Trekking From Kalaw to Inle Lake in Myanmar is LIFE CHANGING

The trek from Kalaw to Inle Lake was undeniably the best travel experience I’ve ever had. I pat myself on the back for choosing to do this. Before my trip to Myanmar, I had never been trekking so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.  Little did I know that this would be the most life-changing experience I’d ever done, which would leave me with a whole new appreciation for my existence on earth.

Kalaw, the starting city, is 70 kilometers west of Inle Lake. It’s situated up in the mountains, so the climate is colder that most places in Myanmar and it’s very quiet. The trek is 2 nights and 3 days.

If you apply for the standard tour, then you’ll join a group of about 6 people (as opposed to a private tour).  For group treks, the cost is $12 per person, per day, which is $36 total for the entire trek.  This price includes amazing home cooked meals, accommodation for 2 nights in villages, and an experienced local guide to educate you along the way!  It’s a spectacular deal!

On each day, you begin walking when the sun rises and you’ll finish when the sun sets. A private chef will travel with you to prepare each meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner). He will meet you at your destinations by riding a motorbike ahead of the group.  The food that your chef will make is incredible and everything is prepared local. You’ll eat everything from fresh grown fresh fruit, fried rice, eggs and toast, pancakes, stir-fry and more. And the portions are HUGE.  I promise that you will never be hungry on the trek.

Your guide will also arrange stops along the way for tea and/or bathroom breaks.

This trek does require you to be moderately fit, or else you may struggle. The journey includes walking up hills, down valleys, across train tracks, gardens, through fields and caves. Along the way, there are dozens of little villages that you will pass through and see many smiling faces and waving hands.

Each village has anywhere from 10-100 families living inside, and they each speak their own unique dialect. You’ll walk through schools where kids will come running, screaming and jumping on your leg to say hello. Looking back and reminiscing about these moments is almost bringing tears to my eyes because it was just that special and humbling.

This 3-day trekking adventure was like stepping in a time machine back 200 years. You will get a first-hand experience of what life is like without electricity, internet, washing machines, cars and hot water. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, is made by hand from natural resources like bamboo and wood.  I’m talking about houses, bathrooms, showers, playgrounds, textiles, shirts, chairs, tables, hats, etc.  People ride cows and horses to get around. All foods are locally grown in the gardens and fields. The lifestyle is so simple and everything just worked.

The people in the villages are THE happiest people I’ve ever met, and they don’t even know what a hot shower feels like.  Think about that for a second- there is a lesson to be learned.

The lesson I learned was to appreciate all of the things that I (we) have and take for granted. I realized that we really don’t need much to live a happy life.  I learned to never complain about things that don’t have a strong impact on my life.

Hieronder 2 foto's en een filmpje van het internet van de tocht.