Mergui Archipelago Islands

The Mergui Archipelago is a vast group of more than 800 islands in the Andaman Sea off southern Myanmar’s Tanintharyi coast, known for remote beaches, coral reefs, and largely unspoiled marine environments. Islands range from forested granite outcrops to sandy islets and include a mix of inhabited and uninhabited sites.

Many visitors come for snorkelling, diving, and liveaboard cruises that explore reef systems, seagrass beds, and submerged pinnacles; boat trips also visit remote beaches and small island communities. A small number of islands are inhabited by the Moken people, a maritime population with traditional seafaring lifestyles, and some itineraries include cultural visits where permitted.

Modern charting and limited infrastructure mean travel is typically by boat from southern ports; services are seasonal and often run from regional hubs during the calmer months. The archipelago’s islands have seen intermittent contact with traders and colonial powers but remain sparsely developed compared with better-known tourist archipelagoes.

Geographically the islands lie off Myanmar’s Tanintharyi Region in the far south of the country, scattered across the Andaman Sea and separated from the Thai-Malaysian marine area to the southeast; the nearest mainland access points are coastal towns in Tanintharyi Region.

• Scale and activities: The archipelago comprises more than 800 islands, many of them uninhabited and fringed by coral reefs, making it a major site for diving and liveaboard cruises.
• Seasonality: Best visiting season is generally the dry months when sea conditions are calmer and access from the mainland is more reliable.

The Mergui (Myeik) Archipelago is accessed by sea from the port town of Myeik (Mergui) in Tanintharyi Region. Regular passenger and charter boats, dive liveaboards and private charters depart Myeik for islands in the archipelago; Myeik itself is reached by domestic flight or road from other parts of southern Myanmar. There are no road connections directly into the archipelago - all access is by boat.

• Visit during the dry season (roughly November-April) when sea conditions are calmer and snorkeling/diving visibility is best; many operators run seasonal schedules.
• Book a multi-day trip with a reputable Mergui operator out of Kawthaung or Myeik so logistics, fuel and island landing permissions are handled-independent island-hopping is impractical due to distance and limited services.
• Plan your itinerary around specific activities (snorkel/dives, island hikes, Moken village visits) and confirm what's included-many visitors miss prime snorkeling sites if they don't specify dive/snorkel stops in advance.