Dawn over Lake Inle, Shan State, Burma. Lake Inle lies at 2,952 feet (900 m) above sea level on the Shan Plateau, an extensive region of high mountain ranges crisscrossed by streams and the Salween River. It is a shallow mountain lake that contains several islands and is fed by mountain streams. The town in the distance is the lake’s principal settlement, Nyaungshwe.