Inle Lake is one of the destinations not to be missed during your Myanmar tour. This vast and unpolluted natural lake, 22 km long, 10 km wide, is renowned for its scenic beauty and the way to row Inthas (local population). If you plan to spend 1 day in Inle Lake, take a look at our article which will give you all the necessary information.
How to Get to Inle Lake?
You can reach Inle Lake directly by boat or indirectly through the entrance to Nyaung Shwe town. Besides, there are many other means to get to this area:
By plane
Your plane will land at Heho airport from which it will take you 45 minutes to go to Nyaung Shwe by car or bus.
By bus
Your starting point will decide the bus fare, 13,000-15,000 kyats ($11- $12.6) on average. It will cost only 6,000 kyats ($5) for the departure in Hpa An from Ngapali. The rest regions will double the price.
By train
You will stop at Shwenyaung Junction Station. Similar to the bus, the fee depends on the departure station. However, this means of transport is not much preferred by tourists. In addition to the cost of the trip, you will have to pay an additional $10 for the entrance ticket and keep it along with you all the time once you are on the train.
What to Do for 1 Day in Inle Lake?
1. Take a boat tour around the lake
A trip by canoe or motorboat is an essential activity of Inle Lake. It is very easy to find a boat or a canoe that will take you to visit markets and floating gardens, pagodas, as well as local craft workshops.
2. Participate in a cooking class with the Intha
In a pirogue, you will go to an Intha family where you will be invited to prepare a traditional festive meal. The Intha, a minority ethnic group in the Inle region, have the particularity of living in houses on stilts and maintaining incredible floating gardens on Inle Lake. You will discover all the ingredients and culinary techniques of Intha by participating in a cooking class with locals. It will be an interesting activity to participate during your 1 day in Inle Lake.
3. Discover Lotus Fabric Manufacturers
By visiting the silk weaving village Inn Paw Khon – the perfect place to produce and present woven products from pink lotus silk threads, you’ll be lucky to discover the delicacy and patience that comes with the lotus. You can also buy a lotus scarf to support the craftsmen’s work. A lotus scarf requires 2 months of work for a silk scarf. Therefore, this high-quality scarf will be a precious souvenir after 1 day in Inle Lake.
4. Discover the cigar makers
Burmese cigars are renowned for their strong Asian flavor with a sweet but very fragrant taste. On your 1 day in Inle Lake, you will discover that cigars are made by craftsmen, especially by women only. The cigars are rolled carefully in tea leaves and are intended for local marketing.
Visit the local floating villages
These floating villages are also an important part of the landscape on Inle Lake. The first obvious thing is the species of gouramis or granaries. Also, you will have an opportunity to discover and understand the special lifestyle of the Intha in these destinations.
Explore the NamPan Land Market
Located south of Inle Lake, this lively market offers regional products as well as many tourist souvenirs. Gradually, it becomes more popular to visitors than the floating market.
Enjoy the fishermen’s dance on the water
Inthas fishermen have a special technique for fishing: they swing, one leg standing at the back of their boat and another wrapping around the oar. They catch fish with a large conical trap sitting on the bottom. By working, they are more like artists performing their own dance. Enjoying the dances of the Inthas will certainly be a unique experience during your stay in Myanmar.
Suggested Itinerary for 1 Day in Inle Lake
In the Morning
Wander around the 5-day market
It is a good idea to start your 1-day tour with a 5-day market discovery. This famous 5-day market on Inle Lake is one of the wonders of Myanmar. The market gardeners come to sell their vegetables grown on floating gardens. A note for your purchase: have your own boat or signal to the trader who will come to the shore to offer his products.
Then continue your day trip by boat on Inle Lake – an ideal destination for photography enthusiasts because of its calm waters dotted with floating vegetation and fishing canoes. In addition, you can meet fishermen and enjoy their dance.
Visit floating gardens
Pass exotic floating gardens. On the lake’s surface, you’ll see these floating gardens that cover a quarter of the lake’s surface. The Intha have a special way to arrange their gardens on the lake. The vegetable gardens rest on a delicate carpet made of mud, water hyacinths and other plants. The Intha mainly grow tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, potatoes or flowers for sale in all markets of the country during the eight months of production.
Discover Nga Phe Kyaung Monastery
Continue your tour by visiting the monastery of Nga Phe Kyaung, one of the oldest monasteries of the lake. This wooden monastery is named “monastery of jumping cats” and we still read in some guides that the monks have trained cats to jump in hoops … but no more traces of jumping cats! However, the monastery remains interesting to visit for its interiors and its view on the floating gardens.
In the Afternoon
Visit Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda
This is the holiest religious site in southern Shan State. Built on stilts in the village of Thar Lay, it is the busiest of all religious buildings around the lake and its surroundings.
Experience local living in Inn Paw Khone Village
Here, you can discover a silk and lotus weaving workshop, a blacksmith shop and a cheroot workshop (Burmese cigar).
Spend time at Shwe In Dein Pagoda
This is the pearl of Inle Lake. It is really beautiful, much more isolated than all other lake destinations. Here, you can wander freely to admire the beauty of this sacred place before returning to the boat.
Read more: 2 Days in Inle
