About 1.5 miles north of Anisakan village, the plateau disappears into an impressively deep wooded amphitheatre, its sides ribboned with several waterfalls . The most impressive of these is the gorgeous three-step Dat Taw Gyaik whose last stage thunders into a shady splash pool beside a small pagoda on the valley floor.
To get here from Pyin Oo Lwin take the main Mandalay highway. In Anisakan town take the second asphalted turn right (signposted) and keep right past the first large pagoda. At the end of this road a pair of basic shack-restaurants mark the start of a forest trail along which the falls’ base are reached by a 45-minute trek. While the way isn’t too difficult to find, employing one of the sales kids as guide (K1000) can prove helpful especially if taking the ‘alternative’ route back (very steep, almost a climb).
The falls are best photographed in afternoon light from the lower view-terrace of the fabulous (but government affiliated) Dat Taw Gyaik Waterfalls Resort on other side of the amphitheatre. Each of its eight luxurious wooden bungalows comes with a stocked drinks cabinet and a large balcony equipped with loungers and a two-person spa tub from which to enjoy partial waterfall views. To find the resort take the easternmost asphalted turn north off the Mandalay–Pyin Oo Lwin highway in Anisakan (signposted for a meditation centre) and turn left immediately after crossing the railway.
