The Kalaw to Inle lake trek is one of the most popular walks in Myanmar and for good reason. Kalaw sits at about 1300m in the Shan state of Myanmar with a variety of hill tribes in the surrounding area. The walking routes are easy and the town itself is well set up, with a spur train line and a range of VIP and standard buses stopping there before Lake Inle.
We decided to do a 3 day/2 night trek to Inle, but you can also do it in 4 days/3 nights, 2 days/1 night or even 1 day, but most choose the classic 3 day/2 night option as it allowed us to take a fairly leisurely pace across the 5 or so hours of walking per day.
There are quite a few trekking agency located in the centre of Kalaw to choose from. Most people we found turn up the day before, book a trip and head out the next day as most trekking firms are fairly flexible with adding extra trekking groups.
The most famous, and the one we chose to go with, is Sam's family trekking. But there are also similar budget options including Ever Smile (max group of 10) and the more expensive A1 and Eagle (plus many others). The main difference we understand is the quality of the guide, however, as you will find out, our guides were fantastic and we were very pleased with the trip.
At 8:30am we arrived at Sam's family restaurant, where about 7 groups were massing - all of which were heading out that morning. We didn't think there were so many people when we booked, but were excited to see that we were in group 1 and paired with an English and a German couple.
Sam, the owner, came to send everyone off and give them all words of advice about responsible trekking. It was lovely to meet Sam as he had pioneered the route and started the whole trekking movement in Kalaw but sadly he is a little old to do long treks now-a-days. He introduced us to our guides Omar and Ai Ai, shaking all our hands and posing for a few photos as we were the last off.
Day 1
We started by walking out of the town and up to a reservoir and pine forest, before ascending to a viewpoint for lunch. The group got on really well from the start, which was great. Part of the reason we wanted to go as a group was to meet some people and share our experience.
Most of the walking was on tracks and the going was fairly easy. We ascended to about 1600m and were greeted by an amazing view down into the valley and across to a monastery and various small villages. Lunch was served at a restaurant where we caught up with about 5 other groups. Ai Ai and Omar made a super lunch of avocado salad, chapattis (endless supply), fruit and tea.
The afternoon was mainly down a dirt road with views either side until we hit the railway line which we followed for a good 30 minutes walking on the tracks. Given there was only one train a day we had no worries as we headed on towards the station.
We arrived into the station where there were sellers of fruit, vegetables and a place that we could stop to refresh with some free green tea (a great thing about Myanmar is the free green tea everywhere!).
From here we peeled off into some wonderful farming country, with vegetables, flowers and rice fields growing around us. It was the dry season when we visited so no rice fields were planted, but you could clearly see the terraces and it made for a lovely walk.
Finally after about 6 hour so walking we crossed a wooden bridge and arrived into Taung Iar village where we were to stay the night.
We decided to do a 3 day/2 night trek to Inle, but you can also do it in 4 days/3 nights, 2 days/1 night or even 1 day, but most choose the classic 3 day/2 night option as it allowed us to take a fairly leisurely pace across the 5 or so hours of walking per day.
The most famous, and the one we chose to go with, is Sam's family trekking. But there are also similar budget options including Ever Smile (max group of 10) and the more expensive A1 and Eagle (plus many others). The main difference we understand is the quality of the guide, however, as you will find out, our guides were fantastic and we were very pleased with the trip.
At 8:30am we arrived at Sam's family restaurant, where about 7 groups were massing - all of which were heading out that morning. We didn't think there were so many people when we booked, but were excited to see that we were in group 1 and paired with an English and a German couple.
Sam, the owner, came to send everyone off and give them all words of advice about responsible trekking. It was lovely to meet Sam as he had pioneered the route and started the whole trekking movement in Kalaw but sadly he is a little old to do long treks now-a-days. He introduced us to our guides Omar and Ai Ai, shaking all our hands and posing for a few photos as we were the last off.
Day 1
We started by walking out of the town and up to a reservoir and pine forest, before ascending to a viewpoint for lunch. The group got on really well from the start, which was great. Part of the reason we wanted to go as a group was to meet some people and share our experience.
Most of the walking was on tracks and the going was fairly easy. We ascended to about 1600m and were greeted by an amazing view down into the valley and across to a monastery and various small villages. Lunch was served at a restaurant where we caught up with about 5 other groups. Ai Ai and Omar made a super lunch of avocado salad, chapattis (endless supply), fruit and tea.
The afternoon was mainly down a dirt road with views either side until we hit the railway line which we followed for a good 30 minutes walking on the tracks. Given there was only one train a day we had no worries as we headed on towards the station.
We arrived into the station where there were sellers of fruit, vegetables and a place that we could stop to refresh with some free green tea (a great thing about Myanmar is the free green tea everywhere!).
From here we peeled off into some wonderful farming country, with vegetables, flowers and rice fields growing around us. It was the dry season when we visited so no rice fields were planted, but you could clearly see the terraces and it made for a lovely walk.
