What to Expect During an Inle Lake Boat Tour
The overcast skies and cool mistiness of the mountains were a welcome change from the hellishly hot temperatures – 113 degrees! – of Bagan. After being dropped off near the famous Inle Lake in the Shan Hills of Burma around 3:30 in the morning (we were glad to already have accommodation booked) we didn’t really know what to expect. Everything you read about the region says to do an Inle Lake boat trip, I wasn’t quite sure what a boat tour consisted of or if it would be worth it.
First of all, you can’t really experience, or even see the lake (unless you’re staying at one of the few guesthouses or hotel actually built right on the water) without doing a boat tour. We stayed in the small village of Nyaungshwe, at the north end of the lake and one of the main access points to the Inle region. Our first day there we headed down to the boat jetty to see what was on offer. As you walk, men will come up to you asking if you need a boat or guide.
No one was too pushy but we shopped around getting a few prices before we chose one (more details and contact info at the end of the post).
At 6:30 a.m. the next morning we were down at the boat getting ready for a full day out. Our long tail boat was stocked with (surprisingly comfortable) chairs and umbrellas but little else – make sure to take hats, sunscreen and water with you.
What to Expect During an Inle Lake Boat Trip
One-legged fisherman
One of the iconic “one-legged” fisherman on Inle Lake
One of Inle Lake’s draws is spotting the “one-legged” fisherman that balance at the end of their long tail boat on one leg while using the other to manipulate the oar. Traditionally they used the cone-shaped nets you see above, but that way of fishing is very labor-intensive and slow so you may not see many of the nets as you glide in between boats.
An example of how the fishermen row their boat
Local Fresh Market
Early morning commerce
The lake has a rotating fresh market that’s in a different location each day. The morning we went, the busy market was at the base of the Shwe Indein Pagodas. After being in Southeast Asia for so long, both my traveling companion, Angela from Tieland to Thailand, and I have seen our share of local markets, but there was something different about this one. The mix of people and tribes found in the region is clearly evident from the bustling crowd. Often when you see hill tribe women dressed in garb in Chiang Mai it’s for tourists’ benefit but here people were dressed in their different traditional clothes and simply going about their daily lives. We also saw several different vegetables and items for sale that we don’t often find in Thailand – like asparagus and cheroot.
A Lahu woman choosing cheroot cigarettes
Our excellent guide (contact info below) took us to the market first thing in the morning and we were the only tourists there when we arrived. By the time we left about an hour later there were more groups trickling in, but we had seen and experienced the market without anyone else taking photos.
Seeds and nuts for sale, measured out in condensed milk cans
If you have time, stop at one of the market’s tea stalls for a steaming hot cup of coffee or tea and fried dough for a quick pick me up before getting back in the boat. Our guide was so sweet that, even though we had requested to get coffee and share a snack with him, he paid for everything. Considering the whole private day tour – plus our guide and driver – cost the equivalent of $15 we were surprised, and a little uncomfortable, about his generosity (and left a big tip at the end of the day…).
Indein Pagodas
A few of the hundreds of pagodas found in Indein
From the market we walked up to the Shwe Indein Pagoda…and hundreds of ruined and restored pagodas from over the past seven centuries. Everywhere you turn there are spires reaching toward the sky. Some are made from crumbling brick and are being overgrown by the jungle while others have been “restored”, plastered and painted thanks to donations from around the world.
Golden pagodas at Indein
A surprising part about the boat ride to and from Indein is maneuvering through the Indein Creek. Farmers have dammed the creek with bamboo poles to irrigate the rice fields leaving a small opening for the long tail boats to just narrowly slip through.
Going up creek through a dam
Even after the first couple of dams that our driver expertly piloted the boat through (we never even brushed one of the bamboo poles that were just centimeters away from either side of the boat!), it still was a strange experience and got the adrenaline going a little as you felt like you were surely going to crash into the dam each time – especially when going against the current upstream!
Cheroot Factory
Hand rolling cheroots
Throughout Burma you’ll notice people, often older women, with green leaf cigarettes hanging out the sides of their mouths and small stands splattered with ingredients as women hand roll various cheroots and small packages of betel nut to chew.
Preparing the dried thnatphet leaves that are used to wrap the cigarette
The Inle Lake area in particular is known for its flavored cheroots like coconut, anise, pineapple, mint and even banana and you can sample the different kinds before buying a pack for your self – ten hand-rolled cheroots will run you $1-2.
Silk Weaving Workshop
Inside one of the weaving workshops
I don’t think I’ll ever stop being completely mesmerized by silk weaving. I’ve seen workshops in Laos, Thailand and Burma and still can’t wrap my head around how these women can manage thousands of thin silk threads and weave them into intricate designs.
Women young and old were creating works of art
An interesting thing that I had never realized before was that you can make thread from fibers found in lotus stems. The sticky, elastic fibers are pulled out of the stem while simultaneously being hand rolled to other fibers to create a long thread.
