ResortVilla Inle Resort & Spa
Southern lake
Stilted villas standing out over the water on a quiet southern reach, away from the busier shores.
Shan State
Inle Lake
A floating world in the hills
High in the Shan hills, Inle is a lake that lives on the water. The Intha people fish it with conical nets, rowing one-legged in a balancing act found nowhere else on earth, and farm floating gardens of tomatoes anchored to the lakebed.
Stilt villages, silversmiths, lotus-silk weavers and golden monasteries ring the shore, while five-day rotating markets bring the hill tribes down to trade. It’s a place to slow right down — by boat, bicycle or kayak.
Push south to Samkar and Sagar and you’ll find half-submerged stupas and barely another traveller; rise before dawn and you can even take it all in by balloon.
Good to know
- Best time
- November–March for cool, clear days; quieter and green May–July
- Ideal stay
- 2–3 nights
- Getting there
- Fly to Heho (≈1hr from Yangon), then a scenic drive to the jetty
What to do
Highlights of Inle Lake.
01
The one-legged rowers
The Intha fishermen's balancing act, at its most photogenic in the early morning light.
02
Floating gardens & stilt villages
Tomato gardens that float on the lake and whole villages built above the water.
03
Indein & the workshops
Lotus-silk weaving, silversmiths and the stupa-clad hillside of Indein.
04
Samkar's sunken stupas
A longer boat trip south to crumbling, half-drowned ruins few visitors reach.
Where you’ll stay
Our favourite stays in Inle Lake.
Resort
BoutiqueInle Princess Resort
Eastern shore
Handcrafted timber chalets full of local character, with the lake at the doorstep and the hills behind.
Journeys that visit
See Inle Lake on these routes.
From the Journal
Read more about Inle Lake.
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