Popa Art Resort is a lovely retreat in a quiet spot between Kyaukpadaung and Mount Popa. It has modern, comfortable guest rooms and bungalows as well as meeting rooms, display rooms, a museum, and extensive gardens.
Popa Art Resort is an ideal place for a family holiday, and self-directed travel such as birdwatching, walking tours, or getting to know the people and places. There are many places to explore on foot in the surrounding countryside. The township’s largest town, Kyaukpadaung, is about 6 kilometres away, Pagan is less than an hour’s drive. Other towns and villages are easy to reach on motorbike, bicycle, or local transport.
Popa and Surroundings အနုပညာမြိုင်ရဲ့ ရှုမောဖွယ်ဝန်းကျင်
The forest of Mount Popa play a major role in the history, culture, and art of Myanmar. The volcano, rising over 1000 metres out of a nearly flat plains, forms an ecological niche. Many species of birds, bats, and flowers flourish in the coolness of its slopes. Seven microclimates are found around and inside the volcano.
အနုပညာမြိုင်အနီးက
ကြာကန်နဲ့ပုပ္ပါးတောင်မကြီး
မြင်ကွင်း
Mount Popa seen from a lily pond near Popa Art Resort
The last eruption of Mount Popa resulted in an implosion that blasted away one side of the mountain about 8000 years ago. It is technically not extinct, but there is no measurable volcanic activity. Geologically it is quite interesting. Follow this link for scientific description of the volcano from the Smithsonian Institute with links to articles. In 2017, the Geological Society published a book about the geology of Myanmar, which can be found here. The Myanmar Geosciences Society is also very active in research.
Popa is said to be home of the nat spirits. Between the mountain and Kyaukpadaung is Taung Kalat, a steep lava formation now decked with pagodas. It figures in old poetry and the history of Pagan. Popa village is near Taung Kalat, and 40 other villages surround the mountain. Of them, Hse-bauk is the nearest to Popa Art Resort.
The villages have many pleasant places to visit. Salt was produced in some of the villages in pre-historic times, and there is still a pagoda called ‘Salt Mine Pagoda’. Great stands of tamarind trees shade parts of the area.
A Geo Park is planned, which will featured petrified wood among other finds. In addition, excavations from the Iron Age are expected. One village is called ‘Iron Forge Village’, and may have remnants of ancient settlements.
The markets of the area have many local goods, including cotton cloth, blacksmith’s wares, delicious sesame and other local produce, fresh flowers, and handmade household goods. Each village also has its own character and history.
Popa Art Resort, true to its name, also has a collection of paintings in a range of styles and periods, a poetry grove, graphic arts such as movie posters and old advertisements, and various items from history of printing. Much can be learned from this displays and the nature all around. We hope that visitors will cherish the nature and heritage they experience at Popa Art Resort.
Popa Art Resort 