Nyaung Shwe Jetty

Southeast Asia Tour 2015

Pindaya | Inle Lake | Myanmar

03 Dec 2015 | Thu

Day 15 of 46

5 Days Market Kalaw
Travel to Pindaya
Pindaya Caves
Homemade Paper Umbrellas Pindaya
Green Tea Restaurant Pindaya
Travel to Inle Lake
Nyaung Shwe Jetty | Travel Across Inle Lake to Hotel
Aureum Palace Resort Inle Lake

Nyaung Shwe Jetty | Travel Across Inle Lake to Hotel

Travel to Inle Lake

After finishing up our meal at Green Tea Restaurant Pindaya it was time to move on to Inle Lake.

Inle Lake

When we arrived at Inle Lake the weather was cool, cloudy, and damp but not raining. It was unfortunate that the rain came overnight and stayed with us during our stay at Inle Lake. But it didn’t stop us, and we tried to make the best out of it.

Inle Lake (Burmese: အင်းလေးကန်; MLCTS: ang: le: kan, [ʔɪ́ɰ̃lé kàɰ̃]), a freshwater lake located in the Nyaungshwe Township of Shan State, part of Shan Hills in Myanmar (Burma). It is the second largest lake in Myanmar with an estimated surface area of 44.9 square miles (116 km2), and one of the highest at an elevation of 2,900 feet (880 m). During the dry season, the average water depth is 7 feet (2.1 m), with the deepest point being 12 feet (3.7 m). During the rainy season, this can increase by 5 feet (1.5 m).

The watershed area for the lake lies to a large extent to the north and west of the lake. The lake drains through the Nam Pilu or Balu Chaung on its southern end. There is also a hot spring on its northwestern shore.

Large sections of the lake are covered by floating plants. Its clear and slightly alkaline waters (pH 7.8–8) are home to a diverse fauna and many species found nowhere else in the world (endemics). There are more than 35 native species of fish, including 17 endemics. Some of these, notably the Sawbwa barb, red dwarf rasbora, emerald dwarf rasbora, Lake Inle danio, Inle loach and the Inle snakehead, are of minor commercial importance for the aquarium trade. Several fish that are not native have been introduced. Additionally, the lake is home to about 45 species of freshwater snails, 30 of them endemic, along with a small endemic freshwater crab, Inlethelphusa acanthica. It hosts approximately 20,000 migratory gulls in November to January.

– Wikipedia Inle Lake

Once we arrived at Inle we went to the boat docks (Nyaung Shwe Jetty) to transfer to our next form of transportation – a boat!

Yes, the next leg of our journey would be by boat, where we were taken across Inle Lake to our hotel – the beautiful and amazingly beautiful and amazing Aureum Palace Resort Inle Lake (check our post here)

Travel Across Inle Lake to Hotel

After a short time (getting our bags transferred to our boat) we were on the water and on the way to our hotel. The boats on Inle Lake (Burmese long-tails) have a unique shape (long and narrow) feel very powerful and cut through the water with ease. They are powered by a single-cylinder Chinese diesel engine (see below) that has a distinct loud “chug, chug, chug” sound. These engines are very popular in Myanmar – we have seen them being used in farm machines and trucks.

After traveling through a few canals, we reached a larger waterway that would eventually open up into the lake. Our first time on Inle Lake – the boat ride, canals and waterways, shore buildings and scenery, and Inle Lake were all awesome experiences.