City: Shan State
Top Things to do in Shan State
The 10 Best Things to do in Shan State, Myanmar
Shan State (Burmese: ရှမ်းပြည်နယ်, pronounced [ʃáɴ pjìnɛ̀]; Shan: မိူင်းတႆး [mə́ŋ.táj]) is a state of Myanmar. Shan State borders China to the north, Laos to the east, and Thailand to the south, and five administrative divisions of Burma in the west. Largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area, Shan State covers 155,800 km², almost a quarter of the total area of Burma. The state gets its name from the Shan people, one of several ethnic groups that inhabit the area. Shan State is largely rural, with only three cities of significant size: Lashio, Kengtung, and the capital, Taunggyi. Taunggyi is 150.7 km north east of the nation's capital Naypyitaw.
Restaurants in Shan State
1. Mr. Bike Hsipaw Trekking
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 216 reviews
Hsipaw Jungle Trekking is a small local community business set up and run solely by Mr. Bike, a local guide who speaks fluent English and two local dialects. We aim to provide local and international travelers with a genuine experience into the nature of northern Shan hills and life of the local ethnic people in a socially and environmentally responsible way.
Reviewed By Danny_Esmee - Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar
Best trekking i have ever done. Great guides, spectacular nature anf untouched nature. Definitely recommend everyone who likes trekking to go with Mr. Bike. Very affordable too!
2. Inle Lake
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,154 reviews
Reviewed By LuizaR106 - Bangkok, Thailand
We spent our last 3 out of 12 days of holidays on Inle Lake and it was the best part of the whole trip. Here you can really see the beauty of Myanmar. Inle Lake area as well as Samkar Lake area are not only very beautiful but a lot is happening there. You must have a guide to rake you to all these places. We were lucky to find on TripAdvisor contact to Naing Moe (+95 942837 2125) who made sure that each minute of our time was filled in and we were very well taken care of. Special thanks to his friend Pie who was with us the first 2 days. Upon arrival in Heho we were picked up and drove to Pindaya cave with 8,000 Buddha statues, and drove around villages. The second day we went 50k by boat to Samkar, saw a complex of old stupas, floating stupas, pottery making and rice whisky workshops, walked through a village and saw many floating villages. The third day we cruised on Inle Lake, saw fishermen and their village, went up the river to see amazing 16th century stupa ruins, attended lotus and silk weaving and cigar making workshops. It was all super interesting and the views everywhere are breathtaking. People at Inle are the nicest ever. We stayed at Aureum Palace Hotel and Resort. We loved it. Beautiful, large rooms, very cosy restaurant with perfect menu. The avocado salad was great. And the spa is definitely worth a visit too. Excellent value for the money spent.
3. Indein Village
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 910 reviews
Reviewed By 982suel - County Carlow, Ireland
This area reminded me very much of Angkor Wat in Cambodia the way trees had become an integrated part of the temple structures. Certainly this is on a much smaller scale regarding the vegetation encroachment but there are literally hundreds of ancient temples from 17th & 18th century in various states of disrepair but still showing marvellous ornate carvings, animals & Buddhas hidden inside. Truly a sight to wander at leisure & all so close to each other. By boat one first arrives at a small village where women & children try to entice you into buying their beautiful colourful scarves. According to our guide their quality is lacking however they were incredibly cheap & if none other than to aid their economy, a purchase is not beyond anyone's means.
4. Kakku Pagodas
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 328 reviews
Reviewed By 441ardyt - Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar
Kakku Pagodas, is a must see when you are in Inle Lake area, or Taungyi. Its a good 1 hour drive from Taungyi and a 2 hour drive from Nyaung Shwe. It's a fabulous destination. More than 2000 pagodas of which not one seems the same have been built over a vast area. Their condition is good and a lot of them a a metal sphere on top with little bells. So if you walk up into the area it gives a very spirtual atmosphere while the wind is moving the little bells in lovely angelic sounds. Photographers will find this a heavenly site. I must say I did not immerse myself enough in the spirituality of the place as I was too focussed on making great photos. As we went just recently i would like to share with you that the place is open; you are asked to wear a mask; and there is no need to bring a guide. So the rule that it was mandatory to take a guide from Taungyi is not longer. You can just take a car/taxi and go as you please. We stopped in Taungyi and went to the market and met a lot of the lovely dressed Pa O women which was a feast for our eyes. We stayed at Inle lake, Nyaung Shwe at Thanaka hotel, which is a lovely place, which I can recommend for all kinds of travelers. It;s a very child friendly hotel as well. We experienced some rainfall, but definitely not all the time. Overall very enjoyable to spend some days at the lake.
5. Shwe Yaunghwe Kyaung
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 620 reviews
Reviewed By BholaBanstola
Small but well-taken care of, this is a beautiful wood make monastery. The nearby Paya with different sizes of statues, glass works and volunteer-contributed restauration is worth a visit.
6. Shwe Oo Min Pagoda
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 222 reviews
Reviewed By WorldDiveD - North Sulawesi, Indonesia
Only one and a half hour away from Kalaw (driving a motorcycle) this cave is a great place and the perfect thing to do before starting the trekking to Inle lake. More than 8000 budha status inside gives this cave a really unique atmosphere. it is not crowded with tourists (at least when we were there). on the other hand you will get to see a lot of local people coming here on a pilgrimage. Important to note : like any other Buddhist place you must respect a certain dress code: no shoes or socks, no short pants (up knee level) and for the ladies no spaghettis strap, naked shoulders etc... I highly recommend to visit this place.
7. Kalaw Myoma Market
8. Thein Taung Pagoda Monastery
9. Christ The King Church
10. Hnee Paya
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 30 reviews
Reviewed By champkis - Dublin, Ireland
We came to see the bamboo budda. You wouldn't know it was bamboo but interesting to see. The nicest thing was the nuns who gave us tea, tea leaf salad and nuts. We sat and ate and drank- it was very nice actually. Very welcoming. You can walk here from Kalaw town but we took a van between 8 of us which also took us to the caves which cost 15,000kyat return between us all I preferred this to walking as there were a lot of stray dogs around (they most likely wouldn't harm you but there were a lot of them!)
