Backyard Travel’s New Sailing Tour to Myanmar’s Mergui Archipelago

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Backyard Travel, the online boutique travel agency specializing in unique, insider tours throughout Asia, today announced a spectacular new sailing tour through the gorgeous untouched islands of the Mergui Archipelago. Situated along the southern coastline of Myanmar, the Mergui Archipelago – also called the MyeikArchipelago – is a true ‘untouched paradise’, with few of its 800 idyllic islands inhabited much less developed.

Mergui Islands, Myanmar

Home to the Moken people, the MyeikArchipelago opened to tourism as recently as 2007. The Moken lead semi-nomadic, sea-faring lives, spending the dry season on fishing boats and returning to land for the monsoonal months. As such, the pristine islands here remain untouched by development, nurturing richly diverse ecosystems both above and beneath the water. Some islands here are protected as a Marine National Park, replete with natural assets such as coral reefs, mangrove swamps, sea grass beds, tangled evergreen forests and sheltered lagoons.

Accommodation options in the MerguiArchipelago are understandably limited, so the best way to explore this wonderfully unspoiled region is by boat. To help travelers access this remote, largely uncharted area, Backyard Travel has launched a new boutique cruise aboard a small luxury yacht.

This 10-day sailing trip throughout the Mergui Archipelago begins in Myanmar’s glittering capital, Yangon. Here, travelers have two days to take in the city’s most striking landmarks, such as the Shwedagon pagoda, before heading on to the port city of Kawthaung on the Andaman coastline. From there, travelers join the skilled captain and crew of their boat before embarking on a 5-day/4-night sailing expedition of the islands.

Among the many tour highlights is a trip to Lampi Island, a protected zone with dense rainforests and white-sand beaches. Native wildlife here includes a diverse array of tropical birds, with dugongs sifting through its sea beds and monkeys chattering in the treetops. For travelers who enjoy snorkeling and beach-combing there’s the reef-fringed Pila Island, home to wide beaches and crystal blue waters. And for a unique cultural experience, there’s a visit to a Moken village, where visitors can get a taste of local life first-hand.

Throughout the cruise, travelers have plenty of time to relax on the deck of their luxury craft, enjoying ocean breezes, tropical sunshine and clear night skies. Gourmet meals are prepared with fresh seafood purchased from the local Moken and at night, the boat’s cabins offer the ultimate in both privacy and comfort.

“The Mergui Archipelago is one of the region’s last frontiers,” said Backyard Travel’s General Manager Maeve Nolan. “Parts of the archipelago still remain unmapped and it’s this relative isolation that has fostered some of the most bio-diverse island ecosystems in the world. A small, boutique sailing trip such as this allows travelers to visit the archipelago in a low-impact, culturally sensitive and enriching manner.”

For more information about Backyard Travel’s new Mergui Archipelago tour, or for boutique tours around Myanmar, visit our webpage or send a direct inquiry to one of our Travel Specialists.

About Backyard Travel

Bangkok based Backyard Travel is an online travel company specializing in tailor-made tours to Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, Japan and China. For more information about Backyard Travel visit the website: www.backyardtravel.com or social media:

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