Kalaw: Market, Pagoda and Treks

Kalaw brings together a market, religious buildings and multi-day treks in one destination. Local goods such as honey, tropical fruits and Myanmar wine are sold at the market. There is also the Aung Chan Tha Pagoda and treks from Kalaw to Inle Lake. These themes offer different ways to shape your travel plans: experiences in town or several days on a trek.

Market and Local History

Kalaw’s railway station was built and opened in 1915. The year adds a precise historical detail. Local goods such as honey, tropical fruits and Myanmar wine are sold at Kalaw Market. For a trip focused on local life, the market and railway station offer different points of interest: the range of goods here, and a building with an exact construction and opening year there. Concrete products thus sit alongside a clearly dated reference to local history.

Pagoda and Religious Buildings

The Aung Chan Tha Pagoda is considered the heart of Kalaw and is also known as the Mosaic Pagoda. The Sikh temple in Kalaw is a two-storey wooden house; the upper floor contains a shrine and a prayer room. The Christ the King Church in Kalaw Township is also known by several names: Church of Jesus Christ – the Universal King, Hundred-Year Church and Italian Church.

These buildings offer different points of interest for travellers interested in architecture and local religious heritage. The pagoda’s prominent role in Kalaw is part of its description; for the Sikh temple, it is the specific design, with its two rooms on the upper floor. The church’s various names offer another way in: when planning your trip, you can focus on its architecture or on the names by which the church is known.

Treks and Different Schedules

Three-day treks lead from Kalaw to Inle Lake. The duration gives you a specific timeframe if you include this route in your travel plans. These are distinct from treks in the Kalaw area, which usually involve overnight stays in guest accommodation in surrounding Pa-O or Palaung villages. If you book a specific tour, include the overnight stays in your plans.

The Kalaw Trail Run may also be relevant to your schedule. It includes a half-marathon distance and a 12-kilometre route. If you want to plan your trip around the race, check the event date in advance.

Planning Your Stay in Kalaw

When looking for a holiday rental in Kalaw, it helps to decide first what you want to focus on during your stay: will your trip mainly take in the markets and buildings in Kalaw, or are you planning to spend several days on a trek? The route to Inle Lake takes three days; treks in the Kalaw area usually include overnight stays in the surrounding Pa-O or Palaung villages. These are different time and overnight-stay arrangements, and are therefore useful factors to consider when planning your trip. Take the specific tour into account when choosing accommodation for your stay in Kalaw.

Discover more destinations: Keng Tung, Hsipaw, Pekon, Pang Hseng, Kyawkku, Taunggyi, Pindaya, Aungpan.

Back to the regional travel overview: Shan State.