Myanmar, Burma, Yangon, Rangoon, Kandawgyi Lake, Shwedagon Pagoda

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Kandawgyi Lake

Top choice in Yangon

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Also known as Royal Lake, this artificial lake built by the British as a reservoir is most attractive at sunset, when the glittering Shwedagon Paya is reflected in its calm waters. The boardwalk, which runs mainly along the lake's southern and western sides (and which is free to wander), is also an ideal place for an early-morning jog or stroll.

Just east of the shuttered Kandawgyi Palace Hotel, on the southern side of the lake, floats a Shin Upagot shrine. Upagot is a Bodhisattva (Buddhist saint) who is said to protect human beings in moments of mortal danger.

The eastern end of the lake, for which you'll have to pay the admission charge, is dominated by a small park, a kids' playground and Karaweik Palace, a reinforced-concrete reproduction of a royal barge. There are plenty of lakeside cafes here that are good spots for a drink at sunset.

On the lake's north side, the quirky Utopia Tower is a giant pile of artificial rocks housing bars, karaoke, a massage parlour and, on the 5th floor, a viewing deck.

Also here is the new Myanmar Aquarium which opened at the end of 2019.

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Nearby Yangon attractions

1. Utopia Tower

0.29 MILES

On the north side of Kandawgyi Lake, this giant pile of artificial rocks houses bars, karaoke, a massage parlour and, on the 5th floor, a viewing deck.

2. Myanmar Aquarium

0.35 MILES

Singapore company Surbana Jurong designed this new, international-standard aquarium which is set to open by the end of 2019. Over 20 different tanks,…

3. Yangon Zoological Gardens

0.55 MILES

The prime reason for visiting Yangon's 1901-vintage zoo, covering 58 acres, is to take a rest in its leafy grounds and view handsome architectural…

4. Bogyoke Aung San Museum

0.69 MILES

You'll have to work hard to imagine what life was like inside this colonial-era mansion, where Aung San lived with his family for just over two years…

5. Maha Wizaya Zedi

0.95 MILES

This well-proportioned zedi (stupa), built on General Ne Win's orders in the early 1980s to commemorate the unification of Theravada Buddhism in Myanmar,…

6. Thakin Kodaw Hmaing Mausoleum

0.99 MILES

The tomb of one of Myanmar's most celebrated poets and public intellectuals is the furthest away from Shwedagon Paya in the quartet of mausoleums here…

7. Suphayalat's Mausoleum

0.99 MILES

This traditional-style multitiered construction contains the tomb of Burma’s last queen, Suphayalat (1859–1925). Having been exiled to India with her…

8. Daw Khin Kyi Mausoleum

0.99 MILES

Here lies Aung San’s widow and Aung San Suu Kyi's mother Daw Khin Kyi. Her funeral in 1989 was attended by more than 100,000 and was a galvanising moment…

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