Tanintharyi Coast and Mergui Archipelago

The Tanintharyi Region forms the long southern tail of Myanmar, a narrow coastal strip running south for approximately 800 kilometres between the Andaman Sea to the west and the Thai border to the east. The region's coastline is the gateway to the Mergui Archipelago — over 800 islands, ranging from large forested landmasses to tiny exposed coral outcrops, largely uninhabited and largely uncharted at a small scale. The archipelago covers approximately 36,000 square kilometres and is one of the most remote marine environments in Southeast Asia. The tidal regime throughout the Tanintharyi coast is mixed semidiurnal with a large spring range. At Myeik (Mergui), the main port and gateway city, spring tidal range is approximately 3.5 to 4.5 metres. At Kawthaung, at the southern tip of Myanmar opposite Ranong in Thailand, the range reaches 4 to 5 metres on spring tides. This is among the larger tidal ranges in Southeast Asia, comparable to parts of the Andaman coast of India. The inter-tidal zone exposed at low water springs on the Mergui archipelago's sheltered eastern shores is extensive: mudflats, mangrove systems, and rocky platforms that are inaccessible for hours around high water become walkable at low water. The Moken people — known in Burmese as Salon — are semi-nomadic sea nomads who have lived in and around the Mergui Archipelago for centuries. Historically, Moken families spent the southwest monsoon season (May to October) sheltering in island coves and the dry season (November to April) moving through the archipelago by boat, fishing, gathering sea cucumbers, and trading. Government resettlement programmes have shifted much of the Moken population to permanent villages on the mainland and larger islands, but traditional fishing practices persist in some communities. Any encounter with Moken communities on the water should be approached with respect for their territorial knowledge of the archipelago. Access to the Mergui Archipelago is by liveaboard from Kawthaung or, to a lesser extent, from Myeik. The season for liveaboard operations aligns with the northeast monsoon: November through April. The southwest monsoon (May-October) brings heavy rain, strong winds, and rough sea states that make much of the archipelago inaccessible.