Think white beaches lined with palm trees and dense jungle. Think swimming in azure water amongst colourful reef fish, spotting coral and collecting seashells. Now, picture eagles circling above while gibbons and monitor lizards eye you from the thickets as a sundowner is being mixed for you on board the yacht. Best of all—you have this entire experience to yourself. You can sail for days on end and not see a soul except for the odd fisherman in a dugout canoe on this ASIA DMC tour.

The traditional inhabitants of the Mergui Archipelago are the Moken, a people who live off, and literally, on the sea. Sometimes called “sea gypsies”, this ethnic minority group leads a traditional, seminomadic lifestyle, dominated by diving for sea cucumbers, fishing and bartering.

Over the generations, the Moken have adapted to their environment and developed incredible skills useful for a life lived partly underwater. Moken divers often dive to depths of more than 20 meters without oxygen tanks. Studies of Moken children have shown that they have incredible underwater vision—twice as good as that of European children of the same age.

The Moken used to roam the archipelago in their traditional sailing boats, called Kabangs; however,in recent years, some families have settled on the islands and fish the surrounding waters from their dugout canoes.

 This tour allows you to catch glimpses of exotic underwater creatures, such as seahorses and sharks, experience night diving in near complete isolation, visit local, ancient sea gypsy villages, and relax on some of the world’s most perfect beaches.