Inle Lake
- Location: Inle Lake, Taunggyi, Myanmar
- Entrance fee: There is no ticket for Inle Lake. Foreign tourists need to purchase a $10 travel ticket to enter the Inle Lake area.
- Opening hour: 24h
Inle Lake is a famous tourist resort in Myanmar. It is the second largest lake in Myanmar, surrounded by mountains on three sides and in the middle of the basin. The Inle Lake is very wide and is known for its floating islands, floating houses and fishermen's extremely special boating techniques (Local fishermen are known for practicing a distinctive rowing style which involves standing at the stern on one leg and wrapping the other leg around the oar). Most residents of the Inle Lake are scattered among more than 200 villages by the lake. They are focus on fishing. But quite a few of them are engaged in vegetable cultivation or sericulture, textiles, iron making, and gold and silver jewelry making on the floating island. The unique culture and way of life make Inle Lake the most beautiful place in Myanmar. Together with the Shwedagon Pagoda of Yangon and groups of pagodas of Bagan, it is known as the 3 wonders of Myanmar.
Location of Inle Lake
Inle Lake is located in the plateau area in the northeast of Myanmar. Inle Lake is more than 970 meters above sea level. With a clear and quiet atmosphere, Inle Lake is a famous summer resort in Myanmar. Inle Lake is 22 kilometers long. Inle Lake is 35 kilometres away from the nearest airport at Heho. The inhabitants of Inle Lake is called the Intha.
Inle lake weather
The rainy season of Inle Lake is from mid-late May to mid-October. Best tourist season for visiting Inle Lake is from November to February of the following year, which is in winter with a temperature of 9℃ to 21℃. March to May is in summer. It will be the hottest in April. Nyaungshwe, located in the northernmost of Inle Lake, is a gathering place for travelers of Inle Lake. Accommodation and dining are all available here. This northern part of the lake is already a very mature tourist center.
Inle lake map (How to visit Inle Lake)
Nyaungshwe Town at the northern end of the lake is the main entrance to Inle Lake and a bustling gathering place for tourists. Foreign tourists entering the Inle Lake area need to purchase a $10 travel ticket.
On the west side of the lake, there is a temple called Tiaomaosi which is a place not to be missed in Inle Lake. In addition to chanting scriptures, the monks of the temple train the cats to skip the ring. It is interesting and becomes a scene over time. When the monks eat or meditate, there will be no performance of training cats skipping. In addition to the cute cats, the spacious meditation hall in the temple and the surrounding Buddha statues in styles of Yi, Bagan and Inwa are also worthy of your stop.
There is a well-known Floating Garden on the Inle Lake, which is supported by a floating vegetation that supports flowers and various vegetables and fruits. Every morning and afternoon, the Intha farmers here will work carefully. You will also see the single-foot boating skill, which is a unique traditional boating method.
Among many villages in the Inle Lake district, Ywama was first developed. There are winding canals, tall teakwood houses, hordes of tourist boats and hawkers selling souvenirs. However, the most famous is the rotation of the floating market here every five days. The fishermen bring the dried fish and fresh fish to trade here, the women sell with fresh vegetables and fruits. You can also find lacquerwares, wood carvings and other souvenirs selling here. It is very lively and crowded.
From Ywama to the south, there is a wide canal that extends to Tha Ley village and the sacred pagoda called Phaung Daw Oo Paya. In the grand stupa, there are five ancient Buddha statues covered with gold foil, which is the treasure of the pagoda. Local parents often bring boys to attend the monk’s shaving ceremony. if you happen to meet this scene, you will be impressed.
Far away from the southwest, there is another village – Inthein, where there are many pagodas buildings. Close to the back of the village is the Nyaung Ohak, hidden in the vegetation, there are some stucco carvings of animals and gods. Continue along the steps up the hill, you will reach the Shwe Inn Thein Paya, which is a pagoda composed of more than a thousand stupid pagodas. From this pagoda, you can overlook the whole lake and the beautiful view of the valley.
How to get to Inle Lake?
1、By airplane
The flights to and from the Inle Lake land and take off at the airport of HEHO Town, Taunggyi. There are flights to Inle Lake from Yangon, Mandalay and Bagan. It takes about 40 minutes by car from the airport to Inle Lake. It generally costs $28 by taxi.
2、By train
There is a train station 8km from Nyaungshwe Town. If you need to travel from Yangon to Inle Lake, it is recommended to take the train. Because of the long distance, the car is very uncomfortable and the ticket of airplane is very expensive. Because there are not many trains, it is necessary to buy train tickets in advance. The drive of train from Inle Lake to Yangon is normally 24 hours.
3、By bus
Many low-budget tourists choose to take a 12-hour long-distance bus from Bagan to Inle Lake. These long-distance buses usually depart at 4:00 every day, arrive at 17:00. The fare is about 10,500 kyats.
