U Bein Bridge stretches 1.2 kilometres across Taungthaman Lake on 1,086 teak pillars, each driven into the lake bed without concrete or modern fixings. The wood has darkened to near-black with age and the structure sways slightly underfoot in a way that feels precarious without actually being dangerous. Monks cross it morning and evening in their saffron robes; locals cycle along it on market days; tourists arrive in their hundreds for the sunset.
The sunset crowd is real and worth planning around rather than fighting. The best approach is to arrive two to three hours before dusk, walk the bridge in both directions while the light is still even, and then position yourself on one of the wooden boats for hire on the lake. From the water, with the bridge silhouetted above, the composition is more interesting than standing on it in a crowd.
Dawn is an underrated alternative — mist rises from the lake in the cool months (November to February), monks cross in the pale light, and the tour groups are absent. The small white-painted Shin Tha Lyaung Reclining Buddha temple at the lake's edge, surrounded by frangipani, is worth visiting whatever time you arrive. Several small teashops and noodle stalls operate at both ends of the bridge.