Myanmar's Famous Inle Lake Boat Tour | Authentic or Tourist Trap??

Today we explore the beautiful Inle Lake area with a full day boat tour.

Inle Lake is home to the Intha people who live on and around the lake and today we hope to get a small glimpse into their way of life.

We have a 4AM wake up call and 5AM pick up to get out on the lake by sunrise. We are staying in #Nyaungshwe and it’s about a 20 minute boat ride up the canal to reach the lake.

We unfortunately don’t have much of a sunrise and instead are met with an early morning rain shower. It is over as quick as it starts and we are quickly greeted by a couple of young kids who come to demonstrate one of the things Inle Lake is most known for and that is how the “one-legged” fisherman traditionally balance at the end of their long tail boat on one leg while using the other to row the oar.

This is definitely just for show but it is cute nonetheless and now we are off on what seems to be a pretty set route around the lake with stops at different workshops where we can observe the locals working on their handicrafts.

We pass by some floating gardens right on the lake and it is so neat to see the innovative way they cultivate tomatoes.

Our first stop is at a silversmith shop and we get to watch the process of how they handmake jewelry.

We then go to the Five Day Market which rotates between five different locations every 5 days. The market is lively and energetic and filled with the local people selling fresh produce, quick eats, and just about anything else someone might need!

We try a couple delicious fried treats (still not sure what they were...) and then have some coffee. Today’s market happens to be at the same location as the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda so we stop there before heading back to the boat.

Next we go to a lotus weaving workshop where the locals use lotus plant stems to create beautiful textiles. We get to watch the process and learn that the clothes made out of lotus are even more expensive than silk. In order to make even the smallest scarf, more than 4,000 lotus stems are used and it takes around one month to finish.

We have lunch at one of the floating restaurants and then head a good bit south of the lake for a stop at the Inn Dein Pagoda. It is located in the small village of Indein and this pagoda consists of hundreds of ancient small stupas. Most of the stupas are in ruins but some of them are really well preserved. We wander around for an hour or so and then head back to the boat.

There are a few more stops not shown in the video at a local monastery, a boat building workshop, a cigar rolling workshop and the Maing Thouk Wooden Bridge.

After a full day we start making our way back to Nyaungshwe and come up on a group of local fishermen who are actually fishing balancing on one leg while paddling with the other. We are very happy to see the “real” fisherman and are so intrigued to watch their balancing skills.

From sunrise to nearly sunset, we have a full 12 hour day out on the lake. The tour cost 18,000 Kyat plus another 4,000 Kyat for the additional stop at the Inn Dein Pagoda which is well worth a stop!

The lake by itself is very scenic and beautiful but our favorite part of the day is definitely riding through the small canals of the floating villages, seeing all the local people and their homes built on wooden stilts and getting a small glimpse into their way of life on the lake.

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We are Jess and Myles and we are so glad you have found our channel, Waypoint of View!

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