Walking up and down the undulating hills in the picturesque Shan Highlands is one of the best ways to arrive at Inle Lake. The trek between Kalaw and Inle Lake travels through mountain villages and between farms. Getting to see rural Myanmar and its people going about their day is the best part of this hike. The picturesque mountain scenery makes it even better.
The quaint town of Kalaw is the starting point for a popular 3-day trek to Inle Lake. Although the towns are 60 km apart traveling by foot is a fascinating way to see the countryside.
Situated in the mountains, Kalaw feels more like a town in Malaysia than Myanmar with its clean sidewalks and good restaurants. It’s a nice starting point for this trek. Located at 1,300 m, the air is much cooler than you’d expect in Myanmar. Mornings and evenings were very chilly, near 7 or 8 °C in February.
Day 1 – 22 km, just over 7 hours trekking with a few breaks
The trek began right from our hotel in Kalaw and headed out of town. On the edge of town we entered a dense, protected forest. We were surprised to see a lot of pine trees. Our guide told us they were planted by the British in colonial times and have now taken over the landscape. There were also many of the important Bodhi trees. These trees are huge with large limbs extending both up and out giving a lot of shade. Buddha was enlightened while sitting under a Bodhi tree making the trees revered by Buddhists.
As we walked through the forest we saw many local women collecting wood for their home fires. They carried the bundles of collected wood in bamboo baskets back to their homes. It made us appreciate our well-equiped home in Canada.
Palaung tribe women carrying bundles of wood, Kalaw to Inle trek
During the 3 days we passed villages from 3 different tribes: Palaung, Danu and Paoh (Pa-O). Each tribe farmed different vegetables based on their elevation, soil and water source. Even though these 3 tribes are only a few hours walk away from each other, they have completely different languages, attire and customs. The villagers we met were very friendly and often greeted us with a smile. Little kids would wave, give us high fives and blow us kisses. On the first day the tribes were Palaung and Danu.
Local boy, Kalaw to Inle trek
After a couple of hours we reached the edge of the forest where an open view exposed the scenic landscapes of the Shan Highlands. The mountains are more like rolling hills than high rocky peaks, but they are still beautiful.
View on the Kalaw to Inle trek 
Village on the Kalaw to Inle trek
The land is covered in farms and the walking trails go through and beside these small farms and their neighbouring villages. First we passed tea and orange groves, and then fields of turmeric, ginger and rice.
Farmers, Kalaw to Inle trek 
Ginger, Kalaw to Inle trek 
Farmer plowing his field with a buffalo, Kalaw to Inle trek
The trek slowly gained elevation over the morning. By noon we reached the highest point of the day at 1,380 m where we stopped for lunch and had an excellent view of Elephant Mountain.
View on Kalaw to Inle trek 
Elephant Mountain, Kalaw to Inle trek
We stayed overnight in a family’s home in the small Danu village of Ywarbu. It was a very simple home, but they fed us a terrific meal and made us feel very welcome.
Ywarbu village for our first night, Kalaw to Inle trek 
Main room in a village home, Kalaw to Inle trek
Day 2 – 23 km, 8 hours with a few breaks
On the second day we continued climbing up and down the hills passing many small farms. It was early in the morning and we saw many farmers tilling their land with buffalo-drawn wooden plows. Others were planting their crops by hand. We trekked passed rice fields and vegetable gardens growing cauliflower, celery, kale, ginger, turmeric and chilies.
View on the Kalaw to Inle trek 
Farmers in the Shan Highlands, Kalaw to Inle trek 
Farmers, Kalaw to Inle trek 
Baoh Farmer sorting chilies, Kalaw to Inle trek 
Views on Kalaw to Inle trek
The trail we were travelling on is regularly used by locals to get to and from their farms and villages. The route follows dirt roads, foot paths and even travels along railroad lines. On the second morning we met three school girls on their way to school carrying tin lunchboxes. They were very happy and curious to see strangers on their route to school.
