inle lake
Located in the Shan State of Myanmar is the beautiful Inle Lake. A perfect mix of tranquil scenery and culture. It’s a world like no other as you drift through the floating villages and gardens, watch the skillful Intha fishermen and visit temples rich in history.
The main township on Inle Lake, pronounced ‘Ee-n-l’, is Nyuangshwe, which connects directly with the major highways. It’s easy to get here by bus or you can choose to fly into Heho Airport. A Taxi to Nyuangshwer will cost between 13-20,000 kyats depending on your bartering skills. Upon arrival into Nyuangshwe you will be charged a 12,500 kyats entry fee. There are several hostels, guesthouses and hotels here, as well as plenty of tour options, souvenir shopping and restaurants.
You can hire a boat for the day for between 12-15000 kyats per day and up to 20,000 per day if you include Inthien. Guides are an additional cost. Each boat will have 5 seats, each with a blanket and umbrella. It is cheapest to book directly with the driver, although most hostels and hotels will be able to assist you as well. Head to the jetty early in the morning or barter with the boat men that approach you in the streets. There is a lot to see on and around the Lake and you can easily spend at least 3 days trying to see and do it all. Here’s what I recommend seeing.
One of the main reasons I wanted to visit Inle Lake was to see the Intha fishermen, an iconic image of Myanmar. These fishermen use a unique technique where they balance on one leg at the end of the boat while using their other leg for paddling as well as guiding their nets into the water. This age old technique, used only by men, was originally developed to allow them to better see floating plants and reeds, while keeping their arms free. I watched in amazement of the skill and grace of these fishermen.
Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda lies just south of Tha Lay village. It is one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Shan State. Inside the huge pagoda are five Buddha images. They are now unrecognizable blobs from having so much gold leaf rubbed on them. Ladied are prohibited from walking on the shrine, however they are still clearly visible. Each year in October the Phaung Daw Oo festival takes place. The images are paraded around the lake for 18 days on a barge, visiting each town. Many Buddhists will travel to Nyuangshwe for this festival. During the 1960’s the barge that carried the images capsized. All of the Buddha images were recovered except one. Legend has it that when they returned to the monastery the lost image had mysteriously been returned to it’s place. Queue twilight zone music. Outside the pagoda are markets selling everything from carvings, jewelry and key rings to traditional Myanmar opium pipes. You can barter down to a third of the price on some items. Beside the pagoda you will see a replica of the large golden barge believed to have been used by King Alaung Sithu. They do charge a 2-300 kyats camera fee to use your professional camera inside in pagoda, however you may use your phone camera at no charge.
On the lake you will no doubt pass through many floating villages. Bamboo houses built on stilts, kids paddling down the narrow waterways with their friends, powerlines suspended unnervingly above the lake, it really is a different world.
The stilted village of In Paw Khone is home to the Khit Sunn Yin Lotus Hand Weaving Centre. Here you can watch the locals as they show you the steps involved with lotus weaving. From breaking the stems of the plant and collecting the strands, spinning it into thread, to colouring the threads and skillfully weaving the different patterns from memory. There is a gift shop where you can purchase their locally made items. They also use silk imported from China and cotton for some products. Prices range form $15USD for smaller items like hair ties into the hundreds for larger items.
Ywama village is most famous for its floating markets. As you arrive local women in boats will grab hold of your boat to show you their range of products. If you’re interested you can visit the Hnin Thitsar Traditional Umbrella Workshop. They will demonstrate how they produce the shan paper, which comes from mulberry bark, and the process that goes into making the umbrellas.
Upstairs you also have the chance to meet ladies from the Padaung long neck tribe, the oldest tribe in Myanmar. Legend has it that they began wearing the necklaces to protect their necks from tiger bites. While this tradition still continues it is less and less popular for the younger generation to stretch their neck. Continue up a further set of stairs to find an antique store. While most things may be too big to take with you it is pretty cool to look at.
Nga Hpe Chaung, also known as Jumping Cat Monastery, earned its nickname from the abbot of the monastery teaching cats to jump through hoops. Many people visit just to watch the cats jump. These days it appears there are only a few cats left, however the monastery is full of beautiful Buddha images.
Make sure you visit one of the floating gardens, which take up about a quarter of the Lake’s surface. Here farmers have staked bamboo poles into the bottom of the lake and layered with seagrass to create small islands in which to plant their crops. As the water rises so do the gardens. You will likely see farmers collecting boatloads of sea grass for their crops all over the lake. Here you can watch the local farmers float along between their gardens collecting produce, the most prominent being green tomatoes.
During the winter, or rainy season, it is possible to visit Inthein. Follow the narrow Inn Thein Creek for about 8km to reach Inthein Village, well known for it’s ancient stupas and markets. There are two groups of stupas here, the Nyuang Oak Pagodas and the Shwe Inn Thein Pagodas, located atop a hill. The site is believed to date back to 3rd century BC during the rein of the Indian Emporer Ashoka who sent monks throughout Asia to spread Buddhism. The oldest stupa is believed to be from 14th century. Note that there is a 300 kyats camera fee for professional cameras.
Another way to see the Lake is to hire a bike. To bike halfway around the Lake will take approximately 2-3 hours depending on how often you stop. You also have the option to bike halfway and return via boat. For a full day you will be looking at around 1,500 kyats. As in Bagan you also have the chance to take a hot air balloon over Inle Lake. It costs approximately $325USD per person and peak ballooning season is November to March.
If you are spending a few nights here you may also want to visit the Khuang Daing Hot Springs. It is reachable by a 30 minute boat ride or by an 8km bike ride. The hot springs are indoor man made pools and offer public and private bathing. Many treks end in Khuang Daing and from here you can relax with a view of the Shan Mountains. Khuang Daing village is also known for producing Shan State’s famous tofu and you can purchase tofu salads here for a cheap price.
After a day of sightseeing out on the Lake why not head to Red Mountain Winery. Yes, I was surprised to find a winery in the middle of Myanmar too. It’s located about 4.5km out of town and can easily be reached by taxi or by bike. Note that if you choose to bike there’s a bit of a hill when you arrive. For 5,000 kyats you can enjoy a wine tasting of two reds and two whites with a plate of peanuts. I recommend also making a reservation at their restaurant. The food prices are reasonable and it offers a lovely view of the sunset behind the mountains.
Inle Lake offers a range of fresh local foods including fish, green tomatoes and beautiful avocados. This is a good place to try avocado salad, which is more of a smashed avo meets guacamole. I also had the best strawberry juice of my life at the Golden Kite restaurant.