Getting the sticky fiber from inside the lotus stem
Discarded stems
The thread is then used to make scarves and other items and, I’m assuming because of the laborious way of making the thread, was more expensive than the silk items for sale.
Silversmith Workshop
Handmade silver water bowls…sadly way out of my price range
During a stop at a silver workshop we got to see how raw silver was changed into beautiful jewelry and how the decorative water bowls (that are also popular in Thailand and available through the Paper Planes shop) are made. Several craftsmen were also working on delicate jewelry while we perused the items for sale.
Floating Gardens
Rows of tomato plants “floating” on the water
Another iconic scene from Inle Lake is its unique floating gardens which are more like little garden islands. Bamboo poles help secure clumps of land, water plants and grasses to the mud below the water then farmers plant their vegetables, mainly tomatoes.
Cruising through the floating gardens
Other stops included time at a couple special temples that are a common pilgrimage site for Shan families. There was also the option of visiting long neck women of the Karen tribe, but we try to stay away from those types of “attractions”. If you’re privately hiring a guide you can choose where you want to go and what you want to skip. While many stops were geared toward tourists and had items for sale, they never seemed super touristy (though we did go in the relative low season so maybe it would seem more touristy or artificial when there are more crowds) and we saw or learned different things at each site that we had never experienced or been aware of before.
Hiring a Guide for a Private Inle Lake Boat Trip
Without much to go on, we started heading toward the boat jetty to see what was available and how to go about finding a tour. You’ll quickly realize you don’t need to look too far as people will come up to you trying to sell you their services. While it was good to ask a couple people their prices, I don’t usually like hiring people or things when they’re coming up to me because it makes me feel guarded and defensive. I would rather use someone that isn’t pushing for my business so much. If this is you as well, just tell the people that come up to you that you already have a driver or tour, they’ll immediately smile, apologize and leave you alone.
After getting prices from a couple people, we decided to go with a driver who not only quoted us several dollars less than what we had heard before, but that we just got a good feel from. He seemed helpful, funny and kind. After taking his business card and thinking about it a bit more we had our guesthouse call him and book a tour for the next day starting around 6:30 in the morning. We showed up bright and early and were introduced to the man’s 19-year-old son who would be our guide for the day and the boat driver.
For the private boat, guide, driver, lunch and tour that lasts from 6:30 a.m. to about 3:30 p.m. it cost 15,000 kyat, or about $15 USD total. (We ended up tipping the same amount at the end of the day.
If you want to avoid looking for your own tour or using a tourist agency as a middleman, I would highly recommend trying the driver/company we used:
Nyunt Pe – Boat Driver
+95 9428316291
Your guesthouse or hotel can call for you to book the tour.
Have you been to Inle Lake? What was your experience like?
Hey! I'm Alana and I've spent nearly the past decade living in Chiang Mai, Thailand, working as a writer and photographer. I started Paper Planes as a place to share local insight, special places, and how to travel well through a range of experiences — from hostels to high-end hotels, street meat to multi-course meals.
New places are always calling my name...
7/16/15
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I almost went to Myanmar when I was in Cambodia a few years ago, and have been itching to go ever since…particularly because all of your posts make me really want to go! I never knew lotus flowers were actually useful…they are so pretty!
Though I could definitely skip those temps in Bagan…oof.
You can also eat the lotus stem and seeds! I can’t believe it took me so long to get to Burma after living right ext door for years – I definitely want to go back! The temperatures in Bagan were pretty crazy though…we were quite proud of ourselves when we made it through a long day of temple hopping without getting burned, completely dehydrated or short with each other!
I am so interested in seeing the process of spinning lotus silk, I have read so much about it. It seems so magical that silk can come from the stems of a plant. I’m hoping to visit Burma in September for my birthday. Thanks for the great recommendations.
Silk is just magical all together – who in the world thought, I know, I’ll use this cocoon which is actually just one single thread and make it into something??
Superb blog post – really informative and some absolutely banging photos! We are going this November, and will try and book your guide if at all possible. 🙂
They were great – enjoy!
Hi Alana
This is such an informative post. I’m planning a Myanmar trip this coming March and I was wondering if i could pull off booking the boat ride without the need for travel agency. Did you pay 15K kyats per person or that’s for the entire boat, guide, driver and lunch? How long would you say one should stay in Inle? My main goal is to experience the boat ride, see the unique way of fishing and take lots of photos during sunrise and sunset. Prior to Inle, I will be in Bagan for 4D3N already. After Inle, I’m heading back to Yangon. So I’m thinking if I should cut a day in Bagan so I could spend 3D2N in Inle or 1 full day is enough?
Thanks!
Helpfull post,
We are going to do the trip tomorrow. Seeing your pics, we are really looking foward for it.
Thanks.
