Best Tours & Activities in Inle Lake

Inle Lake is an idyllic destination where clear waters, mountains back drops, floating gardens and stilted villages coexist. Highlights:  • Travel by boat and see the sights from the water  • Private guide for a more personalized experience  • Floating Market (can be able to see on the 5 market days only ) • Visiting Phaungdaw Oo Pagoda, Ngaphechaung Monastery (well known for its jumping cats) • Experiencing weaving factory, silver smith workshop and as well a floating plantation.

In this tour, our English speaking station guide will pick you up 09am to head to Pindaya, a small quiet town mainly famous for its limestone caves called Pindaya Caves where thousands of Buddha images have been consecrated for worship over the centuries.It is famous for attractive lakeside setting, and the traditional Shan paper umbrellas that are manufactured here. Set deep in the hillsides, the caves (some of which serve as meditation chambers) contain some 6000 Buddhas of various sizes, which are made of white marble, bronze or plaster, and coated with gold leaf. At the entrance to the caves sits the 15 metre tall  Shwe U Min Pagoda. On the way, we will pass through the hill tribe villages. We will visit Pindaya caves, Traditional Shan paper making village, Pottery and Umbrella making villages. Have lunch at a local restaurant. Proceed to Nyaung Shwe and visit attractions in Nyaung Shwe. Back to hotel in the evening.

We will explore the famous Indein which is a small village West of Inle Lake, Indein is one of the villages that host the Inle “5 day market”, the market that is held in a five day rotating cycle in five villages around the lake. The Pa-Oh people who live in the surrounding hills sell their crops here. The village is best known for its many ancient pagodas in many shapes and sizes and in various states of preservation. While some have been restored, others are in their original crumbling state. We will explore the market which is beside indein selling interesting handicrafts. After that, proceed to Khaung Daing village and study the workshop of making tofu, sunflower seed, soy bean and chick pea powder. And then back to Nyaung Shwe and relax at the hotel.

Guests can begin their visit with a wine tasting. Of the four options, I found the Normal Harvest White to be the best pairing to a late summer afternoon, with a light, dry aftertaste. Though the tasting did not provide much information about each wine, it wasn’t exactly a bad way to pass a half-hour. The tour of the vineyard and winery takes guests through the rows to examine specimens of shiraz grapes and other varieties. A peek at the distillation process reveals rows of massive metal cylinders, housing thousands of gallons of wine. Women bottle the product by hand, their children sleeping in hammocks nearby.

Get experience riding the horse through the jungle on the Shan Hill which is higher than 1300 metres above sea level. Ride through the farming area where Gingers, Potatoes, Rice, Turmeric, Saffron and other vegetables are cultivated. Having lunch at the local house can make you a wonderful experience.

Our sightseeing tour will  start exploring in Beautiful Taunggyi where we will visit Shwe Phone Pwint Pagoda which sits at the top of a ridge to the east of Taunggyi. It offers a panoramic view of the entire city and has breezy weather.  Followed by Sulamuni pagoda, a huge white stupa modelled on the Ananda temple in Bagan and Myoma market where you can observe and purchase authentic traditional Shan organic food and products from the local people. After that we will proceed to AyeThaYa vineyard which is the site of first vineyard in Myanmar opearting by German owners to see the wine making process and get a bit local wine taste. after that, we will be back to hotel in the evening for relaxation.