On your 2 days in Inle Lake, you will have a chance to discover “the most beautiful land for chasing sunset in Myanmar” with a lot of interesting activities and destinations.
Inle is the largest freshwater lake located in the mountains about 600 km from Yangon, Myanmar. This place is not only a beautiful pristine river but also a place of thousand years of the Inthar ethnic group (a minority of Myanmar). Inthar in Burmese means “who lives on the lake”. Your tour to Myanmar will be fulfilled with a lot of surprises as well as emotional deposition.
Best time to travel to Inle Lake
In Myanmar, the weather is divided into 4 seasons:
- Cold season: from November to February
- Hot season: from March to May
- Rainy season: from June to the end of October
- Dry season: from October to December
The best time to visit this marvelous lake is in the dry season, as the temperature is slightly cooler, with little rain. There are a lot of amazing places to visit in dry season in Myanmar. In terms of average temperature, the variation within the year is not great, but you can expect a significant temperature in the mornings and evenings.
Getting to Inle Lake
By flight
Flights arrive at Heho airport, 46km northwest of Inle Lake. The journey from Heho to Nyaung Shwe (the main town in the Inle Lake area) takes 45 minutes by taxis.
By bus
To come to Inle, you have another option is the night bus. There are many bus companies from Yangon, Bagan, Maladay to Inle Lake such as JJ Express, Shwe Nan Taw Express, Elite Express,…
Getting around Inle Lake areas
On your 2 days in Inle Lake, you should consider renting a boat to travel around and admire the scenery as well as the lifestyle of the locals on the river. During your trekking adventure, the bicycle is a suitable choice as well.
Where to stay in Inle Lake?
Visiting Inle Lake, tourists often stay in Nyaung Shwe town, where many hotels and mid-range motels are available at reasonable prices. We suggest some beautiful and suitable places for you to transfer and relax in comfort on your Indochina tour:
Mount Inle Hotel & Resorts
Mount Inle Hotel & Resorts
This hotel is located at the center of Nyaung Shwe town. Mingala Market is 700 meters far from this resort and famous Red Mountain Estate Vineyards is only 3,1 km away. Mount Inle Hotel & Resorts has its green space with fresh air and various kinds of flower. Visitors can chase the dawn and admire the beauty of nature through the view of windows.
Inle Lake View Resort & Spa
This resort is 12 km from Nyaung Shwe Town Center and 15 km from Shwe Yan Pyay monastery. Heho Airport is less than 19 km from the place, which is very convenient for your time.
Paramount Inle Resort
It only takes a 15-minute boat ride to Phaung Daw Oo Temple and 5 minutes to Phe Chaung Ancient Monastery from this stunning place. You can take a boat from Nyaung Shwe boat station in just 45 minutes to get back to Paramount Inle resort. The nearest airport is Heho airport, costing only 1-hour drive from Nyaung Shwe boat station.
ViewPoint Lodge & Fine Cuisines
The lodge takes only a 15-minute boat ride from Inle Lake. If you are in love with the vintage style, this is the place for you on your 2 days in Inle Lake. Besides, you can enjoy the Myanmar featured cuisines and the breath-taking view out of the lake in this lodge.
Inle Princess Resort
After a flight and you need a massage course to relax, you should choose Inle Princess Resort. This place is only 3,7 km from the Red Mountain Estate Vineyards & Winery and 6 km from Mingala Market.
Suggested Itineraries for 2 Days in Inle Lake
Day 1: Inle Lake Boat Tour
There are village areas for growing flowers, making cigars, villages of the ancient people of Pa-O or the village of making jewelry or fine arts, … Also, you can go to Phaung Daw Oo big temples or monasteries. When you leave the boat, you can cycle around Nyaung Shwe to visit local life, visit Shwe Yan Bye monastery, or go to the mountain to enjoy wine.
Here is what you can expect on a boat tour around on your 2 days in Inle Lake:
See local fishermen
Local fishermen catching fish at Inle Lake
The fishermen in this region are famous for wearing skirts, chewing betel nuts, and owning a very unique fishing method: rowing with one leg. They clamp the other leg into a cage. This cage will be raised and lowered into the water. A thin net around the cage makes it impossible for fish to escape.
These people often catch fish from the early morning, when the mist evaporates from the lake surface. Morning light often makes the lake look like a beautiful poetic picture from above view.
Discover life at floating villages
Inthar people live and build houses on the lake. You can watch the wooden houses laying upon delicate sticks while the boat wanders around.
The most popular crop of Inthar is tomato, grown in “floating fields”, which is a specialty of this place. You won’t want to miss the chance to enjoy a tomato salad on your 2 days in Inle Lake.
