I really began my backpacking trip in Myanmar. After a short stop in Yangon, we hopped on an overnight bus to Inle Lake, a place that had been high up on my list of cities to visit. I had heard absolutely wonderful things about the small town from some friends, so I was eager to get there. Here are tips on how to visit Inle Lake, Myanmar.
Getting To Inle Lake
We traveled with the bus company, JJ Express, for about 24,000 Kyat. This was a VIP bus with personal TVs and seats that reclined far back. They also had a tea and coffee service and served us some small cakes. There are no bathrooms on most of the busses in Myanmar, but they stop frequently enough that it isn’t a huge issue. If you’re going to visit Inle Lake, Myanmar, this is a great way to do it.
When you arrive in Inle Lake, you’ll be asked to pay an entrance fee to the city. It costs 12,500 Kyat. All tourists have to pay this fee in order to get off of the bus. We hopped into a tuk-tuk (always negotiate down!), and were dropped off at Joy Guest House, where we would be staying for the night.
Where to Stay and What to Do
Joy’s was a perfect place to stay, they let us check in immediately upon arriving and even let us dry our laundry on their porch! The free breakfast was delicious and honestly, everyone who worked there was super helpful.
The first day of our trip, we decided to walk around for a little bit, eat, and then get massages. We got massages at WIN, a place about a ten-minute walk from the “downtown” area. It was perfect because all five of us could get a massage at once. It cost about 7000 Kyat for an hour massage as well as delicious tea and too many cookies to eat! I really can’t stop talking about how friendly everyone we encountered in Inle Lake was. The lady who owns this massage place spoke incredible English and helped us hire a tuk-tuk to the winery.
We made it just in time for sunset to Red Mountain Estate Vineyard and Winery. We all ordered a glass of chilled white wine and shared a cheese plate while watching the sun disappear behind the mountains. Afterward, we headed back into town for dinner and then had an early night as we were all exhausted from the overnight bus.
The following day we embarked on the tour of Inle Lake that we had had the lovely people at Joy schedule for us. We filed onto our longboat, just around the corner from the guesthouse and spent the night eight hours experiencing the magic that is Inle Lake. It was so humbling to be around all of the local Burmese people. They all have a craft and are highly skilled at it, be it textiles, silver making, wood carving and more.
The boat trip was absolutely the highlight of our few days on the lake. We wandered the markets, saw the beautiful floating gardens, indulged in some local Burmese food, visited a temple and much more. I even bought a beautiful silver ring.
That evening we hopped on another overnight bus to Bagan… more on that in my next post!
You should definitely visit Inle Lake, Myanmar!
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