We started our three days trek with our guide from Kalaw at 8 o’clock in the morning. First we walked couple of hours before having our first resting stop with a beautiful view. We continued through the mountains, tea plantations, jungle paths and small villages to our lunch break spot.
The lunch was delicious, we had many kind of local dishes, for example avocado salad, fried noodles and fresh fruits. The food was served with a green tea but also some other beverage options were available like beer and sodas. All the meals that we had on the trek were tasty and there were always enough food for the whole group.
After the lunch we continued our trek and visited a local elementary school. Kids were practising English and it was easy to hear even from a long distance, when their teacher asked them to repeat after her the kids used they voice as loud as they could. In the school there were five different classrooms starting from a first class where the youngest students are five years old.
We continued walking on the railway and passed a small railway station. We arrived our first homestay before the sunset and had a great dinner in a candlelight. The bathroom facilities were very simple, we had a basket shower and a local toilet to use. We slept in a big room with warm blankets and we also had electricity lamp in our room.
Next morning after the breakfast we continued our trek through small villages, fields and forests. We visited a local 70- years old Pa O- lady who weaves traditional scarfs and bags. Pa O is seventh biggest ethnic nationality in Myanmar and they traditionally wear colourful scarfs as a turbans.
On the second day we passed many chilli and sesame fields and saw beautiful Poinsettias, known also as a christmas flowers. On the way we met many farmers with the animals like cows and buffalos. We always had time to stop to take pictures or rest in a shadow. During the day temperatures were around 25 celsius degrees and the sun felt very hot, so it was important to wear a hat and remember to drink a lot.
Our next homestay village was much bigger than the first one, in the second village there were living 100 families when in the first village only 25. Before the dinner we had time to explore the village and enjoy the sunset. Next morning we started our final day after a delicious pancake breakfast. On the way to the Tone Le lake village we met many friendly locals and had beautiful sceneries.
On the last day we trekked only 4 hours until we reached the final village where we had lunch before taking a boat ride to Nyaungshwe. Our luggage were already waiting for us at the hotel in Nyaungshwe so we didn’t have to worry about that. The boat ride took one hour so we got an nice overview of Inle Lake.
How to get to Kalaw?
- You can take a morning bus or night bus from Yangon, the bus trip takes approximately 10 hours. We took the night bus and arrived to Kalaw 5 am but we luckily got our hotel room already even though the booking was for the next night. If you are arriving very early or late it is better to send an email to your hotel and ask about the check-in.
- Bus trip from Mandalay to Kalaw takes 9 hours and from Bagan 8 hours.
- If you prefer flying you can fly to He Hoe and take a taxi to Kalaw which takes an hour
What kind of trek options there are in Kalaw
- You can choose 2 days and 1 night or 3 days and 2 nights trek to Inle Lake. The nights will be spent at local homestays in a small villages on the way. These treks are suitable for basic fitness level.
- Day treks are also available in Kalaw if you don’t want to spend a night in the village or if you don’t have time to do the trek from Kalaw to Inle Lake.
- There are many trekking companies available and it’s better to do some research before booking because some companies might have too big groups, even 15 people with a one guide. You can also book your own private guide.
What kind of equipments are needed?
- Trekking or running shoes.
- A hat and a sun block to protect form the sun.
- A backpack for 2/3 days, other luggage will be transported to your hotel at Inle Lake.
- Warm clothes for the night, the temperature can drop to a few degrees.
- Medicine and plasters.
- Cash to buy water and snacks on the way.
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