Free Time In Yangon

The hotel is in a great location, close to river and lake offering relaxing walks and instant access to Yangon's many attractions.

Address: Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)

Shwedagon Pagoda

Shwedagon Pagoda, also known as the Golden Pagoda or Great Dragon Pagoda, is one of the most famous pagodas in the world and no visit to Myanmar is complete without witnessing the sheer beauty of this temple. Standing at 2,500 years old, Shwedagon Pagoda is the most sacred Buddhist site for the people of Myanmar.

From its original height of 8.2 metres, the Shwedagon Pagoda now stands tall at 110 metres. It is encrusted with 4,531 diamonds, the largest being a 72-carat diamond and its also covered in hundreds of gold plates. The site of this temple is truly magnificent.

The Shwedagon Pagoda is a constant hive of activity with devotees and monks constantly washing the statues, presenting offerings, worshipping and meditating. It dominates the Yangon skyline and is, without a doubt, completely worth a visit during your time in Myanmar.

Address: Bahan, Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)

Floating Garden on Inle Lake

The gardens that float on the surface of the lake, where Inntha farmers grow flowers, tomatoes, squash, and other fruit and vegetables on long wooden trellises supported by floating vegetation mats. In the morning and afternoon, farmers paddle up and down between the rows tending to their crops.

The farmers gather up lake-bottom weeds from the deeper parts of the lake, bring them back in boats and make them into floating beds, anchored by bamboo poles. These gardens rise and fall with the changing water level, and are resistant to flooding. The constant availability of nutrient-laden water results in the gardens being incredibly fertile.

Address: Inle Lake, Myanmar (Burma)

Fishermen on Inle Lake

Inntha are the local tribe of Inle Lake. The Inntha fishermen have mastered an unusual technique when it comes to paddling their boats: balancing on one leg, and wrapping the other leg around the oar to guide the boat. The fishermen can stand and look out for reeds in the water and keep both hands free to handle their nets.

Address: Inle Lake, Myanmar (Burma)

Lotus Weaving in Inle

Lotus flowers are grown in Inle for weaving robes, scarves, shawls, longyis, and other clothing using lotus fibers as thread. Lotus stalks are harvested by the thousands in the rainy season and then stored. The stalks produce thin, soft strings when cut and pulled to extract the lotus fibers.

Observe the process of this unique craft.

Address: Inle Lake, Myanmar (Burma)

Silversmithing on Inle

The artisans of the Inntha tribe have created amazing traditional gold and silverware, loved and highly demanded by locals and visitors. Witness the process of extracting the silver out of the ore rocks, refining it, and finally pounding it in to the jewelry to create fine pieces of work.

Address: Inle Lake, Myanmar (Burma)

Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda

The Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda situated on Inle Lake is dedicated its people. The pagoda itself is highly revered in the area as it contains five sacred images of Buddha. Each of the five gilded Buddha images are densely covered in gold leaf, which only the male devotees are allowed to place on the images. They are so densely covered that the images are almost unrecognisable now, yet each day people come to pay their respects and place more gold leaf on the images.

Annually, there is a Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda festival held during the 7th month of the Burmese lunar calendar which usually falls around October or November. This 18-day festival involves a procession of boats removing four of the five Buddha images from the monastery and placing them on the Royal Barge which visits 14 villages around the lake, leaving the Buddha images in the main monastery of each village overnight. Throughout the festival, visitors from around the region come in their boats to pay their respects, particularly in Nyaung Shwe.

Address: Myanmar (Burma)

Free Time on Inle Lake

Take in the tranquility of the lake while exploring your surroundings. You will be able to escape the fantastic sunset that sweeps over the region around 5pm.
Inle Lake is part of the Shan State, a Tai ethnic group of around 5 million people within Myanmar alone. Shan ethnic groups have many subdivisions, such as Tai Yai and Tai Khun. Shan people have been within Myanmar, Thailand and Laos since the 12th century.

Address: Inle Lake, Myanmar (Burma)

Local Market on Inla Lake

This market is held daily but the location rotates around the lake area to 5 different sites. In Inle, Maing Thauk Market is a large and bustling market where one can find the real local atmosphere with a variety of produce from the lake.

Address: Maing Thouk Wooden Bridge, Taunggyi, Myanmar (Burma)

Bogyoke Aung Sann Market

Bogyoke Aung Sann Market, also known as Scott Market, is a huge flea market and bazaar in central Yangon. It caters to all local needs as well as providing a fascinating activity for tourists and travellers to the area.

With over 2,000 shops at this market, you could easily spend half a day or more here exploring the many stalls. There is a lot on offer to tourists such as local handicrafts, jewellery and souvenirs. All fo the handicrafts are made by the very skilled locals.

The market is also a great place to sample of Burmese street food specialities from the local vendors. Bogyoke Aung Sann Market is also a popular black market for money exchanged and is also known to sell medicine and foreign goods.

Address: Bo Gyoke Rd, Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)

Heart of Yangon

The heart of Yangon is in the downtown area of the city, where the ghosts of the British Colonial influence still prevail. Stop at the front of the City Hall and walk around the city centre passing colonial buildings such as the High Court, Myanmar Port Authority Office, Yangon Post Office and many more.

Address: Pansodan Street, Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)

Chinatown Yangon

Yangon's Chinatown is located in downtown Yangon. Here, you'll be able to experience the rustic market where you'll find local people sipping tea and beer with a traditional barbecue. In the 1950s, the British expanded the city of Yangon and this is when Chinatown was born in the heart of the city.

Chinatown is filled with many shops and stalls where you'll be able to buy anything you could possibly think of.

Address: Maha Bandula, Yangon MMR013D003, Myanmar (Burma)