Location: Ngapali
Top Things to do in Ngapali
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The 10 Best Things to Do in Ngapali, Myanmar
Thandwe ("Thandway" in Arakanese)(Burmese: သံတွဲမြို့; MLCTS: samtwai: mrui. [θàɴdwɛ́ mjo̰]; formerly Sandoway) is a town and major seaport in Rakhine State, the westernmost part of Myanmar. Thandwe is very ancient, and is said to have been at one time the capital of Rakhine State, then called Arakan. The district has an area of 3,784 square miles (9,800 km). The country is mountainous, the Arakan Mountains sending out spurs which reach the coast. Some of the peaks in the north attain 4,000 and more ft. The streams are only mountain torrents to within a few miles of the coast; the mouth of the Khwa forms a good anchorage for vessels of from 9 to 10 ft (3.0 m). draught. The rocks in the Arakan Range and its spurs are metamorphic, and comprise clay, slates, ironstone and indurated sandstone; towards the south, ironstone, trap and rocks of basaltic character are common; veins of steatite and white fibrous quartz are also found. Between 1961 and 1990, the mean annual rainfall was 5,323 millimetres (209.6 in). Except a few acres of tobacco, all the cultivation is rice.
Restaurants in Ngapali
1. Ngapali Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By Eirin V
Clean, white sand outside our hotel. Being cleaned every morning. And in i huge contrast to Nwe Saung Beach farther south, they manage to keep it almost free from motorbikes. And totally free from ATV's and water scooters. Thus is simply the best and most quiet place we have been to so far in Myanmar. Beautiful light at the shore. Recommend, we'll be back!
2. Oriental Ballooning Ngapali
Overall Ratings
5 based on 51 reviews
Fly with Oriental Ballooning, the premier, boutique balloon rides company in Myanmar. Float with us over the beautiful hills and Valleys of the Rakhine State, with breath-taking views of the crystal-clear waters of the Bay of Bengal!
Reviewed By EatYourWayThrough - Doha, Qatar
The Hot air ballon trip was most definitely the highlight of the entire trip to Myanmar !
Started off with the pick up from the hotel and drive towards the site , where we were welcomed by Allie and the crew. Warm pastries, strong coffee, short briefing of DO's and DONT'S and off we were "up in the air" just like in the famous movie with George Clooney, but even better.... We got super lucky and had a chance to go up to 3K ft. Which was amazing. Allie was phenomenal: informative, energetic and very positive through the flight. She shared some interesting points about the area and had managed to fly the ballon, chat with all of us and take great pictures :)
We landed super smoothly and had a beautiful celebration with a bottle of Champagne, just like they did in 1783, when the first air balloon was flown in France. All in all - definitely a must do ...
A true experience to remember - thank you so much, Allie and the Team
Overall Ratings
5 based on 34 reviews
Ngapali Concierge was created to provide travelers with services that otherwise did not exist such as Customizing Tours Tailor Made, Our idea is to really be Ngapali Concierge we are here to Advise and Help with any Inquiries Tourists in Ngapali may have, with more than 30 years experience in the Tourism Industry we know what the needs are, we were Pioneers in Eco-Tourism in Costa Rica and Now in Myanmar, since 2012 in Ngapali. We are not only a Tour Operator. We can help with anything: Wedding Receptions, Chef Tables, Culinary Tours, Fisherman Village Tours, Photography Tours, 4×4 Adventures, Getting Cash, International Phone Calls, Plane Tickets, Emergencies of Any Kind, Private Doctors and anything your Hotel Says Not Possible we Say Possible. All you Need to do is Speak Your Mind and We’ll Make it Happen! Talk to us, We are the Experts!
Reviewed By simon b - Wickham, United Kingdom
We loved the whole experience. We set off at 7.00 a.m from the Hotel as arranged and Gunther drove us with his Team and the boat through amazing countryside stopping for photos on the way. After launching on the riverbank we spent a fabulous couple of hours gently paddling down river taking in the local activities. Gunther took photos along the way from the riverbank. We had lunch in Thandwe at a local restaurant before heading back.
Thank you Gunther and the Team, we had an experience of a lifetime and would not hesitate to recommend you to others.
Simon and Sara.
4. MiMi Souvenir Shop
Overall Ratings
5 based on 42 reviews
Reviewed By Cono1958 - Munich, Germany
If you are looking for real good homemade ice cream than this small shop is the best option in Ngapali. I tasted the curry flavor ice cream and it was delicious! MiMi and Andreas are serving very good Italian coffee too...and while sipping the Espresso you can have a look at the beautiful souvenirs at that shop!
I will definitely return to taste the other flavors of ice cream there.
5. Friends Forever - Snorkelling & Boat Trips
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 49 reviews
Reviewed By MsCin99 - Greater Melbourne, Australia
Chit Poo picked us up at 0800 after a late afternoon enquiry the day before. We headed off in the little fishing boat which was captained by his brother in law. There was shade above the boat for our fair skin. We weren't successful with the hand lines but there were fish, they proved that by their catches.
