TOUR REVIEW - SAM'S FAMILY TREKKING
Kalaw to Inle Lake Trek | Myanmar
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DATE OF TOUR: June 2015 PRICE PER PERSON: 36,000 Myanmar Kyat + tips LOCATION: Kalaw to Inle Lake, Myanmar TREK: 3 days / 2 nights with a total route of 75km GROUP SIZE: 6 trekkers + Guide + Cook |
Photo: On the first day we had lunch at a stunning viewpoint where the local Nepali family cooked us a delicious meal of chapati, Dahl and vegetables
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ABOUT:
Trekking from Kalaw to Inle Lake was one of the highlights of our time in Myanmar. The landscape, people and villages along the route make this an excellent journey to witness the "untouched" Myanmar.
Upon arriving in Kalaw we were immediately approached by various locals offering tours either through companies in town or the option of hiring them as a private guide. We felt that many of these touts were quite pushy so we chose to settle into a room first then spend a few hours walking around town and exploring our trekking options. The majority of treks are either two or three days and each company has their own routes and series of villages where they stop for lunch and home stays. Most companies will charged based on how many people trek ie. The more people trekking, the cheaper it is. As we visited in the low season, many companies were only offering to take us on a private trek as they had no other interest. This was a big issue for us as we were hoping to meet some other people simply to make the trek more enjoyable, however we also didn't want to just go with the company that everyone else had chosen without knowing our options.
We ended up speaking to three different companies all of whom gave us a good first impression and seemed knowledgeable about the area. The prices varied significantly as some of the smaller companies were happy to do a private tour very cheap simply because it was the low season, while others charged significantly more unless we could find more people. We found that Sam's Trekking fell in the middle of this price range. Sam was confident that he had at least two other people booked in and was hoping for one or two more.
Trekking from Kalaw to Inle Lake was one of the highlights of our time in Myanmar. The landscape, people and villages along the route make this an excellent journey to witness the "untouched" Myanmar.
Upon arriving in Kalaw we were immediately approached by various locals offering tours either through companies in town or the option of hiring them as a private guide. We felt that many of these touts were quite pushy so we chose to settle into a room first then spend a few hours walking around town and exploring our trekking options. The majority of treks are either two or three days and each company has their own routes and series of villages where they stop for lunch and home stays. Most companies will charged based on how many people trek ie. The more people trekking, the cheaper it is. As we visited in the low season, many companies were only offering to take us on a private trek as they had no other interest. This was a big issue for us as we were hoping to meet some other people simply to make the trek more enjoyable, however we also didn't want to just go with the company that everyone else had chosen without knowing our options.
We ended up speaking to three different companies all of whom gave us a good first impression and seemed knowledgeable about the area. The prices varied significantly as some of the smaller companies were happy to do a private tour very cheap simply because it was the low season, while others charged significantly more unless we could find more people. We found that Sam's Trekking fell in the middle of this price range. Sam was confident that he had at least two other people booked in and was hoping for one or two more.
It was also important for us to know where the money was going as we had read that many companies take their discounts out of the small amount of money they pay to the villages visited along the way or from their guides wages rather than from the cut the company takes.
We were guaranteed by Sam that the families who hosted us overnight were paid a flat rate per person. Many of the snacks provided for us were also purchased from villages that we passed during the trek.
OUR ROUTE:
We were guaranteed by Sam that the families who hosted us overnight were paid a flat rate per person. Many of the snacks provided for us were also purchased from villages that we passed during the trek.
OUR ROUTE:
We chose to do the longer route of the two offered for 3 day treks. In total it was 75km while the shorter route offered by Sam’s was around 60km.
This route passes through forests and along the train line on the first day, lush farmland on the second and rocky hills and river beds on the third. It was some of the most beautiful scenery we saw throughout Myanmar. We visited around 3 villages a day from tribes such as Palaung and Danu and stayed overnight with two lovely families who not only welcomed us into their homes but also offered us water for showering, tea as well as a few rounds of the local rice wine and whiskey!
