Myanmar is a beautiful country to explore, and what better way to see the country than a trek through lush green fields and local villages. This 3 day Kalaw to Inle Lake Trek is not only one of my favourite experiences of Myanmar, but also all of Asia.

Trekking from Kalaw to Inle Lake isn’t an easy challenge – uneven trails, steep hills and of course lots and lots of walking! On top of that, monsoon season rains turned the dry path into a literal flowing river with minutes.

Personally, I enjoy a challenge while travelling. I look back and vividly remember the wind rustling violently through the trees and the rain hitting my group hard. It’s moments like these that makes travel so worth it (after I was dry of course!)

So whether you’re planning your Kalaw to Inle Lake trek or just looking for inspiration of where to travel next, let me guide you through who I booked the hike with, how much trekking from Kalaw to Inle costs and what to expect along the trail!

Let’s get into Myanmar’s best trekking tour – 3 days from Kalaw to Inle Lake!

 

Before the trek begins

You need to book a tour guide before you begin the hike, right? There are plenty of trekking companies in Kalaw to choose from, but one stood out far beyond the rest for me. Ever Smile is Kalaw’s best trekking tour guide company.

I researched into the different Kalaw trekking companies, and like other places in South East Asia, it can be difficult to find a place that pays decent wages to their employees and also supports the local community. Ever Smile does both, and they were nothing short of amazing in any aspect of the trek from Kalaw to Inle Lake – I highly recommend them for all these reasons!

 

What does the Kalaw to Inle Lake Trek cost?

Ever Smile charged 40,000 Kyat ($35 AUD), almost everything is included in that very reasonable price. The only two things that you will have to pay extra for is drinks along the hike and the entrance fee to Inle Lake, which is 12,000 Kyat ($10.50 AUD) and is paid on the final day of the hike.

 

How does my bag get from Kalaw to Inle Lake?

Included in the 40,000 kyat fee is transportation for your bags. When you arrive in Inle Lake 2 days later, they will be waiting for you at Princess Hotel, Ever Smile Trekking’s affiliated hotel in Inle Lake to be picked up.

 

Hiking Kalaw to Inle Lake Trek – Day 1 – (26.6km/32,765 steps)

After booking the trek the day before and discussing what we should bring (there’s a small list below of items you should take along with you), there wasn’t much else to do in the morning except turn up.

We met our guide, a 23-year-old man by the name of Aung, with the typical red stained teeth from betel nut chewing. A light-hearted, friendly guy with an unforgettable high-pitched giggle. We set out trekking right from the company office through Kalaw itself, passed an amazing restaurant Sprouting Seeds, which my partner and I had visited the day prior (for things to do in Kalaw itself, check out this post!) and continued on into the outskirts of the small town.

Even though the morning began so misty, the views of the green, rolling peaks just outside of Kalaw were magical. As these hills continued to stretch out and eventually disappear into the dense fog it made me wonder if they would go on forever!

Lunch was scheduled at a beautiful view overlooking the mountains, but the mist lingered throughout most of the day. A local Nepali family runs a small restaurant where you eat in little wooden “gazebos” overlooking the green tea fields. The typical Nepali meal of dahl baht was served as lunch.  There was an abundance of little side dishes and fruit to go along with it. Even though I had just visited Nepal and ate dahl baht multiple times a day, this is a great meal for hiking as it provides a lot of energy to burn.

As the mist began to clear, Aung began to talk openly about his home country, Myanmar, in great detail. There are around 365 cultural minorities throughout Myanmar, each with their own dialect. Even Aung had troubles communicating with the locals in the area at times.

Aung also dived into a subject of modern Buddhism that many would shy away from. He told us how he used to be a devote spiritual man, but some modern monks are less “pure”, so to speak, and indulge in drinking and gambling. This, according to Aung, was enough for him to distance himself from the religion even though he deeply believes in the teachings of Buddha. It was an interesting insight into not only the personality of Aung but an inside perspective on modern-day Buddhism in Myanmar. Definitely not saying all monks behave in this less “abstinent” way, just interesting to hear a locals perspective.

Throughout the first day heading to Inle Lake, our group walked through only a handful of villages and encountered less than 100 locals. It was a quiet day, but after being out of civilisation for just a few hours and then walking through these tiny towns gave me some heightened sense of perception. It made me appreciate the finer details of the wooden huts, dusty streets and locals tending to their crops.

