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.

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