Inle Lake is a beautiful Myanmar destination, full of culture and most famously, a unique fishing style. unique fishing style. There are plenty of great Inle Lake things to do, but getting out onto the lake itself was one of my favourites!! Depending on what tour guide/boat driver you book with Inle Lake boat tour sights may vary slightly. On my Inle Lake boat tour, we visited 8 local handicraft shops all up but took in many more beautiful sights along this Inle lake itinerary!

At the end of my trek from Kalaw to Inle Lake, my group’s tour guide, Aung, gave us two options. A 3-hour boat tour, or a 1 one hour boat tour. As we were in a group of 5, we all had to decide unanimously. Luckily, it was an easy vote. This is a walkthrough of places we visited in the 3-hour option! Aung told us this type this type of tour normally costs around 20,000 Kyat per person, but he bartered with the driver and came to a price of 2,000 each!

After everyone boarded the narrow longtail boat (the boat was only one person wide) we set off down the river to begin the Inle lake boat trip.

 

Inle Lake Boat Tour Sights

Thick reeds marked side of the narrow water alleyway. The driver let out a little giggle as he sped down the river before he pulled over to show us just how thick and sturdy these floating reeds were. He got out of the boat and stood on the plants that were floating on an inlet into the lake. It took his entire weight! Surrounded by these reed “dividers’ were floating homes on stilts, and locals tending to their floating gardens via their own narrow boats. (literally rows of floating tomato plants!) These types of villages are common around the inlets of Inle Lake.

We then made it onto the main body of the lake, and it was definitely bigger than I anticipated! It was nice to sit back and relax while we drove to our 2nd stop – our first handicraft shop.

 

Silver Workshop

I’ve never been to a silver workshop so I didn’t really know what to expect. There were a few local workers sitting at their workbenches making intricate necklaces and bracelets for sale as you watched them work at their intricate designs. The pieces were quite pricey but the time that goes into each of them is immense!

One thing that was interesting to me was how silver cools incredibly quickly. So quickly in fact that the workers would handle it with bare skin not even 10 seconds after it being smelter! It wasn’t even warm!

 

Inle Lake Fabric Store

If you’re looking for a special Lonjyi/Bason, and don’t mind spending a little more than the mass produced brands around Myanmar, then an Inle Lake Lonjyi is a great choice!

Each design here is made by the workers and the design is unique to this region only You can even watch them create beautiful patterns with the confusing traditional weaving machines that they operate flawlessly.

 

While cotton is one of the major clothing items made and on sale here, there are other options. As we toured the weaving workshop our guide told us silk and lotus fabrics are also crafted here.

For one worker, one day of working with lotus yields just 1 meter of string (not the full piece of clothing… Just a single piece of string!) If lotus is a Myanmar souvenir you’d like, expect to pay quite a bit more than other fabrics. A unique fabric, lotus is fibres are obtained by breaking the stems of the plant to reveal it’s tough fibres – they look almost like cobwebs when retrieved in this way!

 

Inle Lake Bamboo Crafts, Cigar Factory and Boat-Making Workshop

The next stop consisted of a few shops all sharing the same floating building. Unlike the first two stops, we had free reign of how long to spend at each shop as there was no shop tour guide.

The bamboo crafts workshop on the top level was my personal favourite of the three. Mostly because an elderly local man picked a bamboo soccer ball up from the shelf and kicked it at us, initiating a hacky-sack style game that was totally embarrassing for me (he was quite good, obviously not his first time showing up some tourists).

There were so many things made from bamboo here, and much more reasonably priced than the other stops so far if you’re in the market for an Inle Lake souvenir or gift. They even had an hourglass-shaped bamboo “pillow” that was surprisingly comfortable!

Cigars are a popular local product, and there are quite a few of flavours to choose from. I’m a non-smoker, so I can’t personally say which are the best, but watching the process of creating the cigar was interesting in itself.

The last shop here was a boat making factory. I highly doubt anyone reading this will be looking to buy anything here – the boats are regular size (too large to backpack around…) but watching them craft such a vital item to the way of life around the lake was worthwhile in itself. These boats cost $2,000US without a motor, and once a year they re-paint them with a black tar-like substance to prevent them from rotting.

Be careful, at times there was welding and grinding going on in the area. Eye protection isn’t available and the same level of safety from where I’m from (Australia/Canada) isn’t present in Myanmar for the most part!

 

Metal Fabrication Shop

The last scheduled stop on this Inle Lake boat tour was a metal workshop. This store wasn’t one I was expecting, but it was interesting none the less. The entire shop’s walls were full of handmade products from knives and swords to hammers and little bells. All while two local men forged metal by operating an old style bellows in the corner.

Inle Lake boat trip was full of surprises no doubt about it!

