Chaung-Thar Beach is located 40km to the west of Pathein in Ayeyarwaddy Delta. It is about a 5 hour drive from Yangon via Pathein to Chaung-Thar Beach. There are bungalow type hotels along the beach with modern facilities.

Located in the Ayeyarwady delta about 190km west of Yangon, this premier port city is noted for its pottery and hand-painted umbrellas and handicrafts and the Shwemokhtaw Pagoda (which was built by the three lovers of a Muslim princess). A major festival is held at the pagoda over the full-moon period in May. You can't fly to Pathein, and the train trip is laborious. Your best bet is the 18-hour overnight ferry trip from Yangon, travelling along the Twante Canal and through the delta waterways.

Perhaps the most pleasurable way to see Myanmar, feel its pulse, live its legends and understand its history, is to travel the Ayeyarwady River. From the small teak and bamboo dwellings, home to the excited children who run along the riverbank, to the women purposefully going about their daily chores, to the ox carts cultivating fields, a river cruise gives a unique insight into the way of life of the country. Elegant monasteries rise above canopied trees, and ruined ancient temples reveal a wealth of historic treasures.

This River still remains Myanmar's lifeline. The people and economy are ever dependent on its vital natural source. Over the centuries Myanmar has developed around the banks of this mighty river making it the ideal vantage point from which to experience this once isolated nation.