Visiting Inle Lake, Burma – How ?
In Myanmar/Burma’s
Shan State, Inle Lake is an iconic destination – and for good reason.
Despite hosting large numbers of tourists, the lake’s rural charms
remain authentic and alluring.
Intha fisherman row flat-ended canoes
with one leg while using both hands to fish, floating gardens burst with
tomatoes, beans and other produce and oxcarts packed with the day’s
harvest create the only traffic jam you will find. Wooden homes perch
above the water on rickety stilts in villages that sustain
generations-old cottage industries.
Spend a few days here to appreciate the area’s appeal. Here are the best ways to experience it.
Traditional bamboo fisherman, Inle Lake, Myanmar
Boat trip
On the bridge in Nyuang Shwe, Inle
Lake’s main tourist town, touts constantly beleaguer tourists with the
phrase ‘Hello, boat trip?’ At some point, you should take them up on it.
A day trip on the lake costs around 15,000 to 18,000 kyat (about US$17
to $20), which you can divide between the number of other participants:
the long, narrow boats fit five or six tourists, who sit in wooden
chairs.
You can tailor your day (we said ‘no
thanks’ to viewing the Karen long-neck women and the touristy floating
market), and the rate is slightly negotiable. Hiring a private guide and
boat for the day will increase the cost but you will be able to decide
when and where you want to travel, and be able to skip some of the more
tourist-crowded locations.
Most boat tours include time on the lake
to observe and photograph the Inle fishermen (most beautiful at dawn),
as well as a visit to the rotating five-day market. There will be
several stops at villages with cottage industries, including lotus silk
weaving, silver smiths, cheroot-making and boat-building.
Many trips start at dawn, when mist
covers the lake and it is at its most photogenic. Sunset trips are also
popular, though note it can get chilly on the water. Most boats provide
blankets but you will want a jacket and hat.
Cycling
After you have taken in Inle’s inner
delights, explore the perimeter on bicycle. Many sights are clustered
around the lake’s borders, including hot springs and more cottage
industries.
Begin in Nyuang Shwe, where a six-gear
bike will cost you 1500 kyat for 24 hours. Peddle west along an unpaved,
bumpy road through farmland. Take a left at the T-junction and head
south, following the mountains. After about five miles you will reach
hot springs, where the water is piped into a series of swimming pools. A
soak costs adults 7000 kyat for gender-mixed pools and 3000 for the
sex-segregated ones.
Continue pedalling south until you reach
Kaung Daing, an Intha village producing Shan state’s famous tofu. Made
with split yellow lentil flour, Shan tofu is made by boiling water and
the flour, stirring vigorously and then pouring into a mould to set.
Thin tofu wafers are set out to dry, and you can enjoy a tofu thoke (tofu salad) for a few hundred kyat.
After lunch, grab one of the many touts
you have no doubt passed, and hire a boat to ferry you and your bike
across the lake. A boat costs 6000 kyat and will deposit you on the east
side of the water, where you can continue cycling north through sugar
cane plantations and small villages.
As you near the north side of the lake
you will see Red Mountain Winery (www.redmountain-estate.com) to the
east; head up the hill for a magnificent view of Inle and the vineyards
as well as a tasting of the local wine. The winery is free to visit and a
tasting will set you back a mere few thousand kyat. Red Mountain’s
pinot noir and sauvignon blanc are its favoured varietals.
Continue around the north side of the
lake, perhaps with a slight wine buzz, and cruise into Nyuang Shwe
before sunset as the roads are not lit.
Beyond Inle Lake
Consider taking a day or two to travel
beyond Inle’s most easily accessible sights. Taunggyi, the
administrative capital of Shan State, is a busy town with a vibrant
market. Be sure to eat at the recently-opened Taung Chune Food Centre
(find them on Facebook here), which showcases regional food such as Inle
mohinga (a local version of the country’s favourite noodle
soup) and a homemade banana vinegar (whet your appetite with our food
guide to Myanmar).
Inthein, west of the lake, is a popular
start or stop point for treks from Kalaw, and you can take a lovely ride
through a jungled canal to reach it.
Kalaw, a former hill station that bills
itself as ‘Pine City’, is a lovely place to wander and a very popular
spot for those taking three-day treks to Inle. There are some beautiful
gardens, pine-forested hills, and a large selection of Nepali food
(thanks to the labourers who came to build the railroad during British
rule).
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