INLE LAKE HOLIDAYS
Inle Lake tours and things to do: Check out best travel guide & reviews and photos of Inle Lake, a beautiful and relaxing place to sit back at truly embrace rural Burma. Most visitors come to this shallow lake to enjoy a cruise which, while fascinating, is now one of the most popular things to do in Burma. The boat tours around the lake will take in floating villages and markets with stops at various craft workshops where you can see traditional clothing being made, along with silver jewellery and lacquerware being created.
The lake is a birdwatchers dream too with over 245 different bird species living within the Inle Wetland Wildlife Sanctuary. It is home to both migratory birds and local birds that use it as a nesting site and some of the highlights include the rare Jerdon’s Bushchat, White-tailed Stonechat, Collared Myna, Black-collared Starling, rare Sarus Crane, Glossy Ibis, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Crimson Sunbird, and Clamorous Reed Warbler. It’s also possible to see large breeding colonies of Great Egrets, Black-crowned Night Herons, and White-vented and Common Mynas among other birds.
The lake is also rich in marine life and the Intha fishermen, who have a unique style of rowing where they manoeuvre their boats with one leg, are a common sight on the lake. The fishermen harvest the carp with a conical net that is stretched over a bamboo and wooden frame, as well as spear fish with a variety of rustic harpoons.
inle lake
Time difference: GMT + 6.5 hours
Flight Time: Approx 15hours to Rangoon
Visa Required: Yes
Currency: Kyat
Tel Code: +95
Official Language: Burmese
Main Religion: Theravada Buddhism
Airlines: Thai Airways, Cathay Pacific, Vietnam Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines
Inle Lake: guide to visit
A visit to Inle Lake, offer with a serene and naturally resplendent place to tour, Inle Lake gives a glimpse of a different side of Burmese life. The Intha people live close to or on the water in stilt villages – trek through traditional settlements around the shore or take a boat trip to see the unique leg rowing technique and innovative floating gardens. Sights around the lake include: Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, a tiered pagoda on the lakeside sheltering five ancient Buddha images covered in offerings of gold leaf; Inthein, a village overlooked by old overgrown stupas and hilltop pagodas; and stop at one or two of the lakeshore villages, many of which have a weekly market.
A wonderful watery world of floating gardens, stilted villages and crumbling stupas, Inle Lake tour is an absolute must in your vacation. Mountains tumble down towards the lakeshore, blurring the distinction between heaven and earth. For many travellers, Inle is heaven on earth, a place to while away the days canoeing, cycling and walking through the lush countryside. The Intha people are famous for their leg rowing, although these days many just turn it on for the tourists. There is even a monastery where meditating monks have taught the cats to jump – that’s enlightenment for you. Inle deserves to be savoured, not rushed, and many travellers end up staying for longer than they expected.
In September and October, the Phaung Daw U festival runs for nearly three weeks and is followed by the Thadingyut festival, one of Myanmar’s best-known events.
what to do when visiting Inle
If there is a place in Myanmar where the authenticity of the country is reflected, this is undoubtedly the area of Inle Lake. As such, the Inle Lake is a fluvial extension and an economic place for the ethnic groups that inhabit it. The riches of Inle waters have meant that the area has been inhabited for several thousand years and that its ecosystem continues to maintain the importance of the place. Book an Inle Lake trip and observe the way of life of its people, of that ethnic melting pot that reflects the variety of peoples and cultures that inhabit Myanmar. If your idea is to know the area, we leave you with all the necessary information to know the main attractions to see and things to do in the Inle Lake during your visit.
RIDE A BOAT AND SEE THE TRADITIONAL FORMS OF FISHING
The most famous pictures of Inle Lake are the particular way that fishermen working. This traditional fishing art is based on the peculiar oars that are moved with the feet and the cone-shaped nets that they use to catch the fish. The most beautiful thing about art is that it is a genuine historical document that shows that the years have not gone through Myanmar equally.
SEE FLOATING HOUSES AND DAILY LIFE OF PEOPLES ON THE WATER
Thanks to the riches of Inle waters, full of flora and fauna, the inhabitants of the Inle town have developed their own method of agriculture, based on gardens or floating gardens on the shores of the lake. Apart from knowing this ancient system of agriculture, the best thing about the visit is to see the daily life of the farmers who cultivate them. So, book an Inle tour that show you this. The surroundings of Inle Lake are a multi ethnic melting pot. All these towns still retain their authentic touch because they are not nearly developed. Of them Ywama stands out with its Angun Mingalar Pagoda and its floating market and Inthein, famous for the Shwe Inthein Paya Temple with its sets of pagodas.
VISIT FLOATING MONASTERIES & TEMPLES: SHWE YAUNGHWE KYAUNG
Located in the vicinity of Nyaungshwe, the Shwe Yaunghwe Kyaung Monastery is famous for being made of teak wood, typical of Shan religious architecture (the majority ethnic group living in the region).
The Nga Phe Kyaung Monastery is famous for its curious inhabitants, the cats. For centuries, cats (an animal associated with luck) have lived together with monks.
The Phaung Daw Oo Paya Temple is undoubtedly the main attraction in Inle Lake and a must see. A place of pilgrimage for the Shan community that lives in the lake and its surroundings, the Phaung Daw Oo Paya Temple is famous for its impressive finishes and especially for its famous 5 Buddha figures, covered with gold papers that over the centuries have made that the figure itself is unrecognizable. Without a doubt, because of its importance in the local culture, it is a place you should not miss.
TREKKING AT INLE LAKE
The Inle Lake area is ideal for trekking. The most famous one is trekking route between Inle Lake (Nyaung Shwe) to Kalaw (much harder than doing it in the opposite direction from Kalaw). In this trekking you will visit the villages that live in the area for 3 days and 2 nights and you will know their day to day. As you can see there are many attractions to see and things to do in the Inle Lake.
BEST WAY TO GET TO INLE LAKE
Being one of the highly recommended and visited tourist attractions, the Inle Lake is one of the most important tourist destination and its very easy to get there from anywhere in Burma. To go to Inle Lake we can do it either by bus, train or even connect by plane. If your idea is to go by bus, you should go to Nyaung Shwe, the main town and gateway to the Inle Lake area. On the contrary, if your idea is to do it by train, it leaves you in the nearby town of Shwe Nyaung, which is only 11 km from Nyaung Shwe. Finally, if your idea is to connect by plane, the nearest airport is in Heho (45 km).
top holiday & tours visiting Inle Lake
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