Danu school girls carrying their lunchboxes 
View on Kalaw to Inle trek 
Farmer, Kalaw to Inle trek
On the second day the people were from the Danu and Paoh tribes. Paohs are easy to distinguish because they wear colourful turbans. Most of the people in the Shan Highlands are Buddhists and we passed a few Buddhist stupas over the three days.
Paoh lady weaving, Kalaw to Inle trek 
Buddhist stupas, Kalaw to Inle trek
The second night we stayed in the large village of Battu which has 2,000 residents. As we approached the village the mountains became more rocky and rugged instead of the previous gentle hills. When we arrived to Battu, villagers were coming home from working on their farms. There were ox-drawn carts and ladies carrying baskets on their heads full of wood and crops. There’s also a monastery in town where monks were playing hacky sack, called Chinlone in Myanmar language. It was interesting to see daily life in a typical farming village in the highlands.
Rocky mountains, Kalaw to Inle trek 
Village, Kalaw to Inle trek 
Villager on Kalaw to Inle trek 
Villagers, Kalaw to Inle trek 
Monks playing hacky sack
We stayed overnight in a Paoh family’s home. It was a simple two or three room home with an outside dining area. The kitchen was in a small hut beside the house where the cooking was done over an open fire pit. For a bed we had a thin mattress on wood floors but plenty of blankets for the cool nights. This village had solar panels so we were lucky to have the lights turned on for dinner. But to save energy they were turned off at 7:30 pm.
Over the past two days we saw many buffalo-pulled plows, oxen carts and open fires for cooking. The hike felt like a walk through a living history museum.
Homestay kitchen, Kalaw to Inle trek 
Village, Kalaw to Inle trek
Day 3 – 15 km, 3 1/2hours
We woke to a cool, misty morning. Layers of mountains were barely visible through the thick fog. It was a gorgeous morning walk.
Misty morning, Kalaw to Inle trek 
Misty morning, Kalaw to Inle trek
The earth changed over the three days. On the first day the earth was mostly brown clay. By the last day it was as red as on Prince Edward Island. The difference in soil partly determined what crops were grown in their fields.
The final morning involved a slow climb to reach the highest point on the trek at 1,500 m. From here the trail is downhill most of the way to Inle Lake.
Red earth, Kalaw to Inle trek
Not long before we reached Inle Lake we passed a group of people preparing for a funeral for an important monk. He was 86 and had been at the monastery for over 60 years. Villagers built a huge, colourful stupa made from bamboo. It was beautifully crafted and painted. The stupa had an open area in the centre for the monk’s body. That evening the stupa would be lit on fire to cremate his body. The ashes would go in a new stone stupa that was built especially for him. As we continued to walk to the lake we passed many villagers from the surrounding communities who were walking to the funeral.
The trek ended near a series of narrow channels that connected to to the open lake. We were staying in the small tourist town of Nyuang Shwe on the north end of Inle Lake. From where the trek ended we had a 1 ½ hr long-boat ride to get to Nyuang Shwe. The glimpses of life on the lake that we saw from the boat ride made us excited for our next few days at Inle Lake.
Inle Lake 
Inle Lake
Getting to Kalaw
Overnight buses go to Kalaw from Bagan (5 1/2 hrs), Mandalay (4 1/2 hrs) and Yangon (9 hrs). There are also mini-buses traveling during the day from Bagan and Mandalay. He Hoe Airport (50 min) serves Kalaw and Nyuang Shwe.
Guiding companies
A guide is not required, but since there are no signs, hotels or restaurants on the trek and the people don’t speak English, it would be very difficult to go without a guide. We did the 3-days 2-night option. You can also do 2-days 1-night trek where your guide will drive you part way. We used the trekking company A1, based in Kalaw and were very pleased with them. Our guide, Sithu, was excellent. He has extensive knowledge of the people, their customs and their farming techniques and speaks excellent English. A1 took our large bags/suitcases ahead to our hotel in Nyuang Shwe so we only carried small packs with enough to get us through the 3 days. All meals were provided, and the food was all delicious. They prepared so much food for each meal, we may have gained weight on the hike! Our long-boat ride was included in the trekking company fee.
