Myanmar is attractive to tourists all over the world not only for its beauty in pagodas, temples and majestic mountain ranges but also for stunning lakes. Among the most well-known lakes in Myanmar, Inle Lake is the places which attract the most tourists to come and visit every year. Imagine why this lake is so loved by foreign tourists, you just cannot ignore its beauty combines with the mountains nearby and the boats flowing slowly on the surface. All of them create a very poetic and picturesque scenery for this tourist destination in a Myanmar package tour. What is more, traveling on Inle Lake by boats, you will also have a chance to enjoy the fresh air and weather among a very hustle city of the developing Myanmar. The hospitality and friendliness of the local people with their unique lifestyle and custom will also be an attractive feature to hold you there.
Location
First of all, we will need to know some information about the location and outstanding feature of this destination for a Myanmar travel tour. Inle Lake is located in the central of Shan Plateau. It is 22 kilometers in length and at the height of 900 meters compared to the sea level. This is indeed a picturesque scenery for tourists who fall in love with natural beauty and the attraction of wildlife. You can think about the image of Inle Lake every morning in a thick and dense mist which cover over the lake surface, in the blurred light of dawn and quite an atmosphere. Everything surrounding like in the heaven and you are in a fairy tale. Peaceful villages along the lake bank are likely to fall deep into their sleep with the blanket of mist. Although that moment will not last long, for just a few mornings in your Myanmar holidays enjoying this feeling, you will forget totally about the tiredness and stress of the daily life and relax entirely with the stunning beauty of nature.
Tourists coming to visit Inle Lake will be impressed immensely with the image of fishermen on their boat every dawn, rowing with one leg to move along the lake surface. They are the Intha, an ethnic minority in Myanmar whose work is mostly on water, and they are also the dominant people in this area. When talking about Inle Lake of Myanmar, this image is so popular that everyone knows it as the symbol of this peaceful country. Many tourists when they enjoy their Myanmar holidays will be very surprised at how the fishermen do their work? Actually, only men can do this because this work requires a tough physical platform. Besides, this technique is difficult and needs a lot of skills from the people who do this.
Climate
As one country in the area of tropical climate, Myanmar and almost all places in its territory have two seasons: dry season and rainy season. The average rainfall in Myanmar is estimated to be about 1370mm every year. The rain season falls in the period of time between May and September so the weather is often wet and it often rains heavily this time. Therefore, tourists should prepare carefully for a Myanmar package tour to Inle during this time. Because the rain season only lasts for about 5 months, the dry season lasts longer. Especially, in two first months of the year, it is often cold in the early morning and late afternoon so that tourists should wear enough clothes to stay away from the bad effects of the harmful weather.
Travel to Inle Lake
Normally, tourists traveling to Myanmar often take a car, taxi or bus to get to Inle Lake. The service for those means of transport is always available everywhere in this country. However, you cannot deny that this action really wastes your time when you go for Burma tours and as the result, you can be really exhausted after the trip and this uncomfortable experience can ruin your time in here.
A possible option for you is going by plane. From many airports right in inner Myanmar, you can book a seat on a flight and enjoy that luxury travel in Myanmar to Inle Lake. The stop airport is located in Heho, which is in the northwest of the lake. From there, you can easily take a bus of the taxi and get to the lake in a very short time. Zone fee is advisable for every tourist coming here to visit Inle Lake. The price is said to be around $10 for each person. You need to pay only one time.
Explore Inle Lake
To enjoy the beauty of Inle Lake, you should hire a boat trip to travel around it. In the town of Nyang Shwe, you can find your suitable accommodation with reasonable price which suits your budget. If you want to enjoy your trip with luxurious service, you can choose to live in hotels around lake’s bank.
For the better view along the Lake and watch the beauty of the whole Inle, you can explore this site through a Myanmar bicycle tours. Do not worry because this tour will not cost you much. You only need to pay K 1,500 a day for the owners in Nyaung Shwe and start your own experiencing time.
