About an hour away from Bagan, Mount Popa is a forest-clad landmark, rising over 1,500 metres above sea level, with a volcanic outcrop nearby home to the 37 nats, or animist spirits.
Pilgrims have been visiting the shrine here for over 700 years, climbing 777 winding steps to pay their respects to realistic, carved figures, denoting ancient gods.
The area is often referred to as the oasis of the dry zone, with quite different weather to Bagan, and you will often see the local farmers climbing palms and tapping off the toddy juice to make sugar.