Inle Lake

About this place

Inle Lake is a freshwater lake in Shan State, the second largest in Myanmar, covering about 116 square kilometres at 880 metres. It is shallow, with an average depth of about 2 metres in the dry season, and blue hills surround it. It is known for fishermen who row standing on one leg and for villages on stilts, among the country's calmest and loveliest places. The lake is a unique habitat, with more than 35 native fish species, 17 found nowhere else, and about 45 kinds of freshwater snail, 30 of them its own. Some 20,000 migratory gulls come from November to January. In June 2015 it became Myanmar's first place in UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves, and it has been a Ramsar site since 2018. A long wooden boat leaves in the morning along a channel into still water that mirrors clouds and mountains. You see a fisherman standing at the end of his boat, leg wrapped around the oar, lifting a big cone-shaped net. You then pass gardens floating on the water, wooden houses on stilts and small markets moving between villages. Mist lifts off the water at dawn. The middle of the lake is about 9 km from Nyaungshwe town in a straight line. Hire a boat for a full day and agree the route and price. Mornings are cold on the water, so bring a jacket. Ask before photographing people, as some fishermen ask for a sum. The UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to this area, so read the current advice before you plan.