Then off to snorkelling off Pearl Island, he had been concerned it was a little rough and cloudy for viewing but we saw several types of fish, swam in little schools with some. The tiny bright blue were amazing! Then off to a private beach where they cooked some of their catch for us, a beautiful fresh tomato salad, squid skewers and rice. Chit Poo had brought ice for us to keep our water and one beer cold, then arranged for another ice beer.
Lovely family who live there, their son climbed a coconut tree and I also enjoyed this fresh with a straw.
We could have swam there but the food etc proved too relaxing.
The boat trip back was fun and bumpy, waves splashing over us.
Took a while to get my land legs back!
Remember your block out, smile and sense of adventure and have fun.
Totally recommend.
Thanks guys!
6. Linthar English School
Overall Ratings
5 based on 8 reviews
Reviewed By Silverswimmer - Warks.England
This was very much a return visit, having visited the school every time we come to Ngapali Beach.
The school provides free English lessons to local kids, after hours. Many local hotel staff have "graduated" from here and we found the standard of English locally in hotels and restaurants far better than in say, Bagan.
We visited at 6pm when the older children come from state school to learn English. We met the four pupils and their teacher who were sponsored for a trip to England last April and were delighted at their command of English and to hear of their experiences.
We joined in class's and a Q&A session- the boys wanted to talk about football ,typical!
The older children are now undertaking an English course sponsored by the British Council and a generator and laptops have been donated. More details can be found at myanmar-aid including hours of opening and current newsletters
The school is easily found, either cycle, walk or get a cab from your hotel-just ask to be taken to "Mama Sue's School"
7. Ma Yin Yin
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 9 reviews
Reviewed By Laura P - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
New shop on Ngapali Beach between the Sandoway and Amata resorts. As of late October, there was no sign on the freshly painted storefront.
Come inside and you may be able to buy a ready made longyi (Hta-mein for women) or pick your fabric and one will be made for you. I dropped in one evening and it was ready the next morning.
Of course I walked out wearing it over my capris and the locals were smiling at me.
I can't tell you if the fabrics are higher or lower quality than found at larger venues like the Bogyoke Market in Yangon, however the prices were cheap at 5000 kyat ($5USD) and I was very happen with my new "skirt."
8. Ngapali Trekking
Overall Ratings
5 based on 4 reviews
Reviewed By Alpha K
I went for jungle trekking with Ngapali trekking tour operator. I had an incredible experience which I've never seen in Myanmar. The professional guide came to our hotel and picked up at 7:45 am sharp by car to the small village where there is a way to mountain. We walked through the village and the guide plucked the organic pomelo from the tree and he brought it for our dessert after lunch. Then we passed through the greenery paddy fields towards to the beginning of the mountain. After climbing to the top of a mountain, walk along shaded trails and you will see the panoramic views of the sea. This was my incredible moment that I've ever had when I saw that view. It was an authentic jungle trekking and I was luckily enough to see the variety mushrooms , colorful spiders, small yellow snake, the tortoise, countless green soft creeper and even the pelican. You will never forget this exhilarating experiences in your lifetime and I would definitely do it again in next year.
9. Kanthaya Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 5 reviews
Reviewed By chit s - Yangon Region, Myanmar
Quite near to famous Ngapali but less know and still virgin place. The costal line is continuous with Ngapali abd sea beach had the same quality of sand and clear water. The Viewpoint restaurant, Phokharlay restaurant and 3 or 4 more eating places are good. Accomodation is not grand but economic.
10. Asia Whale Ngapali Water Sport Center - Private Adventures
Overall Ratings
3 based on 11 reviews
Reviewed By RickDow44 - Houston, Texas
My wife and I used the Ngapali Water Sports Center to do two dives. As we went through a tour company, I don’t know what other options are available in Ngapali Beach, but this company has a long way to go to reach world standard for diving practices. Still, we had two good, safe dives by looking out for ourselves. They picked us up from the hotel in a nice van (which turned out to be rented) and drove us through an extremely primitive village out to the point of a peninsula. We didn't see anything that looked like a dive shop when we got out of the van, but we walked to the beach and took a dinghy out to their dive boat, which doubles as the dive shop. They had about 8 BCDs of various manufacture (in pretty good shape), 6-8 regulators and about the same number of masks and fins. Luckily we found equipment that fit. We had the entire 3-story boat to ourselves including a crew of 5 and a chef! My wife kept calling us Ari and Jackie Onassis!
We had to go to a fairly distant village to pick up the dive leader, who is a former navy diver and has also worked on underwater pipelines. There were no PADI signs anywhere and the dive briefing was very brief, as the dive leader’s English is limited. They did not understand my wife’s “Scuba” certification (which only allows her to go to 40 ft depth), but fortunately both dive sites were less than 30 feet deep so we didn't have to be concerned. The first dive was good, but the water was very cloudy with a lot of biological material (bad for divers, but good nutrients for fish). The second dive was much clearer with more colorful coral and fish. We really enjoyed the second dive a lot.
Following the second dive, the chef had prepared lunch consisting of prawns in sauce, prawns and greens in another sauce and fried whole fish, all with rice. It was terrific! They then took us back to our hotel.
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