This route passes through forests and along the train line on the first day, lush farmland on the second and rocky hills and river beds on the third. It was some of the most beautiful scenery we saw throughout Myanmar. We visited around 3 villages a day from tribes such as Palaung and Danu and stayed overnight with two lovely families who not only welcomed us into their homes but also offered us water for showering, tea as well as a few rounds of the local rice wine and whiskey!
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OUR GUIDE: We were lucky enough to be guided on our trek by the wonderful Sunmya and joined by PoPoo as our cook. Sunmya speaks perfect English and was incredibly knowledgable about the local area, hill tribes and customs. She was happy to answer all of our questions about everything from the history of Myanmar, to Buddhism, and local customs and beliefs in the villages. On top of that she was great company and brought a fun, lighthearted atmosphere to our trek. Photo: (from left) Wade, Beth, Sunmya and Peter celebrate as we finally catch a glimpse of Inle Lake on day three
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DIFFICULTY:
3 out of 5
Trekking during and after the rain was quite difficult as the track became extremely muddy and slippery. However this can be avoided by visiting during the dry season. We knew that there was always a chance of rain during June when we visited.
The longest uphill climb we would have done would have taken no longer than 45 minutes and our lovely guide was always happy to stop and have plenty of breaks after any tough sections or during the heat of the day.
3 out of 5
Trekking during and after the rain was quite difficult as the track became extremely muddy and slippery. However this can be avoided by visiting during the dry season. We knew that there was always a chance of rain during June when we visited.
The longest uphill climb we would have done would have taken no longer than 45 minutes and our lovely guide was always happy to stop and have plenty of breaks after any tough sections or during the heat of the day.
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WHAT'S INCLUDED:
- all meals during trip - hot tea with all meals - one or two snacks per day - services of an English-speaking guide - services of a cook for groups of more than 2 people - mattress, pillow and blankets for home stays - transport of luggage from Kalaw to your guesthouse at Inle Lake - boat ride across Inle Lake to Nung Shwe where most travellers choose to stay WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED: - drinking water - any extra snacks or drinks you wish to purchase at the villages along the trek - Guide and cook tips |
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OVERALL:
While I'm sure there are many great trekking companies in Kalaw, many of whom are a smaller company than Sam's Family, I would 100% recommend Sam's to anyone visiting Kalaw. The staff were helpful, knowledgable and above all, friendly. They briefed us the night before our trek which also gave us the opportunity to meet the rest of our group. They all speak perfect English and were able to answer our many questions prior to leaving and their prices are comparable to other companies in town.
Our luggage arrived safely and securely to our accommodation at Inle Lake – free of charge - which was very important to us and they were even able to assist us with the booking before leaving Kalaw.
Overall they operate a well-run business with good information, excellent guides and appear to have good social awareness in regards to supporting the local hill tribe villages and fairly splitting their wages. We had a great experience with Sam's Family Trekking and would highly recommend them for your trek from Kalaw to Inle Lake in Myanmar.
While I'm sure there are many great trekking companies in Kalaw, many of whom are a smaller company than Sam's Family, I would 100% recommend Sam's to anyone visiting Kalaw. The staff were helpful, knowledgable and above all, friendly. They briefed us the night before our trek which also gave us the opportunity to meet the rest of our group. They all speak perfect English and were able to answer our many questions prior to leaving and their prices are comparable to other companies in town.
Our luggage arrived safely and securely to our accommodation at Inle Lake – free of charge - which was very important to us and they were even able to assist us with the booking before leaving Kalaw.
Overall they operate a well-run business with good information, excellent guides and appear to have good social awareness in regards to supporting the local hill tribe villages and fairly splitting their wages. We had a great experience with Sam's Family Trekking and would highly recommend them for your trek from Kalaw to Inle Lake in Myanmar.
Want to see more from the incredible part of Myanmar? Click here to see our full Inle Lake Photo Album!
WHERE IS SAM'S FAMILY TREKKING AND RESTAURANT:
Photo: The infamous leg rowing fishermen of Inle Lake, the final destination on your trek