Mount Popa is an extinct volcano rising 1,518 metres from the plain near Bagan, crowned by the spectacular Taung Kalat monastery perched atop a sheer volcanic plug reached by 777 steps lined with nats (spirit) shrines. It is the spiritual home of Myanmar's 37 mahagiri nats — powerful spirits central to Burmese folk religion — and a major pilgrimage destination. The surrounding Popa Mountain Park protects one of central Myanmar's last patches of tropical forest, home to sambar deer, macaques, and rare birds.