Train tracks lead the way through the overgrown jungle towards the small town of Myin Dike. Though overgrown in parts, they were still functional. Walking along the tracks is actually a very common form of transport in Myanmar, and it’s relatively safe – the train’s maximum speed is 18km/h and you can hear it thundering along the tracks quite a ways away. Saw many rice fields and beautiful sights along this route.

Small towns, such as Myin Dike are visited on the first-day itinerary. Hin Kha Kone Village was another small stop where we had a little tea break and some amazing orange cookies! Make sure you try them! So tasty!

Our homestay was in a little village by the name of ‘Ywa Pu’. Here we ate 10 plates of delicious food (spring rolls, rice, stir-fry and more) was a sharing type meal with the entire trekking group – there was more than enough for all of us! Playing cards and drinking warm Mandalay beer well into the night before heading to bed in a large room with thick, comfy blankets with our heads facing the family shrine.

 

Hiking Kalaw to Inle Lake Trek – Day 2 – (23.9km/31073 steps)

The second day telling from Kalaw to Inle Lake was very similar to the first, more stunning mountains, friendly locals tending their crops and more insight chats with our guide, Aung.

One major difference was our alarm. At 630am sharp, in his typical bubbly voice, Aung shouted (somehow soothingly) “Good Morning!!!” and there was no time to snooze. After a filling breakfast and a cold bucket shower, we set off this time, into clear blue skies along the increasingly muddy trail.

Today was much more local farms and fields than any other. Locals rely heavily on the fields to produce crops to survive. As we approached a little town called Lemind, we passed through many fields full of ginger plants, it was a first for me to see ginger being grown and harvested. Other locally produced foods were corn, rice, cauliflower and even sunflowers were commonly grown in the area.

Other than domestically owned dogs and water buffalo, We had our first wildlife experience of the hike just before Lemind. A snake. Judging by Aunt’s reaction, he really doesn’t care for snakes. He pointed, yelled “SNAKE!” and took off with us close behind. I never saw the snake, but they aren’t uncommon in the area, so watch where you plant your feet!

I had asked Aung about dangerous animals in Myanmar about an hour prior, and he swears that everytime someone asks him about snakes, he sees one. So for you superstitious folks… beware.

Our second home stay of the trek to Inle Lake was in a tiny town called ‘Part Tu’, and it went much the same as the first. Dinner was shared among our group and beer was available as well as water and tea. The main difference to the place we stayed at was the shower. Still a bucket shower, but the shower wall, which was outside, had partially fallen down. The wall wasn’t even built up to my shoulders and there was no door. Luckily, this wasn’t a busy guest house and picking a time to be unseen wasn’t hard. It was funny though.

One of my favourite experiences in all of Myanmar happened after dinner. A travel buddy and I were trying to tie our local form of pants, a longyi, or paso for men. The male elder of the homestay family had a giggle at our attempt, so he and Aung excitedly decided to show us the proper way to wear such attire.  Spending just a few minutes with this man he was able to make me an expert paso knotter.  It was a fun encounter.

 

Hiking Kalaw to Inle Lake Trek – Day 3 – (22.7km/28,268 steps)

Day 3 and our final one with Aung began much the same as the 2^nd, with a loud and cheerful “Good morning!” It was this morning that my legs began to feel tight and sore. I was itching to get going to stretch them out!

Before we left, Aung gave us all a little surprise. Thanaka is a Myanmar tradition since the 14th-15^th century. Mostly worn by girls but many men also use it. It is a paste, made from a flour-like consistency of ground sandalwood, and mixed with water. Applying it to your face is seen as a thing of beauty and is also good for acne treatment as it removes moisture and provides a little SPF protection from the sun. Mind you, at only 10 SPF, I wouldn’t rely on it for full sun protection. You can buy little tubs of Thanaka in many shops around Myanmar.

Today Aung took us passed fields where the “fire rocket festival” takes place. Pretty much locals gamble on which trebuchet looking structure can fling fire at the other team the best. Sounds kind of dangerous and a little exciting, doesn’t it?!

Walking a little bit further we got our first look at Inle Lake through the mountains. Aung assured us it was much further away than it looked and while it was a beautiful view, it was only there to tease. He was right.

