Kalaw

Kalaw sits at about thirteen hundred metres in pine and bamboo country, and it was built as a hot-season retreat under the British, which left it with brick bungalows, a church and a general air of a place designed for people escaping the plains. It is cool at night in any month. The town's function now is as a trekking base: the walk to Inle Lake takes two or three days through Danu, Pa-O and Palaung villages, staying in monasteries and homes, and is the most-walked route in the country.

History

The hamlets that became Kalaw belonged to the Hsamönghkam chiefdom, and the 1897 census counted 585 people in eight of them. The British set up a hill station here in the 1890s; the first hotel opened in 1903, the railway station in 1915, schools followed in 1919 and 1928, and by 1931 Kalaw had 3,621 residents (Wikipedia, Kalaw).

What to look for

• The pine hills - cool upland country, unlike the dry plain below.
• The colonial residue - brick bungalows, a small church and a hill-station street plan.
• The market - a five-day rotating market that draws hill villages into town on its day.
• The trek start - the route to Inle Lake, through Danu, Pa-O and Palaung villages.

When to go

October to March is dry, and December and January are cold at night. The monsoon from June makes the trekking routes muddy and leech-ridden. The rotating five-day market is worth timing for, and locals will tell you which day it falls on.

Practical notes

The trek to Inle is popular enough that in high season you will not be alone on it, and the quality of guiding varies widely. Village homestays are basic: mats, shared rooms and cold water. Nights in Kalaw are genuinely cold and many guesthouses have no heating.

Nearby

Pindaya caves are north, and Inle Lake is the far end of the trek.

Key facts