The colonial hill station of Pyin Oo Lwin (Pyin U Lwin) was a summer retreat during British rule, its altitude of 1,070m and relatively cool climate allowing the British ruling class to escape the fearsome heat of Mandalay and lower Myanmar. In that era it called called Maymyo (meaning ‘May’s town’ in Burmese, after a British colonel who was stationed there), and is still sometimes referred to by that name.
Although now blighted by more recent building developments, Pyin Oo Lwin’s colonial legacy still holds the key to the the town’s charm and the surrounding area offers plenty to explore, including a number of magnficient waterfalls