Advisable tours and destinations for tourism in Inle Lake
1. Market Excursion
Standing first on the list of best activities to do when visiting Inle Lake must be the experience of 5 days exploring market excursion. You can find every freshest thing for the daily life of Burmese people here. This market is held to sell to the local people with the most necessary products they need to everyday life. From vegetable, fruits to flowers, foods, and housewares are all displayed in the stalls. The reason why this is always the most attractive activity to join in Myanmar package tour is that the market is held daily around the lake sides. There are five biggest places to sell things namely Nyaung Shwe, Heho, Taunggyi, Mine Thauk and Shwe Nyaung.
2. Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda Festival
Like almost everywhere else in Myanmar, there is a very famous Pagoda near Inle Lake which also attracts tourists to come and pray or visit. This pagoda’s name is Phaung Daw Oo. Too many traveling lovers, this name is not strange at all when mentioning Myanmar tourism in general and Inle Lake tourism in particular. This pagoda is also a symbolic image of Inle Lake. Right here every year from late September to early October, the inhabitants hold a very interesting festival for this pagoda. This is an occasion for tourists and religious people all over the world to come for Myanmar day tour and pray for their luckiness and happiness. Coming to this festival tourists have a chance to explore the beauty of this lake by rowing colorful barges around it. In this cultural space of Myanmar, you will have a really unique experience which you cannot forget throughout your life.
3. Gold and silver manufacture village
Traditional Ywa-ma is very famous for metal manufacture, especially rare and precious metal like silver and gold. This is a good suggestion for Myanmar travel guide to tourists. Therefore, nowadays, when tourists want to know more about this traditional village and the works of the artists, they often choose to join in gold smith and silver smith workshop. Joining in this activity, tourists will also experience the daily life of the local people and know more about their custom and habits. Ywa-ma village is located 12 kilometers far from the center of Nyaung Shwe. Do not skip the activities to explore the custom of the Burmese through this occasion.
4. Trekking in Taunggy
An interesting place for backpackers who love traveling and trekking is Taunggy, the central area of Shan State. From the central town Nyaung Shwe of Inle Lake, it takes you nearly only one hour to drive to Taunggy. The reason why this area is so well-known among backpackers and tourists is its natural beauty and poetic sceneries. Furthermore, the weather is wonderful since it is cool, fresh and comfortable for tourism during the year. Every time you go there in a Myanmar package tour, the weather is nice so that you can enjoy your trip to the best. In Taunggy, you can watch stunning scenes like the green color of pine, cherry and eucalyptus trees. Besides, it is also advisable to spend time in market Myoma and Cultural Museum. For a whole day in Taunggy, you can go almost everywhere and enjoy your interesting trek with most beautiful sights here.
5. Trek in Kalaw
If the beauty in Taunggy cannot satisfy you, why don’t you take a trek in your Myanmar travel tour to Kalaw? This is another hill station near Inle Lake, only 70 kilometers far from the lake center. Not only being an adventurous place for tourists to come and enjoy their trip to Myanmar, Kalaw is also a good place for resorts and luxurious service for tourism. Being affected during the time of colony, this place is famous for English architectures. Therefore, it is not only suitable for hiking, trekking, homestay and wildlife exploration in the jungle, but also good for relaxing and enjoy the most luxurious service in hotels.
6. Pindaya Caves
Talking about Inle Lake in Myanmar, we talk about a natural beauty that is really famous worldwide. Therefore, it would be more attractive for tourists to spend their time and visit natural sceneries around. For that reason, Pindaya Caves are really outstanding and it is the suitable answer for what to do in Myanmar. A huge cave with hundreds of Buddha statues in all shapes and sizes is among the most notable places for tourists coming to Inle Lake, Myanmar.
For all of the above reasons, Inle Lake should always be at the top of best places to visit in Myanmar. Not only for the scenic places around, the features that attract tourists to Inle Lake is also the romance and cultural reserved beauty of this place. Once coming to visit Inle Lake in a Myanmar package tour, tourists will always remember the experiences that they can feel nowhere else except for this poetic place in Myanmar. Hopefully, this article can be a useful guide for all people who are intending to spend their holidays in Myanmar and choose Inle Lake as the place to go.