 

Heading to Nyaugshwe Town

The main town off Inle Lake is Nyaugshwe. It is where most of the accommodation and restaurants are, and it sits next to an inlet at the north end of the lake.

After the tour, getting from the south side of the lake to Nyaugshwe takes around 45 minutes, at full speed.

The entire way back is beautiful. Boats, floating villages and fishermen with the most unique style of fishing I’ve ever seen!

Fishermen on Inle Lake paddle with a distinctive one-foot on their oar standing on the edge of their boat, freeing their hands to untangle and feed fishing nets into the water. The balance they have is outstanding! If you get the chance, try and find a local fishing out on the lake, you won’t be disappointed by this iconic sight!

If you’re looking at travelling more of Myanmar, don’t miss out on the temple haven of Bagan, or the wonderful day trip to Taung Kalat!

 

Can you swim in Inle Lake?

Yes, you can. However, during my hike from Kalaw to Inle Lake (which is something you should definitely make 3 days spare for!) my guide, Aung, told of some reasons why not to swim in the lake…

1- Around Inle lake has patches of “thorns”, and they could do quite a lot of damage if you swim into them. Aung did say they were mostly out in the centre, but I didn’t want to test that.

2- The sanitary conditions on and around the lake are the main reason not to venture in. Mostly the sewage system, or rather the lack of it.

3- According to Aung, Inle Lake once had an unusual burial ritual. While people would be in a type of casket when you were buried, there would be holes in the coffin to allow fish to eat away at your body. This is also why I stayed away from all seafood in Inle Lake.

Once again, I’d like to stress that this is only one man telling me all of this. Sure, he was a tour guide, and a knowledgeable one at that, but whether or not these three reasons to not swim in Inle Lake is totally true is up for debate.

 

Best Place(s) to Stay in Inle Lake

I stayed in two different hotels in Inle Lake. Both had their pros and cons, I enjoyed both, for different reasons.

 

The Gypsy Inn

I stayed here on my first night in Nyaugshwe. It was just across the road from where the boat tour ends.

Having just done a 3-day, 70km hike from Kalaw, I wanted to lay down! The Gypsy Inn was close, cheap and the room was alright. The bathroom drained slow but I couldn’t fault it for the price!

The owner even drove me to pick up my group’s large backpacks that were shipped from Kalaw to Inle! At no extra cost!

 

Teak Wood Inn

This was personally my favourite of the two. The well-designed large wooden building had bungalow-style rooms that were pretty cool.

The rooms were cleaner and comfier than Gypsy Inn, plus it was cheaper! My partner and I got a private room for $9 AUD each (low season prices).

 

Best Restaurant in Inle Lake

By far my favourite restaurant in Inle Lake isn’t one I found on TripAdvisor or online. It was a local recommendation and this isn’t the first time I’ve recommended it to people. It was amazing (and so very cheap).

Paw Paw Restaurant is a locally owned, family run restaurant. It’s the place to try amazing Burmese cuisine. I met the entire family – they all worked there! Even Grandma, who brought out my “Grandma’s Pumpkin Curry”. Which is also my recommendation to try here. I’ve never tried a pumpkin curry before, but I don’t think one exists that’s better than Grandma’s!

 

Getting To and From Inle Lake

Getting to and from Inle Lake is possible via a 3-day hike to/from Kalaw, even though most tours end up on Inle Lake – the views you get from hiking the area are unbeatable!

There is also a bus station which serves as the main alternative way in and out of Inle Lake.

 

Inle Lake Boat Tour Itinerary Tips and Information

The currency in Myanmar is the Kyat (pronounced chat), and for every 1 AUD dollar, you will get roughly 1,130 Kyat.

Depending on the time of year you visit Inle Lake, what you should pack will vary greatly. Monsoon/wet season is extremely unforgiving and weatherproof gear for you, your bag and valuables is a necessity!

Even in the wet season, the days will still be quite warm and humid. Dress appropriately and wear sunscreen/hat for those no-shade boat trips!

Don’t forget your bug spray! Mosquitoes can be quite brutal in stagnant parts of the lake.

 

Inle Lake Boat Tour Itinerary Highlights

• Being out on Inle Lake, being driven around by boat the narrow, wooden long boat was amazing! Not only was it refreshing, but it’s also a beautiful way to experience the lake.
• Getting to see local fishermen and their unique style of fishing!
• Although quite touristy, learning about the different styles of handicrafts that come from Inle Lake was super interesting!

 

If you have visited the area, whether or not you took a boat tour of Inle Lake or not, I’d love to hear about your experience and what you liked/didn’t like about it all!

Have you heard the same or similar stories about Inle lake? I would love to hear them! Please leave me a comment below!

 

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