Around Inle Lake

Kakku is about 33 miles from Taunggyi. It will take about 3 hours drive by car. Located in the Shan State.

One of the Asia's largest and most spectacular ancient monuments is a wonderful Pagoda named Kakku. It contains over 2,000 stupas with origins dating back many centuries. Its exists not only as an outstanding example of tradition art and architecture but also as a testament to the religious devotion of one of Myanmar's many ethnic minorities, the Pa-Oh. For many centuries, the Pa-Oh has lived in peace, cultivating their land and devoting much of their energy and limited wealth to creating monasteries and pagodas.

Taunggyi is situated in the southern Shan State and is the capital town of Shan States. It is 4,712 feet above the sea level and has a moderate climate. Also located about 500 kilometers north of Yangon and about 10 kilometers southeast of Mandalay. It is situated on a high plateau surrounded by high mountains. As Taunggyi lies on a hill region, the atmosphere is conducive to good health especially by means of the salubrious mountain air. It usually rains in Taunggyi from June to November and average annual rainfall is 32.68 inches. To reach Taunggyi you first have to fly to Heho, about 40 kilometers to the West, because the town itself does not boast an airfield.

The most significant festival in Taunggyi is the Tazaungdine Lighting Festival. During this festival, hot-air balloon competitions are held. In such competitions, balloons with dangling fire-works, multicoloured lights and parachutes are released. This traditional festival has been held annually for the last 60 years or more. The beauty of Taunggyi and its environs can be viewed from top of the many mountains surrounding the town. There are two pagodas on the mountains: the Myaseintaung and Lwan Zedi. The beauty of the surrounding area can be viewed from Myaseintaung Zedi. A souvenir of the region to take home is the famous Shan bag.

Kalaw stands high on the western edge of the Shan Plateau. It is 70 km west of Taungyi, about halfway along the Thazi-Taungyi road. This was a popular hill station in the British days and it is still a peaceful and quiet place. At an altitude of 1320 m it is also pleasantly cool and a good place for hiking amid gnarled pines, bamboo groves and rugged mountain scenery. A former colonial British hill station, this small-town offers cool temperatures (Kalaw sits at 1,300 meters elevation) and plenty of trekking opportunities. The population is a mix of Shan, Indian Muslims, Bamars and Nepalis (Gurkhas retired from British military service), many of whom are missionary educated. Traveling by car, it's about two hours west of Nyaungshwe on the western edge of the Shan hills.

Pindaya is a small quiet town perched on the bank of the placid Botoloke Lake. Pindaya cave is a huge cavern where hundreds and thousands of Buddha images in various size and shape are installed since the 11th century. The winding galleries and nooks and corners are ideal places of insight meditation since the olden days. Huge monastery compounds with numerous pagodas and temples in different stages of dilapidation are much respected by such ethnic groups as the Shans, Danus and Paos living in the environs of Pindaya.

The Shwe Umin Cave contains over 8,000 Buddha statues collected over the centuries. The cave entrance is in Pindaya but it's said to end in Bagan. The Pindaya cave structure is filled with stories of fairies and a handsome prince who helped to free these fairies from an evil spider. The hike up Shwe Umin is relatively easy, there is also an elevator to help visitors climb this cave. The floors in the cave are relatively slippery and no shoes are allowed once inside.