The second largest natural lake in Myanmar located in the middle of the greatest depression in NyaungShwe Valley, situated 900m above sea level with shallow, 22km long and 11km wide hiding among the hazy blue mountains, is one of the main tourist attractions in Myanmar. Inle’s most unusual feature is its extraordinary “leg rowing fishermen“ who have developed an original, eccentric method of rowing their small boats with one leg. Another one is floating gardens where flowers as well as tomatoes, beans and cucumbers grow. Local villages and markets make interesting sightseeing spots, while visitors also enjoy mouth-dropping sunrises and sunsets over the Shan mountains. The festival of Pagoda in Inle Lake, is PhaungDawOo Pagoda Festival with its full of Pagenatry and colorful splendor that held during October .
It’s also a place we cannot miss in our itinerary is the scenic beauty of Inle Lake so at least one night or two nights stay is strongly recommended. The most convenient way is to fly from Yangon to Heho, which is the nearest airport to the lake. There are daily flights to Heho from Yangon which take about 1hr. The flight from Mandalay to Heho takes only. Travelling by car along the uphill and winding road over the Shan plateau, though taking about, is interesting and well-worth taking.
Kalaw
A beautiful hill station surrounded by mountains locates about 70km west from Inle Lake. It situates 1400m above sea-level so it is pleasantly cool and a good place for hiking through bamboo groves and rugged mountain scenery.The main attractions of Kalaw are the town itself, with its mock-tutor colonial bungalows, its ethnic mix of people, and its setting within trekking distance of many ethnic minority villages. There are Palaung villages nearby and hill-tribes people in their colorful costumes can be seen at Kalaw market which is held on every five days.
Pindaya
Pindaya is situated at about 1200m above the sea level and is at the foot of “Me-Nae-Taung” mountain range about 45km north of Kalaw. The road between Kalaw and Pindaya offers particularly breathtaking views of the landscape. It main attraction Pindaya Cave, is a huge extensive limestone cavern where 8000 of Buddha images in various size and shape are installed since 11th century and the images also decorated with beautiful stalagmites. A major handicraft in Pindaya is handmade paper umbrella.
Taunggyi
Taunggyi, the capital city of Southern Shan State, in the eastern part of Myanmar, has population approximately 120,000 and is composed of Shan, Bamar, Sikh and some Muslims, making it the third largest city in Myanmar. Taunggyi is known for its scenic beauty and pleasant climate. Being situated over 1400m above the sea-level, it is cool the whole year round and the area is colorful with lovely flowers, pine trees and green orchards. The town has an interesting market place daily filled with colorful ethnic tribes. There is also a five-day market place and a gem market on the eastern part of the town, where jade, rubies and sapphires are sold. Attraction places in Taunggyi are Shwe Phone Pwint Pagoda, Sulamuni Pagoda and Kakku Pagoda.
Kakku
The Kakku relic pagoda of the southern Shan State, which only recently has become one of the most visited places in the Shan State. It is situated near Mway Taw Village, Kakku village tract, Taunggyi township, under the administration of special region 6 about25km away from Taunggyi.