Visit the long neck people of Kayan
A long neck woman of Kayan
Kayan tribesmen are famous for their necklace made of copper wire weighing nearly ten kilograms. They wrap around their neck so that their necks grow in a very abnormal way.
Visit Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda
Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda is located on the shore of the river. The pagoda houses include five small gilded images of Buddha, which have been covered in gold leaf to the point that their original forms cannot be seen. The gold-leaf application to such excess is relatively recent. Old photographs hanging on the monastery walls show some of the images in a more pristine form. (Wikipedia)
This is one of the most must-visit tourist attractions in Inle Lake that you will not want to miss on 2 days in Inle Lake.
Discover handicraft workshops
1. Lotus, silk and cotton weaving
On your 2 days in Inle Lake, you must visit Inn Paw Khon silk weaving village. This is the place to produce and display products woven from pink lotus silk threads. Soft silk sheets are woven from iridescent lotus threads that are harvested from the lake. These colorful silk sheets are processed into scarves, clothes, bags,…for visitors to buy and bring home as souvenirs.
2. Myanmar cigars production
Myanmar Cigars trademark
Cigars in Myanmar are famous for a strong Asian flavor with a mild taste but very sweet and fragrant. That taste starts from cinnamon, peppermint and mint to sweetness of honey, sugar. Then it turns into a strange taste of fruits such as dried bananas, tamarind, pineapple or even rice wine. You should try this specialty during your 2 days in Inle Lake.
See lovely cats at Nga Phe Kyaung Monastery (Jumping Cat Monastery)
Nga Phe Kyaung is the oldest monastery of this region, erected in the late 1850s. It was built entirely by rare teak wood, with the black color that looks mysterious. As its name tells, there are many cats living here. They are raised and trained by monks to jump through the circle.
Take photos with the Wooden Bridge at Maing Thauk Village
This is a unique village with half the village lies on the lake, while the other half places on the ground. The two halves of Maing Thauk village are connected by a very long wooden bridge with a very poetic scenery. You can rent a bike to cycle around and encounter the bustling village market scene with the bold features of the Inthar people on your 2 days in Inle Lake.
Be amazed at hundreds of stupas at Indein
When visiting Indein village, visitors certainly cannot miss the opportunity to admire more than 1000 famous ancient towers here. The ancient towers of all sizes stand close to each other to create an extremely mysterious cathedral and space matrix. The road leading to the main tower is also extremely unique with many beautiful attractions. Indein is most beautiful at sunset and this scenery will be perfect to finish your first of 2 days in Inle Lake.
Day 2: Discover Nyaung-Shwe town
Visit Mingala market
This local market will impress you with bustling, stirring buyers who sell with full fish, shrimp, meat, vegetables, … It will also surprise you with the unique scales that are only available in Myanmar.
Trekking to Palaung, Danu, and Pa-O hill tribes villages
On your 2 days in Inle Lake, you should not miss the chance to experience this off-the-beaten-path activities chain through the most popular villages in Inle Lake area. You can explore the cultivate tea, damsons, and mangoes at Palaung village, catch the stunning view of Pindaya valley and Pontalouk lake in Danu, and discover the culture of ethnic people at Pa-O hill tribes village.
Admire sunset at Red Mountain Estate Vineyard & Winery
Sunset at Red Mountain Estate Vineyard & Winery
Cycling to Red Mountain, the place to grow grapes and make famous wine of the ten thousand countries, will be an interesting experience. On your 2 days in Inle Lake, you can relax under a big canopy, watch Inle panorama from above, enjoy a glass of wine under cool weather, and admire marvelous sunset at Red Mountain Estate.
What to eat for 2 days in Inle Lake
Tomato salad
Inle Lake is the most famous for its specialty of tomato salad. You can try this dish at any time of the day and at any place on this river. You can find the best at floated markets that take place on the surface of Inle Lake.
Grilled fish
Grilled fish at Inle Lake
This is a popular food for travelers on 2 days in Inle Lake. The fish in this area are very fresh thanks to clear water. Experiencing the flavor of fish being grilled with herbs and served with a tasty rich fish sauce, together with immersing in the cool winds at the side of the lake, and your trip to Myanmar will become more complete than ever.
Other delicious featured foods
There are other very tasty dishes in Inle such as potato beef curry, chicken sauce, sweet and sour pork ribs mixed with vegetables, meatball soup,… They are definitely amazing choices of yours on your 2 days in Inle Lake.
Hopefully, we help provide you interesting information and our suggested itineraries meet your expectations. Customize your tour to have the most memorable 2 days in Inle Lake ever!
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