Shwedagon Pagoda

Looming large over Yangon's skyline, the golden shimmer of Shwedagon Pagoda is one of the city’s unmissable sights. Sat on top of a hill at the heart of a vibrant pagoda complex, Shwedagon is also known as the ‘Golden Pagoda’ and here’s why – it’s 99-metre-high stupa covered in about 27 tonnes of gold leaf! Oh and then there are the thousands of diamonds and gems that make up its glittering hti (umbrella crown) at its pinnacle. This is Myanmar's most sacred spot and houses precious Buddha relics – legend suggests that it was built 2,600 years ago whilst historians argue it was built between the 6^th and 12^th centuries. However old it is, the atmosphere around the complex is electrifying and especially spectacular at sunset.