3 days in Inle Lake

Living in Myanmar, Inle lake is a must-do with family and friends visiting me. I have already been three times and always enjoyed it. The region is really amazing!
Located in Shan State, in the middle of the mountains, Inle is famous for its magic landscapes and the Intha ethnic group living on the lake. There are a lot of things to do in the region. Here is my perfect 3-days plan.

Day 1: boat tour

When visiting Inle, you can’t avoid a boat tour. It is the best way to discover the lake daily life.

To make the most of it (and not have the feeling to be one tourist among hundreds), I advice you to choose by yourself what you want to visit on the lake and not follow the classic tours. You can ask your driver to drop you wherever you want.

This is what we did the last time I went there.  The ride itself is magical: we passed through canals, floating villages, floating gardens, pagodas, fishermen.... The atmosphere is relaxing and we got the chance to observe how local people are living on the lake. 

Pagoda and monastery

During the day, there are a lot of pagodas and monasteries to see. Indein Pagoda is my favorite.  All the way up to the pagoda, there are tens of stupas of different colors, sizes... And at the bottom, old ones. The contrast is very beautiful!

Nga Phe Kyaung is also a beautiful old wooden monastery interesting to visit.

  

Workshops 

With tourism development, many shops and factories appear on the lake.

Personally, I never get tired of visiting the lotus fiber weaving factories. The workers show the weaving process from removing the thread of the lotus plant to weaving with the manual wooden machines. If you are on a shopping mood, you can buy nice fabrics, scarf, shirts..

I also visited some silver factory and cheroot factory. Those factories are more shops than workshops but you can find nice souvenirs. 

Where to eat on the lake?

They are many restaurants on the lake. But my favorite place is Inle Heritage.  It is a not-for-profit organisation which aim is to preserve the cultural and natural of the Inle region. The hotel/restaurant is in the middle of the lake and respects the local traditional architecture. It is a peaceful place. The food is amazingly fresh and tasty. In addition, you can visit their Burmese cat village... 

Day 2: bike around the lake

Biking is a good way to discover the region. Every hotels can give you a map with the usual journey : Nyaung Swhe - Kaung Daing - Crossing the lake by boat - Mine Thauk village - Nyaung Swhe. But feel free to adapt it and get lost in the villages. I did it two times and each time I discovered new places.


A highlight of the journey is the Mine Thauk village and its wooden bridge from where you can observe the village life - which is partly on the lake - and take very nice pictures.

Lunch at La Riziere: La Riziere is a cozy restaurant in the middle of the nature. It is the perfect stop for a resting lunch! 

Sunset at Red Mountain : Red Mountain vineyard has a spectacular view of the valley, from Nyaung Shwe to the Inle Lake.
The wine is not the best wine I ever tried but it is so pleasant to have a glass of wine sitting in the terrasse and watching this perfect view.






If you want to bike more, there is a beautiful teak monastery North of Nyaung Shwe: Shwe Yan Pyay monastry.  When I visited it, I saw a lot of monks living there and taking care of the place. One of them took some time to explain us of the monastery history.


Another fun thing to do in Inle is the 5-days market. The market changes of place everyday during 5 days. It is a really colorful food market where we saw people from the different ethnic groups living in Shan State. You can recognize them by their traditional clothes.

Day 3: cooking class and massage

During my last trip with three friends from France, we decided to have a more relaxing day. 

Myanmar food cooking class

We took a cooking class with Leslie and Sue from Bamboo Delight. We had a lovely time with them and learnt how to cook the famous Shan noodles and Myanmar salads. 

We started the day by shopping at Nyaung Shwe market with Leslie. The visit was a bit too quick but we enjoyed the walk around the lively market. Leslie showed us the main ingredients of the Myanmar cuisine. 

Then, he took us to the cooking class: an open room where we cooked on charcoal stoves. We directly felt at home in this peaceful and green environment. Each one of us got the chance to choose two dishes to cook.

At the end, we all ate together: salads, curries, Shan Noodles... It was delicious!

Sue and Leslie are giving a part of their profit to their social project: A English summer camp and library for the kids of their community. Another good reason to try their cooking class!

Get a local massage

I went to My Parents every time I went to Nyaung Shwe. The massages are really cheap (6000 kyats for 1 hour). The family is super nice and welcoming. They give traditional Inthar massages: you keep your clothes on and they work with pressure points.
The second time I went with my parents, the owner of the place recognized me and invited us for lunch. All the family cooked for us and we tried to discuss together with in a Myanmar/English language... A very fun moment!

Festival on Inle Lake 
If you are in Myanmar in October, don't miss the Phaung-Daw U festival. Tens of boats are parading on the lake following a sacred boat.
On each boat, people are wearing traditional clothes, paddling with their legs and singing traditional songs. An amazing show! 

In November, there is the crazy Taungyi Balloon festival. It is one of the most amazing things I have seen in Myanmar. Thousands of persons are gathering in Taungyi that looks like a giant fair: loud musics, food, drinks, games...
Villages around Taungyi prepare their balloon for the competition during the all year. At night, the balloons are released every half an hour, and come in two categories : ones that are beautifully lit up and ones laden with thousands of fireworks.
The show is really impressive but what we found the craziest is the number of people having fun around.


Want to support community projects? 
Inle suffers from various environmental issues: pollution, deforestation... Some local communities are trying their best to preserve it. Try the famous Inle Heritage. I also heard really good things about A little Eco Lodge.  Or have a cooking class at Bamboo Delight!

Where to stay? 

Hotels on the lake are expensive, so I always stayed in Nyaung Shwe.
Mingalar Inn is a good option : there is a big enough swimming pool and the breakfast is really good.
Pyi Guesthouse has cute bungalows and a very good breakfast too. 

Last time I visited Inle, we decided to stay one night at Hupin Inle Khaung Dain village which has rooms along the lake in addition to the bungalows on the lake. We did not exactly sleep on the lake but we were able to enjoy an amazing sunrise. It is a good option if you want to stay near the lake but do not have the budget. And spend relaxing moments ;).

Where to eat in Nyaung Shwe? 

I really like the French Touch restaurant. It is the perfect place if you are tired of Myanmar food. The place is nicely decorated with amazing photos of Myanmar. When we went there, they were screening a movie about a Burmese monk made by the restaurant's French owner. 

The Green Chili serves very good Myanmar and Asian food. 

Around Inle Lake 

I visited the Pindaya cave in 2016 with my parents and I loved it. Pindaya is located 2-hours north of Inle. You can do a day trip from Inle Lake or stay at Pindaya, a nice and quiet city. The cave counts thousands of buddhas and is really impressive.

I did the two-days trek between Kalaw and Inle in  2016 with my parents and we had a memorable experience. The landscape are amazing: mountains, rice fields, villages... We spent the night in a village sleeping in one of the village house. Of course, we were not the only tourists staying in the village but we were able to discuss with local people and we had an amazing traditional Myanmar dinner.

Sankar lake is South of Inle Lake. Less touristic than Inle Lake, it is possible to visit it by boat from Inle or from Loikaw. Read my article about Sankar lake here.