//
Placed in a beautiful surrounding with a nearby lake and pagoda.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Take a boat across the river to Hpa-Pu and learn something about the history and name of Hpa-an. If you feel energetic you can hike up the hill north of Hpa-Pu.
This pagoda at the north-west end of town has nice views of the sunset. You can watch from a viewing tower or at the side of the river next to the pagoda.
The entrance to this cave is 116 feet above sea level. Stemming back from the 17th century. With three Buddha images (standing and sitting), nearly 5 feet in height. It is located close to the village with the same name. Top of the hill exit has an amazing sunset view deck.
This lake in the lower part of the city and its wooden bridge are recommended in the evening.
This used to be a great experience and impressive nature spectacle when an endless stream of 100,000s of bats came flying out of their cave at sunset (check the sunset time). However locals seem to dislike the colony and each evening departure sit banging drum & shacking noisy rattle which disturbs the bat departure causing bats to emerge and scatter rather than forming the dramatic ribbon formation (the "ribbon" formation eventually reforms some distance away). The bats start coming out of the cave almost exactly at sunset, and the whole spectacle now takes less than 1 hr (although the vast majority of bats fly out of the cave in the first 10 min). Bring patience and a torch (for the walk back). Go a bit earlier and climb up the nearby hill in front of the cave with a stupa on top to have a stunning view of the river and countryside. The best place to see the bats is near the stupa at the base of the stairs. About 5,000 kyat for a taxi to get there and back from Hpa-an. It can also be booked as a tour with most of the guest houses.
Besides the Saddan Cave, this is also a very famous cave and worth the visit, causing the steep price. The rock carvings are said to originate from the 13th century. If you are not keen to pay the entrance, climb the close lookout for free. It may be possible to skip the "donation" check by keeping to the left and walking behind the buildings facing the main path. Watch out for the monkeys.