Myanmar (Myeik Archipelago)

The Myeik Archipelago stretches roughly 400 kilometres down Myanmar's Tanintharyi coast, and sailing it feels genuinely unlike anywhere else still accessible by private yacht. Some 800 islands scatter across the northern Andaman Sea, most uninhabited, most fringed with hard coral and edged by water so clear you can read your depth sounder from the cockpit and still not trust it over a bombora. The forest comes right to the waterline.

Hornbills cross between islands at dusk. It is, by any honest measure, extraordinary.

The sailing is predominantly downwind November through April under the retreating northeast monsoon, which delivers steady 12–18 knots across an open fetch with seas that rarely exceed 1. 5 metres inside the island chain. You work south to north or north to south depending on your Myanmar entry point — most liveaboard itineraries originate from Kawthaung, the southernmost port, accessed via ferry from Ranong in Thailand.

Day-sailing between anchorages is straightforward; passages are short enough that you rarely need to push through the night unless you're repositioning across longer open stretches.

The Moken communities — the sea nomads who have worked these waters for centuries — still move through the archipelago in their kabang houseboats, though their numbers are dwindling and contact is increasingly on their terms. Approach respectfully and slowly. Leopard sharks rest on sandy patches in the shallower lagoons; the snorkelling is genuinely world-class.

Provisioning beyond Kawthaung is minimal — fresh produce and fuel are scarce once you're deep in the islands. Foreign yacht permits require advance arrangement through a licensed Myanmar agent, and the paperwork shifts often, so confirm requirements at least three months out.

Experienced blue-water sailors with flexible schedules and self-sufficient boats are well matched here; charterers expecting easy marina infrastructure should look elsewhere.