Myeik (Mergui) is a city in the Tanintharyi Division in Southeastern Myanmar.
Mergui was the name given by the British to the southernmost part of Myanmar. The Mergui Archipelago was off-limits to foreigners until 1997. Although it is now open for tourism, access is limited and it remains largely unexplored. It has a beautiful seaport. The weather is neither too hot nor too cold. Most of the people are Buddhists. There are many important offices, hospitals, hotels, banks, schools, universities and Myeik shopping center. Many high-rise buildings have been built. Myeik is famous for its products such as pearls, rubber, edible bird's nests, dried fish, dried prawns and ngapi (shrimp paste). Fresh seafood (such as fish, prawns, crabs), fruits and vegetables are plentiful. The people are friendly, honest, helpful, generous and religious.
There is a road north to Dawei and south to Bokepyin and Kawthoung, now available for foreigners.
Myanmar National Airlines has daily flights, and Asian Wing Airways (dead link: January 2023) has 3 flights per week, from Yangon. Myanmar National Airlines flights (typically once a week) to Bokepyin may also be available.
Flights may be cancelled with little or no advance notice, due to lïack of bookings, the weather, or any number of other unpredictable circumstances.
50 min Kawthaung to Myeik flight approx US$55 / 95,000 kyat (April 2022). Not much to see from the plane due to air pollution. Skies are clear after rainy season, in Oct-Nov.
Fast ferries run to/from Dawei to the north (~4 hr, US$20 for foreigners).
Five Star Line passenger ships may call here (approximately fortnightly) en route from Kawthoung to Yangon and/or vice-versa. Five Star Line have an office opposite the main piers. Foreigners must pay very high prices (~US$100+), but the first-class 2-berth cabins are quite comfortable.
There are a couple of companies offering minivan connection to/from Kawthoung (10-12 hr, 25,000 kyat), Bokepyin and Dawei (bus leaves Dawei at 10:00 and 17:00, 8-10 hr, 12,000 kyat).
The road south to Bokepyin/Kawthaung is physically very challenging. Even though fully paved the street is a constant up and down with immense inclinations of >10% - and that for about 250-300 km. The only accommodation is the state owned Royal Blossom Hotel in Tanintharyi - else one has to rely on monasteries or (illegal) wild camping.
Most of transportation services are motorcycle-taxi. Can hire everywhere at downtown, airport, jetty and high-way bus station. Go around to downtown by motorcycle-taxi (prices are 3,000-5,000 kyat).
A few of transportation service is car-taxi. Can hire via hotel or at jetty, airport and high-way bus station (prices are 5,000-7,000 kyat).
Motorbikes can be rent at hostels or arranged by some locals at the riverside.
Big Reclining Buddha (on the island across the harbour).
The Theiñdawgyí and The Màhartheintdîzàyà pagodas. Dress reasonably and keep your legs covered (long skirts, halfway between the knee and ankle, are fine; shorts, on men or women, are not). Longyi are available at the ticket booth if you arrive insufficiently covered. As with nearly all Buddhist monuments, footwear is not permitted. Almost all visitors (and all locals) remove their footwear at the gates before even setting foot inside the complex. There are places to leave you shoes at the bottom of every walkway. Or carry a plastic shopping bag, pop your shoes into that bag, and carry it around with you while on the walkways and platforms (that is Burmese way). If you can, visit during the early morning or the late afternoon/evening so that white marble tiles do not burn your feet.
Bodhisatta Wai Thandaya King History is situated within Paya Ngar Hsuu monastery (also Buddhism school). The story is written only in Burmese. You might use a guide to translate for you. It is about the king offering his son, daughter and white elephant to a Brahmin for aid in becoming a Buddha. That history is carved in concrete in statues.
Lobster farming.
General Aung San statue.
Loading of the fishing boats in the harbour.
Islands sight-seeing and Downtown sight-seeing.
Kala islands (beaches).
Kyun Su township (Myeik archipelago).
Crab farming (on small island) beside of Myeik.
Local banks have ATMs that accept Visa and MasterCard for withdrawals.
On strand road, there is a food market by the water front in the evening (16:00-22:00).
There are numerous small establishments with good food and fresh juices.
There are lots of restaurants.
There are several ultra-basic "guesthouses" in the area around the main piers, a few of which accept foreigners. Often, conditions are grim and prices for foreigners are astronomical.
There are a couple of state-run hotels.
2nd-order administrative division
Primary administrative division