Santa Maria Travels and Inle Lake

Old Oct 23rd, 2016, 07:41 PM
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jat
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Santa Maria Travels and Inle Lake

I am now working with Santa Maria Travels to finalize an itinerary for a trip to Myanmar in February. For those of you who have worked with them, is there anything you think would be helpful for me to know in finalizing the itinerary? Any things you would recommend coming to an agreement on before the tour begins? I have worked with several travel agencies in several countries and there have always been a few things I wish I had clarified or known before the tour.
Also, we will have four nights in Inle Lake. I have read a lot in this forum and in travel guides about things to do, but would love suggestions for what to do each day. In terms of day trips, would you recommend Kakku versus Sankar versus Pindaya Caves (on the way from the Heho airport)?
Thank you very much for any advice!
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Old Oct 23rd, 2016, 11:41 PM
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I would recommend you this itinerary for 4 days in Inle (from the travel company Exotic Voyages I went with last year, and it was so much fun).

Day 1: Drive to Pindaya for sightseeing (Visit Pindaya Shwe Umin caves and pagoda. Get to Kalaw by night.

Day 2: Go sightseeing Kalaw. Don't miss the morning market, lacquered Buddha, Green Hill Elephant. Then drive to Nyaung Shwe, should take photos at Shwe Yan Pyay pagoda in there.

Day 3: Boat trip on the lake for sightseeing (visit Phaung Daw u Pagoda, the silk weaving village of Inpawkon and cheroot rolling workshops nearby. Then you should drop at Ywa-ma village to visit more cottage industries such as blacksmiths and silversmiths. Also visit Ngaphechaung Monastery and Inthar Heritage House.

Day 4: Visit Indein ancient temple complex, depart Inle Lake by pm flight or in the morning is up to you.

Happy to help you,
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Old Oct 24th, 2016, 06:20 AM
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Well, you are already getting a variety of opinions!

Here is my report from our first trip which included Inle Lake: www.fodors.com/community/asia/burma-at-last.cfm

We didn't go to Kalaw or Pindaya caves, we really focussed on Inle.

Our first day, we had an early flight from Yangon yo HeHo. We arranged with Sanata Maria for a driver from the airport to our hotel (Inle Lake View), with a detour to Kakku on our way. It was 5.5 hours from the airport to our hotel via Kakku. We settled it at our hotel in the late afternoon.

Sankar was a priority for us, so we visited there on our first full day (day 2). So most of our time was in a boat on the lake.

On Day 3, we wanted to visit InDien, so it was another full day on the lake. Make sure you are clear about what you do/do not want to visit on Inle Lake. There are a number of "workshops" you can visit that are mostly shopping ops. WE opted to visit only one workshop, Phaw Khone, the silk-weaving workshop - the only place in the world I've seen lotus fiber extracted and used for weaving. If you are interested in textiles, this is a don't miss!

Day 4 we managed to fit in half a day of sightseeing before our afternoon flight out to Bagan. We started the day with a stop at the 5-day market at Mine Thauk. Note: actively avoid the market at Ywa Ma - it is a zoo!!

Our priorities were Buddhist sites, so very different from Lars, above.

Read everything you can (much more detail available in my trip report) to choose what stops are right for you. Take a look at our photos: www.marlandc.com/Myanmar-2009

Note: we did not ask Santa Maria to arrange a boat and boatman for us, we had the hotel do that. You don't need a guide for this, as you will get a Pa-O guide each time you enter Pa-O territory.

I've left our many of the stops you will make just to give you an overview.
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Old Oct 24th, 2016, 08:38 AM
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jat
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Thank you so much. I am definitely reading up, and will continue to do so. If we had to choose between Sankar and Kakku, which would you recommend?
Any tips for things to make sure I am clear with in terms of communication with Santa Maria? They have been very responsive but I am having trouble clarifying when we will have guides on each day. I always try to get everything as clear as possible before I leave so that the trip itself goes as smoothly as possible.
Also, were the cars used by Santa Maria drivers OK and did they have seatbelts?
Thanks again!
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Old Oct 24th, 2016, 09:09 AM
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Between Sankar and Kakku, I'd choose Sankar.

Yes, make sure everything is clear with Santa Maria. Santa Maria made a list of the services we requested at each place: For Inle, we asked for a car and driver with a stop at Kakku. We asked for no guides at Inle. (Mostly we don't use guides, as we do lots of preparation in advance) The cars we had all had seat belts and we had good drivers.

Enjoy your trip! Burma.Myanmar has become our favorite SE Asia destination. We are planning trip #4 in 2017.
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Old Oct 24th, 2016, 09:30 AM
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Very helpful-thank you! Reassuring to hear about the drivers and seat belts!
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Old Oct 25th, 2016, 10:04 AM
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It has been a few (5) years since we were there but here is a link to my trip report in case that is any help to you.
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...-wonderful.cfm
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Old Oct 26th, 2016, 05:59 AM
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Thank you!
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Old Oct 26th, 2016, 10:25 AM
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You are welcome!
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