800 tropical islands
Off the coast, Myanmar has another paradisiacal surprise: in the Andaman Sea you will find the beautiful and remote Myeik (or Mergui) Archipelago,consisting of more than 800 (!) islands of very different sizes. Most islands are uninhabited and lushly overgrown with dense tropical rainforest, home to a wide range of wildlife such as dragons, pythons, civet cats, cant jils, gibbons and crab-eating macaques. In the air, the colourful diversity is perhaps even greater; here, hornbills, white-bellied sea eagles, kingfishers, eastern reef herons and emerald pigeons roam.
On the coast, the forest is overway in mangrove forests and beautiful, elongated white sand beaches, surrounded by limestone and granite rocks. The underwater world offers scenic coral reefs with many species of corals and fish species, ranging from small colorful fish to larger sharks and rays.
Mugs people
It's not just nature that makes this archipelago a fascinating place. The Moken people - also known as the'Salone'or sea gypsies - is one of the most distinctive of the many ethnic groups in Myanmar. They lead a semi-nomadic existence, living from what the sea gives them, living on their boats or in the typical houses on stilts.
Ideally, it is ideal to traverse the archipelago by sailing yacht, with anchor breaks to explore the various islands. To hike through tropical valleys, kayak through mangroves and rivers, dive among pristine coral reefs, snorkel among thousands of colored fish and laze on hail-white sandy beach. The best travel time is from December to February, then the weather is sunny and warm, the wind constant and the sea calm.
