Still Waters Run Deep: The Indein Experience
Inle, Myanmar (Burma)
From EUR 42.54
Office phone number: +95 1 656259
Still Waters Run Deep: The Indein Experience
Inle, Myanmar (Burma)
Culture shock rating
Worried we’re going to shock your senses? Relax! We believe part of the fun of travel is immersing yourself in the destination and its culture, meeting the people, and learning what makes the place tick. We’ve got a wide range of tours with something for everybody. The cultural shock rating ranks how different the experience is from most Western cultures. But no matter the level, don’t worry, you’ll have a local, in-the-know guide with you every step of the way.
Low
Consider these tours your 101 intro to a place. Transportation might be private or a very comfortable public option, and the activities are usually visits to iconic sites and locations that are familiar to most Western cultures – but that will still give you fantastic insight into a destination.
Medium
Expect to rough it for parts of this tour, whether that’s on a packed public bus or in a local market off the tourist trail. There might be a few language barriers or unfamiliar cultural customs, and you’ll get an experience different from what you're used to at home.
High
You're out there in the global community! We’re going to take you down streets you’d rarely explore on your own, introduce you to local customs and languages, and take you for a ride in whatever transport is available. Get ready to take it as it comes, whatever comes. There might be a shock, but oh man, it’s worth it.
Physical rating
Worried our tours are too tough? Relax! From leisurely strolls to muscle-burning treks, we’ve got a wide range of tours with something for everybody. The physical grading gives you an idea of how much huffing and puffing you can expect on the tour.
Low
Slow and steady is all you need here. These tours have very limited physical activity, such as walking relatively flat streets, sites, or markets, and climbing in and out of the transport provided.
Medium
Not too hard, not too soft, these tours are just right! You can expect a bit of physical activity, but nothing overly challenging – perhaps walking up and down hills, riding a bike for up to 30 kilometers along mostly flat terrain, or jumping in a kayak for a gentle paddle on flat water.
High
Get ready for a workout! These tours are our most challenging and involve intense walking, hiking, kayaking, swimming, or bike riding. You could be making steep climbs by foot or pedal, or working your core in the water. We recommend you have a good level of fitness to join this tour.
-
Tour snapshot
Combine lush jungle scenery and adventurous Lara Croft-style expeditions through lost kingdoms, then add flying cats to create the perfect mix of the serene and the surreal on Inle Lake.
-
Highlights
- Take a long-tail boat through the dreamy floating villages and lush gardens of Inle Lake
- Visit a local home and discover daily life
- Admire the throne room at Nga Phael Chaung Monastery
- Get a taste of traditional Inthar cooking while eating with locals at one of the popular old restaurants around the lake
- Channel your inner Indiana Jones and explore a real-life lost city before climbing over 800 stairs for a truly awe-inspiring view of 1,000 ornate stupas slowly crumbling into the lake below
-
Schedule details
- Duration: From 8 to 9 hours
- Meeting point:
Nyaung Shwe City Hotel, No. 20, Win Quarter Nyaung Shwe Township, Southern Shan State.
View on Google Maps.
- Find the exact meeting point with what3words:
- Starting time: 8.30 AM
- Ending point:
Nyaung Shwe Jetty, Nyaung Shwe Township.
Language: English
Inclusions: Local English-speaking guide, boat fare, lunch.
Exclusions: Entrance fees, souvenirs and personal shopping, tips/gratuities for your guide.
You cannot visit Inle Lake without exploring its famous stilt villages. For almost a century, farmers in the area have farmed unique floating gardens (or, as locals call them, ye chan), built from rafts of water hyacinth and silt anchored to the lake bed with bamboo stakes. Your traditional long-tail boat will take you to meet some of the villagers to find out what it’s really like to live and work on top of a lake. Our very first stop of this tour will be a local home, we will meet with a local family, share our stories and see how people live their day to day lives.
After experiencing the tranquility of the lake, it’s time for a bit of history. At the monastery of Nga Phael Chaung, you will see intricate thrones used by the great monks over hundred years ago.
After admiring antique thrones, we will hop back in our boat and glide through a few more floating villages where you will have a chance to meet local artisans such as silversmiths and silk weavers. Then you are in for a real treat: lunch in a traditional Inthar restaurant. Or you could choose to eat in one of the Chinese or European-themed restaurants — the choice is yours. Once you have filled your belly with local (or not) culinary culture, it’s time to learn more about the extraordinary Inthar people at their heritage museum.
We will then take a boat through Indein Creek, floating past farmers ploughing rice fields with their water buffalo. The next stop is an Indiana Jones fantasy come true — the ancient crumbling ruins of a lost village among lush green forest. We will ascend 800 steps, past decaying pagodas and colourful remnants of old temples, to find one of the world’s most stunning scenes laid out before our eyes: a sea of decaying stupas, a truly captivating sight. If this view isn’t on your bucket list already, it darn well should be.
Our tour ends with one final boat ride across the placid waters of Inle Lake, giving you another opportunity to capture that quintessential holiday snap of the Inthar fisherman with his conical fishing net.
Before you go, don’t forget to ask your local guide for tips on what else to see and do during your stay.
-
Additional information
Inclusions: Local English-speaking guide, boat fare, lunch.
Exclusions: Entrance fees, souvenirs and personal shopping, tips/gratuities for your guide.
Your Trip: For your Urban Adventure, you will be in a small group of a maximum of 12 people.
Confirmation of booking: If you have your voucher, your booking is confirmed. We'll see you at the start point. Get in touch if you have any concerns or require more information via the email address or phone number (business hours only) on your voucher.
Child Policy: This is a child-friendly tour. Children between the ages of 6 and 11 inclusively are permitted on this tour at the rate listed above. Please select ‘child’ above when booking. Children under the age of 6 are permitted to join this tour free of charge. Please inform us at the time of booking if you’ll be bringing a child under the age of 6. You can do so in the special request box on the checkout page.
-
Local contact
Office phone number: +95 1 656259
Email address: info@inleurbanadventures.com
BACK TO TOP