Yangon, formerly Rangoon, is the largest city in Myanmar and the economic hub of the country. Now that the doors to the Myanmar are officially reopen, Yangon, Myanmar travel has quickly become one of the most popular Asian destinations, especially for its beautiful melding of British, Burmese, Chinese, and Indian influences.

After the city became the capital of British Burma in the 19th century, Yangon underwent a subsequent era of significant growth and a boom in colonial architecture. Yet after gaining its independence, Yangon faced a tumultuous military dictatorship, followed by a tropical cyclone in 2008. The largest natural disaster in Myanmar in recorded history, the cyclone caused significant damage, but most of the city escaped major structural damage. For visitors today, Yangon offers Southeast Asia’s largest concentration of colonial buildings, the majority of which remains almost untouched by time.

At 325 feet tall, the Shwedagon Pagoda, the most sacred Buddhist pagoda for the Burmese, dominates the city skyline and remains the city’s most visited landmark. Relics of four past Buddhas are enshrined within it, even further enhancing its appeal alongside the 2,000-year old Sule Pagoda in the heart of downtown. Nearby, the 150-acre Kandawgyi Lake is surrounded by the Kandawgyi Nature Park and Yangon Zoological Gardens, which consists of a zoo, aquarium, and an amusement park, creating yet another popular recreational area in the city.

But Yangon is not just a city of architecture. Within the last ten years, Yangon’s international food scene has exploded with the introduction of Western, Italian, Japanese, Thai, and Korean restaurants. To eat like a local, try the national dish mohinga, a fish soup with lemongrass and tea leaf salad. Crisp-fried garlic, curry, roasted peanuts, and lime all play a large role in traditional Burmese culture and to turn up the heat on dishes, locals turn to chilies.

To incorporate the beauties of our Yangon vacation packages into your Myanmar luxury travel plans, contact a Ker & Downey luxury travel consultant today.