Photos : Ppana

Taking Boat Trip 

This fresh water, shallow lake, known for its floating villages, gardens and unique lifestyle of the local communities is a must visit on a family holiday to Myanmar.
Kids would find it exciting to ride the long boat along the Inle Lake and enjoy the picturesque surroundings. It is a fabulous way to venture out in the waterways and watch the daily life of the locals unfold in their water villages.
Like everybody else, the young ones would stare at the local fisherman who stand at the back of their boats on one leg, while wrapping their other leg around the oar and using it to row and utilising a large net to catch fish.  

Experience Stilt Village

If you are thinking about giving an educational chance for your children about local life, stop at a stilt village. The visit reveals how local people make their house, garden amidst the lapping waters of Inle.
A guided Myanmar Family holiday to Inle can show you more about schools, blacksmith works. 



                                                                                            Photo: Teun Janssen

Hike Indein and see its Stupas

The village of Indein known for its crumbling and atmospheric groups of ancient pagodas, some of which are now being restored, is a great place to hike up and explore the stupas. Kids would love to see the carvings of mythical creatures on the ruins of Nyaung Ohak.
The densely packed conical stupas of Shwe Inn Thein Paya can easily capture a kid’s mind which can be later converted into a beautiful subject of painting. Children can also gain knowledge about these historic ruins not far away from Inle Lake. 

See the Jumping Cat Pagoda

The Nga Phe Kyaung monastery is both the largest and oldest monastery in Inle Lake, and is fondly known as “Jumping Cat Pagoda” among tourists – the reason being, the cats staying here had been trained by the monks to jump through little hoops.
Although, the training of the cats have stopped long back, the place still holds a huge significance among visiting tourists. The beautiful wooden monastery built on stilts around 200 years ago over the lake is a great place to visit with family and kids. Kids would enjoy the sight and love to hear stories of cats in action.

Visit floating market

The floating market at Inle Lake that rotate over a 5 days period, is where all the buzz is. The market is highly recommended in any Inle Lake Travel itinerary for what it exposes : lake catches, freshly-made foods, local grown farm produces as well wide range of souvenirs. 
Wandering in these market gets one to understand the local vibes. The friendly locals are found hawking their produce. Children will find this place very colorful and would also get lot of attention from the local villagers. 

Visit Silk weaving village 

While local tour operators introduce the Silk village as the main traditional workshops in Inle, it is a very interesting place for kids to learn about silk works. The century old hand weaving of traditional cloth from lotus fibre is a unforgettable sight here.
A visit to these workshop helps to witness the entire process from scratch, right from cut stems of lotus plant, technique of spinning thread and finally creating some incredible scarves and shawls out of it. Kids would thoroughly enjoy the entire process, from raw material to finish product, and gain some key insights on this particular fibre. 
Explore more : Top Things to do in Inle Lake

Cycle around Nyaung Shwe

Cycling is the best way to explore a new place and with kids accompanying, it’s the preferred way to see new places and experience the local life. Nyuang Shwe’s paved flat roads are cycle friendly. While few hotels provide free cycles to its guests, others can get it on rent for a specific fees. It is a rare opportunity and a nice way to experience the life of the local communities around Inle Lake.
For active family journey, you can pedal from village to village or even up to the scenic winery of Red Mountains. 

Getting more inspiration for Myanmar family trip ? check our Ultimate Guide for Visiting Myanmar with Kid