Inle Lake



Inle Lake is a shallow lake in the middle of Myanmar, southeast of Mandalay. The lake is 22 km long, and is densely inhabited by many different tribes.



Climate
Due to its higher altitude, temperatures around the lake tend to be cooler than in Mandalay. Winter temperatures often fall below 10°C at night so make sure you are prepared for that.

By plane
The closest airport is in Heho, about 45 minutes away by taxi from the main town by Lake Nyaungshwe (walk down the road towards the main highway to negotiate a better rate). Taking a taxi from the airport can be quite expensive, at around 25,000 kyat. Most people share a taxi with 3 people. A good way to save money is to book a taxi in advance with your guesthouse for about 15,000 kyat.

There are winter and summer rates for flights through all major airlines in the country.

By bus
Buses depart daily from Yangon and take about 13 hours. Buses take 10 hours from Mandalay. Air conditioned buses from Bagan take 9 hours with JJ express and cost US$11-20 (2 hours from Kalaw) and operate day and night. The journey is a little bumpy although there are frequent stops including for lunch. From Bago 13,000 kyat, 14hr. Bring warmer clothing on the bus as air-con temperatures can get low. If you are looking to sleep, earplugs are a good idea as music will be playing on the video screen in front of the bus.

By pick-up (line-ka)
A very cheap option from Taunggyi is a pick-up (1 hour and around 600 kyat). Pickup trucks will leave from the main market.

By train
The next train station is Shwenyaung station, from where Lake Inle can be reached by bus, pick-up or taxi.

Get around
You can walk around town easily or rent a bicycle for about 1,500 kyat per day, which you also use to tour the surroundings.

Inle lake
There is a 15,000 Kyat (as of January 2019) entry fee per person to the lake, charged by the government. This fee is often collected at the bus or at the airport when you arrive. The ticket is not checked once you have passed the checkpoint.

A boat trip on the lake is a must do. Most of the trips will visit a few workshops selling local souvenirs, like teak objects, paper, silver and lotus silk fabrics. You can tell your boat driver that you don't want to visit any of them if you are not interested in these shops. However, learning about the local small-scale industries and arts is certainly worth it. Informative guided tours are provided by the shops for free. Bring cash if you consider buying souvenirs.

Upon the canal to the open lake you may see people in traditional clothes standing on one leg in their boat and posing with a fishing basket, presenting then dead caught fish and will finally ask for tips. Full day trip takes about 7 hours and costs 15,000-20,000 kyat, driver will go wherever you tell them to, but remember that he is not a guide nor does he necessarily speak English. Any guesthouse or travel agency can arrange this trip for you. You may have a better experience by chartering a boat directly, clearly agreeing on the planned stops, and starting very early in the morning before most other tour boats, and also allowing you to arrive at market while it's busy. As of 2015, locals claim that the floating market doesn't exist any more due to too many tourists.

For solo travelers in low season, it might be hard to find others to join. So, walk around the jetty and the bridge. Most boats depart between 08:00-11:00.

Please do not photograph people when they are showering or washing plates. Common stops and things to do:
 * The lotus silk fabrics are unique to Inle lake, and can be quite expensive.
 * The lotus silk fabrics are unique to Inle lake, and can be quite expensive.

Buy
Remember to bargain, Inle Lake is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Myanmar. Prices will routinely be double what locals would pay. Products that appear old are fake (such as opium weight sets) and many goods being offered by shops are cheap products made for the tourist trade.



Eat

 * Try the freshly made Shan tofu salads at the Market. You will see women preparing these meals to go (or to eat from tiny plastic stools) in the market area. Other local spots are located across from the market where you can get good Shan noodle soups, tea leaf salads, etc., for around US$1.25.
 * Try the freshly made Shan tofu salads at the Market. You will see women preparing these meals to go (or to eat from tiny plastic stools) in the market area. Other local spots are located across from the market where you can get good Shan noodle soups, tea leaf salads, etc., for around US$1.25.
 * Try the freshly made Shan tofu salads at the Market. You will see women preparing these meals to go (or to eat from tiny plastic stools) in the market area. Other local spots are located across from the market where you can get good Shan noodle soups, tea leaf salads, etc., for around US$1.25.
 * Try the freshly made Shan tofu salads at the Market. You will see women preparing these meals to go (or to eat from tiny plastic stools) in the market area. Other local spots are located across from the market where you can get good Shan noodle soups, tea leaf salads, etc., for around US$1.25.
 * Try the freshly made Shan tofu salads at the Market. You will see women preparing these meals to go (or to eat from tiny plastic stools) in the market area. Other local spots are located across from the market where you can get good Shan noodle soups, tea leaf salads, etc., for around US$1.25.

Go next

 * Heho - the nearest airport
 * Kalaw - take a memorable (and slow) train ride from Shwenyaung station (#131 or #143). The train leaves at 08:00 and takes approximately 4 hr. Great scenery and rural life. (1,200 kyat Upper Class) or go by bus. Better to take motor bike to Shwenyaung (20 mins for 2,500 kyats) and there just wait on main road for some minibus direct to Kalaw, 2,400 kyat (Apr 2019)
 * Meiktila - attractive lakeside town
 * Thazi - take a memorable slow train journey from nearby Shwenyaung station on your way back to Mandalay.
 * Bagan - home to the largest and densest concentration of Buddhist temples, pagodas, stupas and ruins in the world, many dating from the 11th and 12th centuries.(times/prices below as of May 2017)
 * 09:30 minivan (11,000 kyat)
 * 19:30 express bus (ordinary class), arrival 04:30 (11,000 kyat)
 * 20:30 VIP bus, arrival 05:30 (17,000 kyat)