The trek is always completed from Kalaw to Inle Lake. Some guide books, including Lonely Planet, indicate that it goes in the opposite direction, which is wrong.
Coming Next – Extraordinary Sites on Inle Lake
For extra pics from this trip go to Gallery/Myanmar. For extra pictures from other blogs go to Gallery at monkeystale.ca Click on a picture to view it as a slide show.
Click on the link for more pictures from Myanmar or go to Destinations to read our stories from around the world.
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For more of our treks click here, or go directly to Phuktal Gompa (Zanskar), Markha Valley Trek (Ladakh), Kashmir’s Great Lakes (Kashmir), Source of the Ganges, Kuari Pass (Uttarakhand), Hampta Pass (Himachal Pradesh), Everest 3 Passes, Manaslu Circuit, Upper Mustang (Nepal), Jumolhari Yaksa Trek (Bhutan), Pinnacles Trek (Borneo), Carstenz Pyramid (Indonesia), Annapurna Circuit (Nepal), Alpamayo Circuit (Peru), Sunshine to Assiniboine (Canada), Rockwall (Canada), Dolomite Peak (Canada).
Monkey's Tale 
Just excellent reporting, well presented with fine accompanying photography. Thanks so much for dropping by Common Sense and Whiskey, which led me to find you! Great stuff, thank you!
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Thank you Bill for your kind words!
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Your journey is fascinating ! Thank you for sharing this story of a significant corner of the world. Love the way you intersect the local lifestyle.
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Thank you it was such an interesting way to see the countryside and the people.
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Another excellent and enjoyable read!!
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Thank you, glad you enjoyed it 🙂
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You are very welcome! Yes, I did, very much! Brought back so many memories haha 🙂
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Excellent to see local snippets of life. Simple living, to say the least, but makes you appreciate the way things are at home. I have never seen so much ginger or so many chilies in my life. Imagine the pain of a chili sorter rubbing their eyes. Thanks for sharing. Allan
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They definitely don’t have many modern conveniences. I didn’t think about her rubbing her eyes! I bet by now she has learned to never do it:) There was actually a taller pile of chiles, and an entire yard of ginger. It was a fascinating walk.
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Wondaful posting, Maggie! Enjoyed reading it! Fascinating images!!
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Thanks Jyothi, it was an interesting three days though these villages. Maggie
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What an adventure! Sounds like an amazing experience
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It was a great way to see how people live in Myanmar. Very eye-opening. Thanks for reading!
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Sounds like another fabulous trek. Sadly it seems it’ll be more than just COVID which keeps us from Myanmar for a while now. Great photo gallery again too.
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Yes, these people are very poor and tourism was adding more income for them. It’s so sad what’s happening there again.
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What rich and diverse experiences you’ve had. Those are lovely pictures and beautiful villages. They look very similar to places in the North East of India.
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Thank you, yes we’ve been lucky to see some amazing places. We haven’t been to Assam, but compared to Sikkim, the villages and homes are similar, but even more basic, usually without electricity or access to transportation. It was a great way to see their way of life.
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Wow, what a fantastic hike. Amazing photos and beautiful countryside. Once you step aside from the unrevealed beauty packed in impressive historical sites and see locals living in the rural area making a living from agriculture can be a real eye-opener, especially to those from Western cultures where lives are often far from simple and ordinary
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Yes, it was such a good experience to see how people live in rural Myanmar. It reallly felt like we were hiking in a museum. It goes to show though that money doesn’t mean happpiness, these people were all very friendly and seemed happy and definitely well fed. Thanks for reading Aiva! Maggie
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It is refreshing to see the traditions that are still practised with modesty and dignity, which form a beautiful combination with the architecture and the landscape.
