Kyauk Ka Lat Pagoda – Hpan An Myanmar: A quick guide with everything you need to know about visiting Hpa An’s famous Kyauk Ka Lat Pagoda.
Kyauk Ka Lat Pagoda – Hpa An Myanmar: A quick guide with everyting you need to know about visiting Hpa An’s famous Kyauk Ka Lat Pagoda.
We’ve seen our fair share of pagodas over the years and the architectural aspects often blow our minds. And that’s exactly what happened when we visited Kyauk Ka Lat Pagoda in Hpa An.
About Kyauk Ka Lat Pagoda
Kyauk Ka Lat Pagoda (also spelt Kyauk Ka Latt and Kyauk Ka Lap), isn’t just a single temple, but rather a small religious complex. Comprising of a series of structures, stupas and shrines, the complex sits on a small island surrounded by a man made lake. The main pagoda perched on a precarious looking limestone rock, is undoubtedly the focal point. You can climb the uneven stairs to a shrine, positioned midway up the rock for views over the area. The pagoda to the very top is off limits (accessible only by a wooden ladder!) It’s a popular place amongst locals and is one that you must see when visiting Hpa An.
Visiting Kyauk Ka Lat Pagoda
We visited the pagoda on our last evening in Hpa An. The day prior, we hiked Mount Zwekabin, visited Sadden caves and planned on finishing our day at Kyauk Ka Lat. However, in our bid for clear vistas over Hpa An, we decided to re-hike Mt Hpan Pu instead.
We arrived at Kyauk Ka Lat late afternoon via moto-taxi. From the carpark, we walked down the main road, lined with vendors and lots of locals. After a few minutes we reached the Chan Thar Gyi Temple. This large structure also facing a lake was quite beautiful and made for a pretty picture.
From here, we had good views over the pagoda, which became more astonishing the closer we got. We were hoping for a nice sunset and a ‘golden hour glow’, however, the thick cloud cover prevented that from happening! But with Mount Zwekabin looming from behind, the backdrop was already dramatic enough.
After posing with some friendly locals for a photo, we walked across the wooden foot bridge to the small island. It was particularaly busy during our visit, largely due to an event happening right by the carpark. We were keen to head up to the shrine, but as we stood at the foot of the limestone rock, there was lengthy queue to the stairs. I use the word queue loosely, as the locals seemed to have their own order for entering.
Views from the lake
Eventually, we lost patience and decided to find a quieter place to admire this stunning temple. As we walked around the lake, we only passed one or two people before finding a nice stop to sit. It was hard not to take 1000 photos from here, as Kyauk Ka Lat Pagoda truely is a stunning sight. We recommend wandering around the lake and away from the island for a different perspective and to escape the crowds.
Things to do nearby
This area is surrounded by rice fields and farm land. We saw many farmers smiling and waving from the neighbouring fields, so it was nice to catch a glimpse of local life. In fact, we had a little poke around the small dirt road behind the carpark, where we saw more local life in action. These were some of our favourite moments in Hpa An.
Kyauk Ka Lat Pagoda is located close to many attractions. So it’s makes sense to combine some of these to your visit such as:
- Hiking Mount Zwekabin (or just admiring it from afar!)
- Stroll through the 1000+ buddha statues at Lumbini Gardens
- Visit one of the many caves nearby
Getting to & from Kyauk Ka Lat Pagoda
The Kyauk Ka Lat Pagoda is located about 12km from Hpa An’s clock tower in the town centre. There’s a couple of ways to get there:
Hire a motorbike
The most popular option for many travellers is to hire a motorbike. This offers the most flexibility and enables you to visit the surrounding attractions at your leisure. Expect to pay MMK8,000-12,000 for a full day, although bikes can be rented for half days or by the hour.
By tuk tuk or moto- taxi
We took a moto taxi there and a tuk tuk back. This isn’t the most cost effective way of visiting the pagoda, but worked for us. We paid about MMK3,000 for the moto-taxi and MMK4,000 for the tuk tuk. There were no drivers around the carpark when we were ready to leave, as it was quite late. So we had to head to the main road and walk a bit before one stopped for us.
If you’re not hiring a motorbike during your visit to Hpa An, then consider a day trip via tuk tuk. That way, you can combine a visit to Kyauk Ka Lat Pagoda with surrounding attractions.
Read more – The ultimate guide to visiting Hpa An
Things to now before you visit Kyauk Ka Lat Pagoda
- Entrance if free
- As this is a religious site, you must leave your shoes at the start of the foot bridge
- Before crossing the bridge, you must cover your shoulders and knees
- This is an active monastery and meditation site, so be respectful by dressing accordingly and not creating too much noise
- There are plenty of tea shops and places to buy snacks, drinks etc by the carpark
In summary
This is by far one of the most fascinating and beautiful pagodas we have seen. A visit here doesn’t take long. So we definitely recommend adding this to your list of this to see in Hpa An!
Planning a visit to Myanmar? Check out our Myanmar blogs to help get you started!
The ultimate guide to visiting Hpa An
A complete guide to hiking Mt Hpan Pu
A complete guide to hiking Mount Zwekabin
The ultimate Bagan travel guide
Best Bagan sunrise & sunset viewpoints
Why you can’t climb Bagan’s temples
Like this post? Then pin it! Want to see more of Hpa An? Then pin these too!