One of my favourite stops along the Kalaw to Inle hike was the giant Banyan Tree. This species of tree is said to have sheltered Buddha himself as he meditated and achieved enlightenment. These thick branches that seemed like they would just run along forever we surreal to look at.  These giants are sacred in Buddhism so you can’t cut them down, and are amazingly huge and impressive.

As we sat on a dry and dusty hill, overlooking constant green fields, and with no one speaking out of exhaustion, it was one of the most peaceful breaks I’ve ever had. However, it didn’t last for long. Seemingly out of nowhere the surrounding jungle began to tremble as wind bellowed through the dense foliage. Above us a menacingly dark cloud rolled in, Aung kept to his feet hoping to outrun what was coming, but within minutes the dry path had turned into a literal river and for the next hour, we trudged through slick mud.

When we finally reached Tone Le on the inlet on Inle Lake for a lunch in drenched clothes, but cold beer for the first time in 3 days was amazing, so I wasn’t complaining. After eating, Aung had set up an Inle Lake boat tour for us all at a heavily discounted rate than normally provided to tourists. Note, a taxi boat to Nyaung Shwe is included in the trek cost.

If you’d like to continue reading about Inle Lake, click here.

 

Where to stay in Kalaw and how to get there

Getting to Kalaw is done easily by bus. There are overnight trips as well as daytime buses, either from the north or south. Personally, I enjoy overnight buses even though I rarely get a great sleep on them. I like them because it saves both time and money.

If you’re thinking of an overnight bus to Kalaw, let me tell you a little of what you might expect. The travel time can vary between 9-13hours – drivers apparently drive slower at night even though it didn’t really feel like it at times… Another issue is the time you arrive. I was dropped off on the side of the road in Kalaw at 330 am. Kalaw is a tiny town, and as you might expect, is pretty quiet during the day, let alone at 330 am.

My suggestion is to book your accommodation at ‘Myasabai Inn’. Not only did they let my partner and I in the gate in the dark, early hours of the morning, they allowed us to stay for a few hours, for free, providing we stayed another night (which we had already booked). If that’s not the best incentive to recommend a hotel, I don’t know what is! Just make sure you contact them once you know you’ll be on a bus arriving in the wee hours.

Note: the link above is an affiliate link, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase, I receive a small commission. Please contact me if you have any questions at all!

 

What you need for Myanmar’s best trekking tour to Inle Lake

Good shoes. After my shoes were subject to the intense downpour yesterday, I decided they had worn out too much and this trek to Inle Lake was the end for them. If you’re looking for decent and cheap shoes in Myanmar, look out for green “Burmese army” boots – they look like olive-green converse high tops with thick soles and tread. I bought these as a replacement pair of shoes and they have surprisingly a great amount of tread in the wet. You can find them at the market in Nyaung Shwe, but you can also find them in Kalaw.

When the sun was out, it was incredibly hot. I always wear a super thin long sleeve shirt and a wide-brimmed floppy hat. Heat stroke isn’t fun, and being in the middle of rural Myanmar, help might not be easy to find.  So stay hydrated, and cover your skin as best you can – don’t be shy to use an abundance of sunscreen – you can always bucket shower it off before bed.

Another top tip for beating the heat is by bringing electrolyte packets! They are amazing at replenishing lost salt from sweating.

If you’re travelling in monsoon season, you probably know you’ll need reliable wet weather gear for your trip. But be prepared for anything as the weather can change in an instant.

 

Kalaw trek to Inle Lake tips and information

Be careful of the wildlife. Snakes are common and water buffalos, even though they are domesticated, can get spooked like any other animal – and they don’t slow down easily.

Tip your guide. My guide Aung, provided an amazing experience and even though he is paid decently by Myanmar standards, I’m sure your guide wouldn’t object to a little extra.

Once in Inle Lake, you should be able to pick your bags up from Princess Hotel.

If you’re spending time in Inle Lake, and fancy a wine tasting, Red Mountain Estate Winery is amazing and has great views!

 

Kalaw to Inle Lake Trekking Highlights

• He was amazing. Funny and knowledgeable, plus he loved talking candidly about Myanmar.
• Stunning scenery and friendly locals throughout the entire trek.
• That cold beer at the Tone Le inlet of Inle Lake was actually amazing!

 

Have you hiked from Kalaw to Inle Lake? Or just visited one of them? What did you think? I’d love to hear your experiences below – leave a comment!

 

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