Finally after about 6 hour so walking we crossed a wooden bridge and arrived into Taung Iar village where we were to stay the night.
As we walked through the village we could see local crafts being made, vegetables being grown and oxen. All the villages were smiling and said hello, and the kids were playing hide and seek with us - it was great.
Our bed for the night was in the front room of a villagers' home. The family were very friendly and welcoming, saying hello and allowing us to use their house facilities.
It gets fairly cold in the mountains, but we had multiple rugs, a soft mattress and a pillow so this was not a problem at all. The facilities were as to be expected when in a small village in the mountains of an undeveloped country. You could have a bucket shower (Chris was the only one to brave it) and there was a squat toilet, which was fairly clean.
Omar and Ai Ai were at it again in the kitchen and served up a fantastic dinner, with multiple dishes of vegetables, curry and rice. This was followed by fruit again and lots of peanut brittle. We were stuffed and headed to bed for a good night rest.
Day 2
We started early, with the girls bringing us breakfast - eggs, fruit and a mountain of toast - and we were out the door by 8am. This was to be the longest day of the trek, so we wanted to make the most of the cool morning air before the ground had a chance to heat up hard.
The walk out of the village was beautiful in the morning light. We headed on deeper into the rice fields and through the hills passing many local villagers who were heading back from the local markets with their baskets full of supplies.
Passing by chilli-fields being picked by local Taung Yoe people with their distinctive orange head scarfs.
We stopped for a short rest at a small village school on route who had just finished their exam, so were very happy and excited when we turned up to entertain them! Their little heads poking out from all the classroom windows, with a few confident boys who eventually showed off their English counting from 1-10 before a final goodbye of high fives all round!
After our rest and some great grub we were ready to hit the tracks again at around 2.30pm walking now towards a range of mountains that we were to pass through between the 'Rock Door' as it is known by.
From the lunch stop we had a 3 hour walk to Put Tu village where we were staying and with the temperatures now peaked we took lots of little stops along the way allowing us to take in the beautiful surroundings of the valley.
On the other side of the Rock Door after a total of 7hrs walking, we welcomed our next home stay with open arms at Put Tu village, and were very warmly invited in by the family - mother and grandfather!
Day 3
We awoke early again but this time with slightly sorer heads from the night before and said our fond farewells to our fabulous home stay hosts.
As we headed out of the village on our final 4-5 hour stretch of walk we picked up a new member of the trekking group - a little dog, who seemed to happily follow in our footsteps and had balls of energy as it moved from trekking group to trekking group (this was the last stretch so the route was the same for many of the groups). We have no idea if it made it all the way to Inle Lake or managed to find its way back home.
The landscape as we walked closer to where we would get the boat to Inle became redder and redder in colour - almost comparable to the colour we had experienced in the red centre in Australia.
It was very dry, arid and desert like with lots of cacti along route, which made for a really interesting change from the farming field tracks we had been walking through the day before.
With one last push having had some peanut and sesame brittle to give us a sugar boost we headed down through a rocky track that led to the restaurant - our final stop before walking only 10 more minutes to where we would catch the boat over Inle Lake. Lunch again was delicious, and our stomachs were filled with noodle soup and fruits galore.
With only 10 minutes walk left we changed from our walking shoes to flip-flops - a welcome change for our hot, tired and slightly blistered feet. Ai Ai and Ohmar saw us to our boat and we said our very sad goodbyes. They needed to get back as they would be starting on another trek after a day off - no rest for the wicked!
The boat ride was a great way to end the trip and arrive in style to Inle Lake.
The small boats are lined with wooden seats one behind the other, so we all had a great view of the small canal lined with local stilted houses and fields as we navigated out from the village of Tone Lae to Inle Lake itself passing through small bamboo gates along the way.
At the end of the tributary we opened out onto the spectacular view of Inle Lake. Ohmar had asked the boat man to go slowly over the lake so we could get a great view of the fisherman at work - an iconic image for Inle - with their cone like nets and long thin fishing boats. We sat back and celebrated the fact that we had made it!
The boat took us to the north of the lake and the town of Nyaungshwe; the most popular area to stay and within close distance of the lake. It dropped us right near the centre of town at the jetty where all the Inle boatmen arrive and leave from for day trips to the lake. So having booked a hotel right by the river we didn't have to walk much further (I don't think our feet could have taken much more walking!) to reach our bed for the next few nights and more importantly a well needed SHOWER!
Lucky for us our trekking group were around for a few days too in Inle so we met for dinner that evening for a nice cold beer to round off our three day trek! Cheers!
Our bed for the night was in the front room of a villagers' home. The family were very friendly and welcoming, saying hello and allowing us to use their house facilities.
It gets fairly cold in the mountains, but we had multiple rugs, a soft mattress and a pillow so this was not a problem at all. The facilities were as to be expected when in a small village in the mountains of an undeveloped country. You could have a bucket shower (Chris was the only one to brave it) and there was a squat toilet, which was fairly clean.
