Inle Lake, Myanmar: My first impression

I had a trip to Myanmar earlier this year, and it was excellent.

What you need to know

At the time of the trip, the only one way to go to Inle Lake is by bus. As we arrived in Yangon around 8 PM, we took a bus to Inle Lake in the next day morning. The bus fare was around $24 per person, and it took approximately 12 hours (yes, 12 hours) from Yangon to reach Inle Lake. During the bus trip, they stopped at a local place where we could have lunch.

If you plan to go to Inle Lake, take note:

• Try to arrive in Yangon in the afternoon (before 4 PM) and bought the bus fare that departs at 9 PM. You will visit Inle Lake in the morning
• Do not book the flight that the arrival time is close to the departure of the bus. It took almost 1 hour from the airport to get to the city, and another 45 mins to reach to the bus station.
• Bring extra clothes; the bus is super cold (they kept around 17 degrees all the time.

Arriving Nyaungshwe Town

The Inle Lake is a beautiful location and is famous among tourists. You will arrive at Nyaungshwe town before getting to the lake.

We stayed in a local hostel, which had excellent accommodation and quite affordable (just $8 per person per night). We booked it on Agoda and communicated with the host before arriving.

After staying a night, we started our day-trip to Inle Lake in the next morning. The trip was booked from the hotel, and it was only $40 for a full day trip with lunch for eight people. We tipped the boat driver $10.

Street view from our hotel

On the way to the boat station, we went to a local school

Local school in Nyaungshwe Town

The iconic Inle Lake

When it comes to Inle Lake, the iconic symbol is the famous fisherman who navigates their boat using only one leg.

We took a long trip on the boat to reach the inner of the lake, where we had a chance to enjoy the peaceful life of people living on the lake.

All of us enjoyed the scene and the atmosphere, a fresh and calm that we might not feel during rush hours in our city.

We stopped by a floating restaurant and had a fresh lunch, cooked with local ingredients that they raised by themselves.

Traditional fish meal cooked with vegetables

After lunch, we visited a floating pagoda as we returned to the lake.

On the way back, we were greeted by a flock of seagulls.

That's the end of our day trip, we said goodbye to our friendly boat driver and packed our stuff. We went back to Yangon later this day.

If you had a chance to visit Myanmar, Inle Lake is a must-go.