Inle Lake and It's Environs
The most famous scenic sport in Shan State and is about 24 miles from the hilltop of Taunggyi to the plain of Shan plateau. According to one of the international researcher, this is one of the rear lake in the world, because most of the lakes the world are gone dried due to the changes of the weather.
The vast picturesque lake, 900 meters above sea-level is one of the main attractions of legendary land, Myanmar. The lake, 22.4 km long and 10.2 km wide has a population of some 150,000, many of who live on floating islands of vegetation. It is famous for its scenic beauty and the unique Leg Rowing of the Inthas, the native lake dwellers. There are many ethnic minority tribes living around the lake. The lake as not deep enough to see underwater beauty, there is many vegetable gardens, floating firms and villages in and around the lake.
The most attractive tradition is traditional colorful floating market, the unique leg rowers for fishing on the lake and their traditional Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda festivals in late Oct every year.
Sightseeing Places in Inle Lake
PhaungDawOo Pagoda
PhaungDawOo Pagoda is one the famous pagodas in Myanmar. It is loacted at Inle Lake. This pagoda houses five small Buddha images, which are much revered by the lake-dwellers. Once a year, in late September – early October, there is a pagoda festival during which, four of the five Buddha images tour around the lake in a colorful.
NgaPheChaung Monastery
NgaPheChaung one of the oldest monastery around Inle Lake, the cheroot making industry, blacksmith and the silk weaving village of In Paw Khon. And now like museum of old Buddha alters. Overnight in Inle Lake. Continue visit to PhaungDawOo pagoda Visit will conclude with a 150 years old wooden monastery, NgaPhaeChaung Monastery filled with beautiful Buddha images in various styles. This place was famous as jumping cats Monastery, nowadays you may see the cats jumping occasionally only. Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay at Inle Lake.
AlodawPauk Pagoda
AlodawPauk Pagoda is well-known for its Patronage by famous ancient monarchs and most venerable.
The Oldest pagoda in Inle Lake, AlodawPauk Pagoda, is situated in Nampan. This pagoda enshrines a gem-encrusted Shan style Buddha stupa.
The AlodawPauk Pagoda is one of the 84,000 pagodas built by the famous king ThiriDhammaThawka. When King Anawrahta arrived in Inle Lake, he rebuilt the pagoda because the only thing that was left was the foot of the original. The pagoda was originally named the Innphaya Pagoda, but it was changed into Yadana Pagoda before assuming its current name.
Inn-Dein Pagdoa
Inn Tain Pagoda is located at Inle Lake. This is another monastery further away from the lake. To get here you need to take a long-boat up one of the canals, up some mini-waterfalls and after about an hour you finally arrive to this monastery and the land of a thousand abandoned pagodas.
Ywama Village
Ywama Village is located in Inlelake. One of the largest village on the Inle Lake. The beautiful houses built on large wooden poles driven into the Lake Bed. You can see the famed floating market according to the local five day market scheme. On market day it is a traffic jam of tourist boats and souvenir hawkers with a few local buyers. The streets of the village are like webs of canal. There are some beautiful teak houses built on large wooden poles driven into the Lake bed. The main activity and attraction is at the floating market In the largest canal. It is to the North West of our hotel.
Sagar
It was formerly located on the hills, but after the construction of the water supply, the village was moved and the temples still remain there. There are hundreds of Buddha Images in sitting, standing & reclining positions, which are supposed to be over seven hundred years old. It can be done day return trip by boat from Inle Lake, which will take approximately three hours as well as an overnight trip is available as there is a little lodge which has just opened to accommodate and to enjoy the atmosphere of Sagar village.
Floating Market
The main activity and attraction of Inle Lake is the floating market in the largest canal. It is to the North West of our hotel. By boat, it will take 15 minutes.
Floating markets and floating gardens are common scenes on the waters of inle lake on the Shan mountains. People there live on waters, grow fruits and vegetables on the waters, and use the boats for transportation and traveling around. The floating markets are regularly held in various locations including PhaungDaw, Indein and so on, in a rotational fashion. This picture shows one of the floating market places on Inle lake where people of different tribes come and trade their products.
Where can we visit nearby Inle Lake ?
