“Myanmar Dive Site Information”

Kawthoung and Islands

Kawthoung Kawtoung is the gate way of Mergui archipelago and located at the southern edge of Myanmar. The town was build by British and named Victoria Point. There is a river name Perchan separate Kawthoung and Ranong of Thailand. Most of tourists come from Ranong to Kawthoung by crossing to the river with small long tail boat to enter to Myanmar's virgin archipelago and some are come directly from Thailand's most famous topical paradise city Phuket with liveabord boats and sailing boats. The colorful people are living on that small town, among of them Burmese, Thai, Malay, Indian and Chinese are prominent Nowadays, foreign people can use their passport to enter Kawthaung through Ranong. It is one of the gateways people from Phuket use for their visa extension. Local Thai people can use their local border pass book to visit Kawthoung. People with passports can go to Myeik and Dawei.

Lampi Island

Lampi island is the most famous island of Mergui archipelago. North to south the island is twenty nautical miles long and from east to west at its largest extremity is ten nautical miles wide. Lampi is an island of outstanding natural beauty and has been made designated as a National Park by the government. There are endless white sandy beaches along its coast, some of which stretch for two kilometers or more.

The island’s interior is a carpet of thick rainforest and to all intents and purposes is impenetrable. There are two tidal rivers on the west coast that are accessible by a small boat or sea canoe and can only be navigated at high tide. The southern of the two rivers is worth exploring as it has some of the oldest mangrove on the face of the planet. Some of the trees stand between twenty five to thirty meters tall. The wildlife and fauna is plentiful here. Many kinds of bird can be seen including various types of Kingfisher, Hornbill, Pacific Reef Egret, White Breasted Sea Eagle and Heron.

There are two passages in this island,one is at the north western edge of island call as salet galet and another one is in the south call as Magyon galet. Sea gypsies (Morken in themself) used to settle there as the shelter place to refuge from south west monsoon in rainy season. But nowadays, some of sea gypsies and Burmese finisher men build a village in Magyon galet.

The sisters is the name of a group of small islands at the north of Limpi. Sea gypsies(Morken) call it as Langan, mean the fingers in their language. Clear water, beautiful coral and very nice location is the land mark of the sisters. There are three small beautiful sea gypsies and Burmese villages on the separate islands.

Elphinstone ( Doune)  

Another base settlement island of sea gypsies (morken). It is not so far from Mergui city. There have two small sea gypsies villages and one quite big enough Burmese and Kayin village. One pearl from also found in the island.

Pulau Beda ( Nyaung Wee), Gt.swinton ( Kyun pi lar), Loughbrough ( Jarlan) and Macloed ( Khat yin khwa)

Well known islands in the mergui archipelago. The islands own white sandy beaches, beautiful tidal rivers, mangrove forest, vivid green tropical rain forest, crystal clear water and nice coral reef. Sea gypsies use to settle Pulau Beda and Loughbrough islands and there is a beautiful Burmese resort on the Macleod Island.

Burma - Mergui and Tavoy

Mergui ( Myeik )

Mergui is the main city of Mergui archipilago , situate on the bank of Kyukpyar river. In the 16th and 17th century the port Mergui played major role on the trading line between Madras of India and Ayuthiya of Siam (The old name of Thailand). The colorful people, Burmese, Chinese, Indian and Arabic influent were found in the city.

The old colonial style, ancient Burmese style and Chinese style big building can see everywhere of the city. The harbor is always busy with a lot of cargo ships, fishing vessels and ferry boats. The view of sunset in Mergui archipelago, watching from Thein Daw Kyi pagoda hill is the landmark of the city.

There is a strange cave with the ancient Indian painting on the wall on (Ye Kan Kyi ) Island south from Mergui.

Tovay ( Dawei)

Tovay is another big city far north from Mergui archipelago. Tavoy was quite famous in Burmese and their counterpart Thai's history. The city is not so busy as Mergui and their dressing style are more simple burmese style than the people from Mergui. There are many ancient Buddhist and Hindu temples and pagodas on the city.

There is a beautiful white sandy beach ( Maung Ma Kan beach) in the west of the city.

Journey through the Mergui Archpelago and Tovay

Mergui Archipelago consists of 800 islands of stunning, tropical beauty that man has scarcely touched, which is located at the south western part of Myanmar.

Even though they posses quite long coastal area and many hundreds of islands, the ancient Myanmar (Burmese) rather interested to settle on the land than on the island.

The lack of human interference is believed to have left some of the larger islands with the full range of animal life that is no longer found undisturbed on the Asian mainland, including elephants, tigers, deer, wild boar and many others.

Apart from a few "Sea Gypsies"(Morken), there’s not even an indigenous population. Through a few strange quirks of history, most of the Mergui Archipelago has been left to birds, beasts and plant life.

Most of islands are covered with the vivid green of topical rain forest and boundary by plain white sand beaches. Crystal clean water and beautiful coral life make to visitor to say" That is tropical paradise".

There are many beautiful islands in the archipelago. Among of them Lampi, Clara, Gt.Swinton( Kyun Pi la), Pulau Beda( Nyaung Wee), Lounghborough( Jalan) The sisters( Langan), Macleod ( khat Yin Khwa), Elphinstone and Ross island prominent.

There is a group of banks at the south western part of archipelago, known as Burma bank, which is quite famous dive spot in scuba divers world. Black Rock, Western Rocky, Twin islands and Ok rock are also famous for scuba diving.

Pulau Beda, Lounghborough, Lampi, The sister and Elphinestone are main base islands for sea gypsies, who used to settle on those islands in the rainy season and travel around the islands in the dry season.

Although the town Mergui ( Myeik ) is the main city of this archipelago, The tourists who would like to travel through out the archipelago used Kawthaung ( Victoria Point ) as a gate way of Mergui archipelago. Tavoy(Dawei) is another big and famous city which located on the far north of archipelago.