But I think that tipping as much as the price you paid, seems for me unnecessary. This is how price increase, why asking 15 when people can give you 30 without being asked. It s like going to a restaurant, paying 65euros and leaving the same for the waiter. Don’t you think? What other think about it? I ve never found easy to know how much we should tip, even more in countries where they are not used to it. I would like other opinion on this, that would be appreciated and helpfull 😉
Thank you.
Hi
We just returned from Myanmar including a trip to Inle Lake. We had our guesthouse book the boat driver recommended on this site. He came to meet us in the morning at 8am, walked us half way across town to another jetty and ‘sub-contracted’, gave, or perhaps otherwise ‘sold for commission’ our boat trip to two very young teens who did not speak a word of english. There was some bantering among them and a clear rediriction to a different boat. We did not realize Nyunt Pe was not himself going with us until the boat was being kicked off the jetty and he wasn’t on it with us.
We had explained to Nyunt Pe with help of pre-translated passages that we did not want to be taken to the variety of shopping opportunities on the lake as we did not want to buy anything and were interested in specific sites on the lake. He agreed and said he understood, but the two kids that took us tried relentlessly to take us to every silversmith and shopping opportunity on the lake (for the commissions of course) even after I showed them the translated requests on my phone.
When we were taken for lunch (which we paid for) we noticed a few guides with others speaking or at least attempting some english, eating with them , looking at maps, etc. A genuine experience.
In the end we were dropped off at 2pm having only been taken to 2 sites we were interested in. When we returned they told us they wanted 20000, and given Nyunt was nowhere to be found to discuss the matter, we paid them. They both laughed gleefully and started a boisterous conversation about this, and i got the impression they felt they’d gotten away with something. Now of course they were essentially children and we don’t blame them for their shortcomings as guides. They are obviously being brought into the game going on at Inle Lake by their parents, people like Nyunt, and ultimately the increasingly huge number of tourists like us who go there.
So what we got was:
Driven around in a boat by two young teens mostly to places we specifically asked not to go to for 20000, plus 12500 for lunch ( the cost of lunch in itself not being unreasonable given the location).
I think this post perhaps has helped Nyunt get too much work…perhaps it’s gone to his head? Perhaps he was just being nice to two young kids, as he has more work.
However you consider what happened it must be said that this post is now misleading to the extent that it suggests you will have a quality tour with him. Ours certainly wasn’t. At any rate, I would recommend you take the recommendation for him off, and instead consider encouraging people to carefully look around and ask for a committed guide who has attempted at least a few paragraphs in english so you can get the most out of the day. And to ask to ensure you are going to end up in the boat with who you think you are.
Thankfully we are very experienced travellers and found ways to enjoy ourselves and the beauty without them. Basically we hiked off in other directions up to beautiful views and stupas. After all, they couldn’t take us shopping if they were stuck in the boat waiting for us. They seemed content to nap during these times, so a good day was had by all.
Sorry it didn’t work out for you – our experience was wonderful!
Hello thanks for your nice post this post is very helpful. hope that you will continue your writing .thanks
Hi,
first of all let me thank you very much for good reference and contact information. We were at Inle in December 2017. We called Mr. Nyunt Pe from our cell phone but I didn´t understand a word so we let our reception to call him – definitely better idea – trust me :), It started in very same way as Josie´s. In the morning young guy came to our hotel to pick us up – one of the sons we learned later. We walked through the town to the jetty where we met Mr. Nyunt Pe with other son – boat driver. We had no strict requirements where to go or not to go – just wanted Indein Pagodas to be part of our trip. It was very nice experience – just one stop at every point of interest, no double stops – Silversmiths, rotating market, weaving, paperwork, pagodas, temple, long neck women, floating gardens.
Again it was very nice experience and our guide, son of Mr Nyunt Pe was amazing guide, very friendly.
Thank you very much for the reference. And apparently Mr Nyunt Pe is well aware about his references as asked if we know hom from internet 🙂
Price was 20000Kyat + tip. Definitely worth of it.
Oh good – I’m glad you a good experience, thank you for sharing!
We highly recommend th nyunt pe. We went on a sunset boat ride and he took us himself for 12,000 and the next day his son zoza who spoke better English was our guide along with a boat driver. This was ideal as we stopped at many places and Zoza came with us to explain everything in English while the boat driver stayed with the boat and some of our belongings. We did the day tour including indein which on the day we went had the rotating market at indein. Indein usually costs a little more since its further down a long canal. For lunch zoza took us to a great meal that wasn’t too expensive. The tour does show you some touristy stuff – women with the long necks and their store, the lotus string textiles and store, the silver maker and store. You can skip whatever you want but we thought most were interesting at least. We didn’t feel any pressure to buy and although we looked heavily didn’t buy a thing and didn’t get any pressure about that. We loved seeing the lotus string making of textiles from a big factory on the water and the floating farm/garden where they grow tomatoes. We also stopped by a pagoda where locals put gold on the Buddhas. Yes there’s a bit of a touristy vibe but overall it’s very beautiful and zoza was a great guide. We happily paid 25,000 plus a small tip.