Nga Phe Chaung Monastery

Nga Phe Chaung Monastery is a beautiful wooden monastery built on stilts around 200 years ago over the Inle Lake. It is considered the oldest and largest monastery in Inle Lake region. It is set among floating gardens and well worth a visit, especially if you're on the way to or back from the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda.

This attractive wooden monastery houses an impressive collection of Buddha images in Shan, Tibetan, Bagan, and Inwa styles. The tall, mosaic-decorated pedestals and cases built for the images showcasing Shan and Northern Thai Buddhist art have a history of more than 100 years.

Locally known as Jumping Cat Monastery, Nga Phe Chaung Monastery is best known for the cats that were trained to jump through hoops. After the death of the head monk, the trained cats have all since died or retired, and the new head monk doesn't think it proper for monks to train cats to perform tricks for tourists. However, it is still possible to see some jumping cats.

Cats in Nga Phe Chaung Monastery

Apart from the Nga Phe Chaung Monastery, Indein Village, Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, and floating villages are also popular sights around the Inle Lake; you may take a look at this sample itinerary that includes all the highlights mentioned above.