Trekking from Kalaw to Inle Lake, Myanmar, May 29 -June 1 2015

From the smoldering hot plains of Bagan, reaching the cool hills of Kalaw (7 hour bus, 11,000 Kyats, booked through Bagan Beauty guesthouse leaving at 8:00 am) was like a breath of fresh air. We settled in Honey Pine Hotel (20,000 Kyats including breakfast, no fan/AC- no need!) and set out to organize a trek to Inle Lake. There are several travel agencies in town offering similar packages but we booked with Sam's Trekking who you can find in Sam's Family Restaurant, who were the most organized and professional and also gave us the cheapest deal. They also seemed the most popular in town so you'll have a better chance of finding people to trek with.

We ended up being a group of 8 who signed up for the 2 nights-3 days trek which made the price even cheaper for everyone (36,000 Kyats (~36$) per person including meals, village homestays, boat to Nyaung Shwe and English speaking guides). Included in the price is also luggage transfer to a hotel you choose in Inle Lake (they can recommend one as well) so you can trek with a small day pack. Before we called it a night we had a few Myanmar beers and tasty salads at the friendliest place in town- Smile Bar on the main road.

So the next morning we joined our new trekking buddies (Liron from Israel, Joel and Nicola from New Zealand, and Conni, Sina and Jascha from Germany), and our 2 lovely local guides Kopyo and Kayla and set out on the 65 Kilometers (!) journey to Inle Lake. The scenery along the route was beautiful with green fields and mountains all around and it was nice to encounter many local farmers and villagers along the way. The hike was challenging for me I must say, even though there are not many steep climbs but we did walk about 20K per day which is not something I was used to. It was hot at times and rainy at times but the nights were cool, even cold for Myanmar. Our guides were great, spoke good English and were knowledgeable and friendly and fun to talk to. They worked hard and really took care of us- whenever we reached the village we would stay the night in they would go straight to work and cook us dinner without much rest, and in the morning they would wake up an hour before us to make our breakfast!

The minority villages we stayed at were charming, the people were friendly and the food cooked by our devoted guides was delicious (they also didn't forget to cater to our vegetarian needs!), and not to mention we made great new friends with our trekking buddies! We had a great time eating, drinking and playing cards together in the evening after a long day of walking. I have to say this was one of the highlights of my trip in Myanmar and I would highly recommend this experience to anyone visiting the area (if 3 days of walking is too much there is also a 2 day-1 night option).

putting on thanaka with Kayla

this photo (and some more below) courtesy of Liron and her GoPro

 

our lovely host on the second night of the trek

On the last day after a scenic (and very sunny) 1-hour boat ride, d which we even got a glimpse of local fisherman who implement a traditional method of fishing using their feet (!), we reached Nyaung Shwe village where most of the budget accommodation and restaurant are located in Inle Lake. Our guides took us to the hotels we booked beforehand and we said our goodbyes. We stayed in Richland hotel (18,000K for fan room including breakfast) which was recommended by Sam, it was nothing to write home about but decent enough and the location was good, very close to the market and bus station. I might suggest getting an AC room though, as Inle Lake was pretty hot at this time of the year (June).

the "slow team" with our guide Kopyo at the end of the trek

foot fishing