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Yes the farmers in this region were hard workers. Even though they didn’t have much and weren’t using modern equiment their farms seemed to be prospering. It was fascinating to walk through the area and see a bit of what their lives are like.
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I love the different landscapes there! And the person sorting chilis must have really tough hands!
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Haha, yes and as Allan commented she must know to never touch her eyes!
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That must have served her well when Covid hit!
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🤣🤣🤣
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What a wonderful adventure! Great photography, particularly the people shots. We were supposed to move onto Myanmar after Cambodia last year. But y’know, Covid. Now of course it’s not sure we’ll ever make it. If we do, this hike will be high up on the list.
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It was such a great way to see the countryside and their way of life here. I hope the situation in Myanmar settles down and is open to the world again. There are so many fascinating things to see there.
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What an adventure. Looks like such an amazing way to really submerse yourself in Myanmar culture!
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It was one of the best ways to really see how they live. We loved this hike. Thanks for reading! Maggie
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This is an amazing hike … it’s great that you could walk through the small towns/villages and eat the local’s food. The scenery is stunning – the last day’s hike in misty conditions just added to the beauty.
And the woman carrying those huge loads of wood – wow … it made me appreciate our home and comfort just so much more.
Beautiful post with amazing photo’s 👍🏻.
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It was a great hike to be able to see people going about their day. It was amazing how much they can do with so little modernization. I would highly recommend this if and when Myanmar opens up again. Thanks for reading! Maggie
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Fascinating hike, the villages and farms and the people you met. The photos are wonderful!
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Thank you, yes it was such a different way to travel in the area. We felt like we got a better sense of the people and how they live. Thanks for reading! Maggie
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It’s such a special part of the world – your pictures are spectacular! News of what’s happening in Myanmar is devastating compared to the natural beauty of the surroundings. I’m looking forward to more Inle Lake!
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Thanks Tom, I know, it’s awful what is happening in Myanmar again. I’m hoping these people are not affected and the politics of the country improve. Thanks for reading! Maggie
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What an amazing experience and your pictures are fantastic. It reminds me of the treks we took (though not nearly as long) in Laos and Cambodia. So interesting to see the villages and their inhabitants going about their daily lives.
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It’s pretty humbling isn’t it to see how little they have and how much they can do with such old technology. It was one of the best things we did in Myanmar.
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I love that you trekked to Inle Lake! Such a great way to get a close-up look at everyday life in the little villages. Thanks for the info on the trekking guide/company. This is something that I definitely want to remember when we plan a trip to Myanmar.
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Hopefully things settle down there and it opens up again. This was a fascinating trek, like walking through history. It was such a relaxing way to feel you can absorb the culture. The trekking company was great and our guide was very knowledgeable, friendly and reliable. It was the best way to see the rural area. Remember it’s always Kalaw to Inle, not as Lonely Planet mentions, the opposite way. We almost went to Inle first, luckily I couldn’t find a trekking company on-line in Inle only Kalaw so we figured it out.
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Wow! I feel this was one of a kind of trek that you had through the remote villages experiencing their lifestyle and capturing the wonderful moments in your camera and sharing it in words. Enjoyed a virtual trek through your post. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
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Yes it was such a great trek. It was so fascinating and eye-opening to walk between villages and see the locals daily life. It was much better than passing by in a car or bus. Thanks for reading! Maggie
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I’ll have to add this to my list! Looks great!! We did something similar in the high Atlas Mountains in Morocco
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Home stays are some of the most Amazing experiences!!! What they are able to cook without a fancy oven is amazing! I think I need to get to Mayanmar some day. Assuming there is no coup 😳
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And its6so fresh, picked that morning! Hopefully things settle down in Myanmar, it’s a fascinating place, you’d love it
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I’m keeping my eye on it for sure. 👀
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What a great hike and a really good view into the life of the locals. Thanks for sharing. Allan
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It was such an interesting type of hike. So different from our usual ones where we go for the vistas. Seeing how the locals live was fascinating. Thanks for reading Allan,
Maggie
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