Mergui Archipelago
SAMPLE ITINERARY: MERGUI ISLAND CRUISE
Embarkation: Phuket
Disembarkation: Myeik
Duration: 7 days
Optional Activities: Scuba Diving, Fishing, Kayaking
Note: If departing from Phuket, a Mergui cruise can be combined with a stopover at the Similan and Surin islands.
Located to the north of Phuket, it is no exaggeration to say that the Mergui Archipelago is likely to be the 'newest' yachting destination on earth having only been 'opened' to visiting yachts since the late 1990's.
Dense mountainous rainforests, white silica sand beaches and perfect natural bays providing ideal shelter for visiting yachts, characterize an archipelago of some 800 virtually uninhabited islands.
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Underwater, the Mergui offers abundant coral reefs, fascinating topography and prolific fish and invertebrate life, including many unusual species, some of which are rarely encountered in Thai waters just 100 miles south.
On the beaches macaques and monitor lizards can be seen feeding on crabs at low tide. Hornbills and sea eagles fly from the rainforest canopy, and the dense jungle is home to an amazing diversity of flora & fauna. Tracks have been found of the rare Asian rhinoceros and crocodiles have also been seen.
The native of Mergui are known as the Moken people. They are sea gypsies and can be observed fishing and living on their boats in entire family groups. They follow a traditional way of life, still doing things very much the way they have been done for centuries. Their knowledge of the sea enables them to live off its fauna and flora by using simple tools such as nets and spears to forage for food. What is not consumed is dried atop their boats, then used to barter for other necessities at local markets.
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