NyaungShwe
Nyaungshwe is the town at the northern end of Lake Inle. NyaungShwe is also known as Yawnghwe. It is a town a few kilometers north of Inle Lake in the Shan State of Myanmar. It is located south of Sakangyi and southwest of Taunggyi. Bawrithat Pagoda lies in the southern part of the town. NyaungShwe is the tourist hub for visiting Inle Lake. It consists of one main thoroughfare with numerous side streets and a few parallel roads. The main street has numerous shops, several restaurants, a few stupas, travel agencies and a market. NyaungShwe can be reached by bus, car, or by plane via the airport in Heho, located about a one-hour drive away. The town serves as a marina for the numerous long boats carrying tourists into the lake. The lake itself is located a few kilometers south through a river channel.
Kalaw
Kalaw is one the beautiful places in Myanmar. It is located at 1320m on the rolling, pine-clad hills of the Shan Plateau, this is Myanmar’s budget trekking heartland. Located to the west of beautiful Inle Lake, some travelers enjoy hiking between the two (about 45km), on mountains dotted with Palaung, Pa-O, Inntha and Shan villages. Kalaw is cool climate and is invigorating after the stifling heat of the central plains. It is two-hour drive away from Inle Lake and one-hour from Heho. For the train lovers, taking a morning train from Shwe Nyaung, a small train-station-town near Inle Lake and getting off getting off at the old colonial station in Kalaw would be a nostalgic experience. Soft trekking tour can be arranged and the maximum duration for walking is about two hours along the up & down way. There are some good hotels, built with the atmosphere of colonial era and charming type. The small hotels are also clean enough with bathroom attached and mini-bar facilities. There are not so many local restaurants but the present ones serve delicious traditional Shan cuisine & Chinese….. Foods are available at most of hotel as well.
Pindaya
Pindaya is loacted at Inle Lake. It is situated at 1164-m above sea level and is 40-km from Kalaw. It is noted for its extensive limestone caves and Shwe U Min Paya which is full of Buddha images of about 8000 a and picturesque Boutaloke Lake. Pindaya itself is a centre for the Myanmar speaking Taung-yo people. Local handicrafts include Shan paper and parasols made from mulberry bark. It is surrounded by historic and magnificent banyan trees. On the way pass through beautiful landscape with small villages of Pa O, Danu, TaungYo and other Shan minorities who are earning their living with vegetation and crops. The Pindaya cave, containing thousands of Buddha images in various size and shape are installed since the 11th century.
Taunggyi
Taunggyi is the capital of Shan State, Myanmar. It lies on 1,430 meters above the sea level and has a moderate climate. Taunggyi maintain ethnological museum where cultural objects, musical instruments, traditional dresses, household and farm implements, paintings, sculptures, arts and crafts of the different national races residing in Shan State in display. The most significant festival is the annual Tazaungdine Lighting Festival (Oct / Nov). Lu Ping festival commonly known as hot balloon festival celebrates by Pa O, one of the many ethnic groups in the region. On the occasion people enjoy fun and merriment by holding firework-launching competitions. The firework is in the form of rockets. There is also hot balloons competitions on the day and night occasions. In conclusion, Taunggyi is the most beautiful, nice weather, a lot of funny things in it.
Hot Air-Balloon Festival In November in Taunggyyi
In Taunggyi. the capital city of the Shan State. the people celebrate the Tazaungdine festival with Kahtein (offering of monk robes) as well as the releasing up fire-balloons into the sky. Balloons in the shape of elephant. ox. horse. water-buffalo. bird. pig. fish. owl and parrot are released. The Taunggyi festival is the biggest festival in the country. It is attended not only by Taunggyi Citizens but also by people from southern Shan State and many different races. Taungyi’s Kahtein tradition is amazing and worthy of reverence.
Mway Daw Kakku Pagoda
Mway Daw Kakku Pagoda is one of famous pagodas in Myanmar. It is located in Shan State. It also has the old ancient place. There are over 2000 pagodas, most of which are 3m to 4m high and laid out in neat rows. We believed that it was built over seven hundred years ago. The serenity and peacefulness provide the site to be visited and Pao tribes are living in this area which is additional attraction of this place.
Loikaw
Loikaw is the Capital of Kayah State in Myanmar. And the home-land of the Long–neck women; who wear traditional brass rings around their necks, also known as “Padaung”. The town is scattered around the Thiri Mingala Hill (called Taunggwe in Myanmar) Pagoda perched high up on a limestone monolith which affords great views of Loikaw and the surrounding mountain ranges, especially at sunset. Demawso Market, HtiPwint Pond, NgweTaung Dam, Kyat Gu(Spirit Cave)are places of attractions.
