Take a boat ride
The best way to experience Inle Lake is to take a ride on one of the slender long tail wooden boats used by the locals. The sleek boats are equipped with powerful long-tailed outboard motors and skim across the lake at terrific speed leaving a distinctive spray in their wake. Jetting across Inle Lake was one of the highlights of our Myanmar adventure. Experiencing the silence and peace of the lake as dawn break is an absolute privilege as watching local village life while floating.
A visit to the pagodas in Indein Village
Located in the Western side of the lake, you will find a small river leading up to the village of Indein. Here, you can find an endless row of pagodas and stupas all lined up in one area. In this densely populated area, you will find these monuments both old and new lined up for visitors to see. Some boat tours stop over here so if this is something that you would like to see, make sure you check your boat tours itinerary ahead of time. Alternatively, you can also just arrange a day trip here so you can wander around these ancient stupas and enjoy stunning sunset.
Check out the Floating Gardens
In Inle villages like Kayla, locals build floating gardens out of lake-bottom weeds and other organic material and grow crops like squash and tomatoes on these vast farms. Boats can navigate at low speed through passageways between gardens.
These gardens simply rise above the monsoon season floods, bamboo poles were driven into the lakebed keep the gardens secured in one place while permitting up and down movement based on the water level.
Spend time with the Pa’O Tribe
The Pa’O tribe believe they are descendants of a dragon and the women wear brightly coloured head scarves to symbolise the head of a dragon, with the black layers of their dress representing its scales. A guide to Kakku was a descendant of the Pa’O tribe.
Visit the long neck women of Kayan
The Kayan people are native to northern Myanmar where the women wear large brass neck rings. The practice starts as young children when rings are worn to deform the collar bones and upper ribs which, over time, creates the appearance of a stretched neck leading to a very distinctive look. It is possible to see some of these women weaving cloth at the many crafts shops.