Going to & coming from Inle Lake is pretty straightforward. The buses are budget friendly and, as usual, the buses are overnight and arrive at ridiculous hours.
From Hsipaw:
There is an overnight bus which leaves at 1:00pm and arrives in Inle Lake at around 4:00/4:30am. The cost of this ride is 15,000kyt. The bus will drop you off at the side of the road and from there you will need to take a taxi into the town proper (Nyaungshwe area). Try to bargain with the cab driver (even though you won’t have much pull as it’s 4:30 in the morning and there isn’t any other way into town!). We paid 6,000kyt for 3 people in the taxi.
To Yangon:
There are many bus companies with overnight buses leaving to Yangon. The buses leave between 2:00pm and 3:30pm depending on which company you go with. We booked our ticket through our hotel and the cost was 15,000kyt for this 14-15 hour journey. Upon arriving at the bus terminal in Yangon, take bus number 34 for 200kyt to take you to the Sule Pagoda circle. From there it’s a short walk, tricycle ride, or taxi ride to your hotel.