Travel from Mandalay to Inle Lake

By far the quickest way to travel from Mandalay to Inle Lake is to travel by bus to the town of Nyaung Shwe and from there take a taxi to Inle Lake, which is 14 km south of Nyaung Shwe. By road the 254 km journey from Mandalay to Nyaung Shwe takes slightly less than 7 hours.

Bus Times to Inle Lake

There is a single direct bus service a day from Mandalay to Nyaung Shwe town, near Inle Lake, which you can book online.

• JJ Express bus ticket: Tickets on the JJ Express bus service from Mandalay to Inle Lake cost $14.40 USD booked online.

Buy Tickets to Inle Lake

Use the Search Box below to buy your bus tickets from Mandalay to Inle Lake.

Mandalay Bus Station

Bus services from Mandalay to Inle Lake depart from the Chan Mya Shwe Pyi Highway Station in Mandalay.

Inle Lake Bus Stop

Bus services from Mandalay terminate at the Nyaung Shwe Odyssey JJ office on Yone Gyi Street in Nyaung Shwe.

About Inle Lake

Inle Lake is a shallow lake with a surface area of approximately 116 square kilometres which is located at an altitude of 880 metres above sea level in Shan State. The lake has a unique eco-system and the people living around the lake, largely indigenous Intha people, have a unique culture and way of life. As well as watching the migratory birds which come to Inle Lake, visitors can see the Intha people using special techniques for fishing and rowing their boats using their feet rather than their hands. The Intha people are also famous for creating floating farms on the lake itself using reeds and silt to create buoyant seed beds used to grow vegetables such as beans and tomatoes.

As well as marvelling at the indigenous human and bird life at Inle Lake there are also two important temples located on the shores of the Lake. The Kakku Pagodas Complex features over 2,500 stupa constructed over a 600 year period from the 12th to 18th Centuries. The largest of the stupa, which is over 40 metres tall, is located in the centre of the other tightly clustered stupa. The other lakeside temple worth visiting is the Hpaung Daw U Pagoda. The Hpaung Daw U Pagoda has 5 Buddha statues believed to date back to the 12th Century. Once a year these revered statues are taken around the lake by boat in an ornate barge stopping for a night in each of 14 villages on the lakeside. This annual procession takes place during the 7th month of the Burmese lunar calendar, which occurs during the latter half of October or first half of November depending on the year.