Inle Lake is a beautiful and relaxing place to sit back at truly embrace rural Burma. Most visitors come to this shallow lake to enjoy a cruise which, while fascinating, is now one of the most popular things to do in Burma. The boat tours around the lake will take in floating villages and markets with stops at various craft workshops where you can see traditional clothing being made, along with silver jewellery and lacquerware being created.

The lake is a birdwatchers dream too with over 245 different bird species living within the Inle Wetland Wildlife Sanctuary. It is home to both migratory birds and local birds that use it as a nesting site and some of the highlights include the rare Jerdon's Bushchat, White-tailed Stonechat, Collared Myna, Black-collared Starling, rare Sarus Crane, Glossy Ibis, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Crimson Sunbird, and Clamorous Reed Warbler. It’s also possible to see large breeding colonies of Great Egrets, Black-crowned Night Herons, and White-vented and Common Mynas among other birds.

The lake is also rich in marine life and the Intha fishermen, who have a unique style of rowing where they manoeuvre their boats with one leg, are a common sight on the lake. The fishermen harvest the carp with a conical net that is stretched over a bamboo and wooden frame, as well as spear fish with a variety of rustic harpoons.