Mountain Camp

The estimated cost for the variety of services	US$
Round-trip Air-conditioned Bus from Yangon to Kin Mon Camp however the bus driver never switches on the air-conditioner for fuel saving purpose mentioning that the natural air is better :	4.0
Myanmar Traditional Food for one person (You may eat as much as you can for one item with boiled rice.)	0.5
Bottled Drinking water One litre. One bottle is enough for you because you could get more bottles on the way at the small rest area elsewhere.	0.25
Bathing for one person (no private shower available ). Unfortunately you don''t have a choice for this service otherwise you will be dirty on the way back to Yangon.	0.20
Kyaikhto Hotel for two persons per night for local Myanmar People. It's slightly expansive for tourist (however it is very expensive to dine there, you are recommended to dine at the local Myanmar Food Stall elsewhere. It's cost as cheap as 1.0 US$ per person for one item with boiled rice. Reservation in advanced is highly recommended.	8.0
Potter Luggage (1 viss = 3.6 lbs.), this service is highly recommended (a must) for all travelers before you got the regret on the way to mountain.	0.125
Potter Human (1 viss = 3.6 lbs.), this service is only suitable for elder people who could not walk the very long journey.	0.25
The above cost is subjected to change without notice. This survey is collected as of October 2000 (1 US$ = 420 Kyats). Since the cost is surveyed based on the current US$ value, the above cost won't be changed significantly regardless of the local currency variation. Have an enjoyable trip!