Omar and Ai Ai were at it again in the kitchen and served up a fantastic dinner, with multiple dishes of vegetables, curry and rice. This was followed by fruit again and lots of peanut brittle. We were stuffed and headed to bed for a good night rest.
Day 2
We started early, with the girls bringing us breakfast - eggs, fruit and a mountain of toast - and we were out the door by 8am. This was to be the longest day of the trek, so we wanted to make the most of the cool morning air before the ground had a chance to heat up hard.
The walk out of the village was beautiful in the morning light. We headed on deeper into the rice fields and through the hills passing many local villagers who were heading back from the local markets with their baskets full of supplies.
Passing by chilli-fields being picked by local Taung Yoe people with their distinctive orange head scarfs.
We stopped for a short rest at a small village school on route who had just finished their exam, so were very happy and excited when we turned up to entertain them! Their little heads poking out from all the classroom windows, with a few confident boys who eventually showed off their English counting from 1-10 before a final goodbye of high fives all round!
We pushed onwards through the countryside dusty tracks and after a good 4 hours of walking came to our lunch stop in Kone La village.
Ai Ai jumped into the kitchen and got cooking us yet another feast this time on a fire inside the bamboo house that was on stilts (which seemed a little dangerous given how dry the area was!) and after another delicious meal of noodles and fresh fruits we had a 1.5 hr snooze...well needed after the morning's walk!
After our rest and some great grub we were ready to hit the tracks again at around 2.30pm walking now towards a range of mountains that we were to pass through between the 'Rock Door' as it is known by.
From the lunch stop we had a 3 hour walk to Put Tu village where we were staying and with the temperatures now peaked we took lots of little stops along the way allowing us to take in the beautiful surroundings of the valley.
On the other side of the Rock Door after a total of 7hrs walking, we welcomed our next home stay with open arms at Put Tu village, and were very warmly invited in by the family - mother and grandfather!
Our beds for the night were much the same, but this time we were neatly lined up along the living room wall and it felt like a very cosy little local hostel! We enjoyed another Ai Ai dinner of vegetable dishes and rice and concluded the evening with the consumption of a lot of very cheap Mandalay Rum and local Whisky! It turned into quite the evening with Ai Ai, Ohmar and the mother of the home joining us to chat whilst we drank and we ended up hearing all the Sam's Family Trekking gossip! It was a great evening with us all in stitches of laughter and we reluctantly headed to bed, full of good food and probably not so good alcohol!
Day 3
We awoke early again but this time with slightly sorer heads from the night before and said our fond farewells to our fabulous home stay hosts.
As we headed out of the village on our final 4-5 hour stretch of walk we picked up a new member of the trekking group - a little dog, who seemed to happily follow in our footsteps and had balls of energy as it moved from trekking group to trekking group (this was the last stretch so the route was the same for many of the groups). We have no idea if it made it all the way to Inle Lake or managed to find its way back home.
The landscape as we walked closer to where we would get the boat to Inle became redder and redder in colour - almost comparable to the colour we had experienced in the red centre in Australia.
It was very dry, arid and desert like with lots of cacti along route, which made for a really interesting change from the farming field tracks we had been walking through the day before.
With one last push having had some peanut and sesame brittle to give us a sugar boost we headed down through a rocky track that led to the restaurant - our final stop before walking only 10 more minutes to where we would catch the boat over Inle Lake. Lunch again was delicious, and our stomachs were filled with noodle soup and fruits galore.
With only 10 minutes walk left we changed from our walking shoes to flip-flops - a welcome change for our hot, tired and slightly blistered feet. Ai Ai and Ohmar saw us to our boat and we said our very sad goodbyes. They needed to get back as they would be starting on another trek after a day off - no rest for the wicked!
The boat ride was a great way to end the trip and arrive in style to Inle Lake.
The small boats are lined with wooden seats one behind the other, so we all had a great view of the small canal lined with local stilted houses and fields as we navigated out from the village of Tone Lae to Inle Lake itself passing through small bamboo gates along the way.
At the end of the tributary we opened out onto the spectacular view of Inle Lake. Ohmar had asked the boat man to go slowly over the lake so we could get a great view of the fisherman at work - an iconic image for Inle - with their cone like nets and long thin fishing boats. We sat back and celebrated the fact that we had made it!
The boat took us to the north of the lake and the town of Nyaungshwe; the most popular area to stay and within close distance of the lake. It dropped us right near the centre of town at the jetty where all the Inle boatmen arrive and leave from for day trips to the lake. So having booked a hotel right by the river we didn't have to walk much further (I don't think our feet could have taken much more walking!) to reach our bed for the next few nights and more importantly a well needed SHOWER!
Lucky for us our trekking group were around for a few days too in Inle so we met for dinner that evening for a nice cold beer to round off our three day trek! Cheers!
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