Myanmar was like nowhere else I have ever been. Exploring Inle Lake felt like stepping back in time.
Although Myanmar only recently opened its doors, tourism is booming. So, what if you want to visit and enjoy places, but avoid the crowds? My answer would be ‘Go off season’.
Myanmar was on my list for a few years now, however during my last visit to Asia in 2016 I had to skip it because of the strong earthquake that hit Bagan. Two years later I am back in Asia and ready to explore Myanmar in low season.
First thing I notice is that country has a wonderfully laid back pace – no one seems to be in a rush nor too bothered by tourists. Internet access and ATMs do exist, but they are relatively new and not necessarily reliable. When the electricity went out at our hostels in Yangon and Mindat for several hours at a time, no one seemed to care.
One of the most relaxing spots on our Myanmar trip was Inle Lake. We came here from Mandalay madness and were super happy to discover how quiet Inle is. We stayed in a family run hotel in Nyaungshwe on the northern edge of the lake. Because of a low season, tourists were long gone leaving dirt roads occupied by stray dogs and mopeds only. And it seems they took most of nasty dust too!
Boat tours
The number one thing to do at Inle Lake is a boat tour. Finding a driver is easy, just go to docking station and bargain. We didn’t want to do a 7hour tour, as half of that time you get to spend in restaurants and shops. We haggled with a young guy for 5-hour boat ride and agreed on 13,000 ($10).
Get out in the early morning, it is the best to experience a sunrise on the lake. Views are incredible and the heat is still bearable. Our boat driver didn’t speak English but was super sweet and understood the body language better then we expected.
We left around 5am to see the sunrise with fisherman in the middle of the lake. The sunrise welcomes you and wakes up the lake after a cold night. It is impressive to see how easily fisherman balance on the tip of the boat trying to get the catch into their cages. The houses on stilts form villages and the only roads in these village are made of water.
The floating gardens are another unique piece of art. The sections of ground are held together with bamboo, floating on the lake. The area around the lake is huge and produces many kinds of vegetables- this year round it was tomatoes season.
The long-necked women tribes can be found around Lake Inle too. They migrated here from northern Thailand purely for tourism purposes and if you haven’t seen them anywhere else it definitely worth a visit! I never made it to original village in Thailand and was amused to see them here.
There are many small workshops, factories, and restaurants on the lake. You can get cigar or silver products and visit workshops where women make beautiful clothing and umbrellas.
After 5 hours cruising around lake, we were ready to hit the shade and catch up on cat napping in the terrace.
All in all, we didn’t get hassled much nor we bumped into many tourists. This is a main advantage of low season.
Remember that despite the recent tourist developments Inle Lake is still an amazing place to visit with friendly locals, gorgeous views and authentic experiences!
How to get to Inle Lake
To get to Inle Lake you can either fly from major cities or take a bus.
We came from Mandalay on an overnight bus, which was as comfortable as all other rides in Myanmar.
Weather in Inle Lake
Temperatures in the day time are around 30C, with short showers around midday and cooler temperatures in the night because of the altitude (Inle is over 1300 meters above sea level).
Have you been to Inle Lake? What was your experience?
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