lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

oat’s motor. Bring ear plugs or sit right atthe front, away from the thundering pistons.Every hotel and guesthouse in Nyaungshwecan arrange motorboat trips or you canmake your own arrangements directly withthe boat drivers at one of the piers – althoughthey’ll most likely find you before you canfind them. Prices for day-long boat trips startat K12,000, which typically includes visits tothe famous sights in the northern part of thelake such as Phaung Daw Oo Paya in ThaLey, the Nga Hpe Kyaung in Nga Phe villageand the floating gardens. A trip to Intheinwill raise the cost to about K15,000, whilevisits to destinations further south such asThaung Tho or Kyauk Taung can run as highas K25,000. The fee covers the entire boat;drivers will carry five or more passengers ina single boatload and passengers get paddedseats and life jackets.TrekkingInle Lake is the end point for several trekkingroutes from Kalaw. Trails run westfrom Kalaw through the villages of theShan, Intha, Pa- O, Danu, Palaung and Danawtribes, ending at villages on the westernlake shore. These treks can be walked ineither direction, though most people walkfrom Kalaw to Inle, as the final stages aremainly downhill.The most popular start/end point fortreks is Kaung Daing, but begging has becomea problem on this route because oftour groups handing out sweets and moneyto children. More interesting places to startor end the walk to Kalaw include Intheinand Thandaung.FLOATING OVER INLE LAKEAs beautiful as they are from theground, the views across Inle Lake areeven more stunning from the air. Ifyou can gather up a minimum of fourpassengers, who are each preparedto stump up $5000, then the folks atEastern Safaris (www.easternsafaris.com) can arrange a four-day, threenighthot-air balloon safari over the lakeand surrounding hills. They’re the samereliable and professional folks who runthe balloon rides over Bagan (see p 113 ).A six-day, five-night safari that alsoincludes Bagan is also available and isusually scheduled for December, thebest month for hot-air ballooning.There are also some interesting day hikesand overnight treks north and south of Nyaungshwe,passing through rice paddies dottedwith Shan stupa ruins. Trails into the hillseast of town lead to Pa-O villages with panoramicviews over the lake. Guides can talkyou through the various treks and itineraries.Day hikes cost around $10 a day, whichincludes a basic lunch of rice and curry(carry your own bottled or purified water).Overnight treks around Nyaungshwe are$25, while the two or three-day trek to Kalawcosts $30 per person in groups of three.Recommended guides in Nyaungshwe includePyone Cho at Lotus Restaurant (Mapp 178 ; pyonechlotus@gmail.com; Museum Rd (HawSt), Nyaungshwe) and the brothers Than Htayand Ko Htwe at Sunny Day Tour Services(Map p 178 ; htwe.sunny@yahoo.com; cnr Main Rd &Yone Gyi Rd, Nyaungshwe).SwimmingThe lake waters are very clear so a dip looksinviting, but the channels around the villagesare shallow and full of weeds. The bestplace for a swim is out on the main bodyof the lake, though you need to be waryof speeding riverboats. One safe spot for aswim is the disused teak mansion known asInleh Bo The (Map p 185 ), near the mouth ofthe channel leading to Nyaungshwe.4SleepingAlthough many travellers choose to stay inNyaungshwe, there are also a number of upmarketresorts built on stilts over the lake,where the sensation of sleeping over thewater is very atmospheric. All of the resortshave their own boats and drivers but, as theresorts are quite isolated, most people eatwhere they stay.Reservations are recommended in thehigh season, and discounts are often availablefor advance bookings. All rates includebreakfast. All of the hotels arrange pick-upsand return boat trips to/from Nyaungshwefor K8000.The majority of accommodation on InleLake is around Maing Thauk; prices growprogressively higher the further north yougo. None of the following hotels appear tohave government links, but Pristine Lotusand Myanmar Treasure Resort do.oGolden Island Cottages HOTEL $$$Nampan (GIC; Map p 185 ; %209 390, in Yangon 01-549 019; www.gicmyanmar.com; r $50-70; i) ThaleU (GIC; Map p 185 ; %209 389, in Yangon 01-549187INLE EASTERN LAKE MYANMAR SLEEPING SLEEPINGTHE LAKE