Moscos Island is located in Launglon Township, Dawei District, Tanintharyi region, the south-east of Myanmar. It is the best place for Snorkeling when you stay in Dawei, the Capital city of the Tanintharyi Region. Here we can see mostly Nemo fish in the area and 90% coral island. Moscos Island was designated as a natural reserve in 1927. It is located west of Maungmagan Beach, a popular beach in Dawei District.
How to get to Moscos Island?
The Moscos Island is controlled by Myanmar's Navy and a wildlife sanctuary, however you can go on a trip to the south Moscos Islands in Myanmar Launglon Bok Islands. The trip starts with a 45 minutes ride of 18 miles from Dawei to San Hlan Village. In the San Hlan fishing village, you can take a boat from the San Hlan Community Based Tourism (CBT) Site to Moscos Island. If you take the Speed Boat, it will take about 30 minutes. A normal Boat trip will take about 1 hour and 30 minutes. If you arrange a tour with a tour operator, Tour will carry people from the hotel about 7 am and the trip from Dawei to San Hlan will start about 8 am. Then you will arrive at San Hlan about 9 am and the trip to the untouched Moscos Island will start at 9am. During your boat trip, a Marine Guide of the tour operator will explain the Dos’ and Don’ts, how to wear a life jacket and how to do snorkeling under the water. Most of the trips include about 45 minutes to 1 hour of snorkeling. Some tours cater lunch on the boat and other tours cater lunch along the shore. The price with the speed boat may cost about 70000 kyats with a 30% discount for children. The price of a normal boat will cost between 40000 kyats to about 50000 kyats in a trip.
Activities during the boat trip
When we arrive at the Island group, we can do several activities. We can swim in the blue sea. And if you can’t swim, you can get the help of a guide to enjoy the water with the help of your life jacket and floating support. You can take a rest and walk along the beach, and if you enjoy taking photos, you can capture beautiful golden beaches, crystal water, white sand, and shore views there. You can also sunbathe at the beach or just relax. Most tour companies offer a lunch on the island after which you can do a small trek through the thick forest to observe wildlife and tropical birds.
Moreover, we can see many different fish species in the secluded bays of the Moscos Archipelago which are orange, yellow, white, black, red, etc, and precious coral reefs and coral islands while snorkeling in the Andaman sea. We can do snorkeling with the support of the Marine guide.
The boat trip leaves from the Moscos Islands at 4 pm and immediately goes to San Hlan Village where you will experience the Sunset view on the boat. When you arrive at San Hlan, you can take a rest at the San Hlan Community Based Tourism (CBT) site. If you don’t want to use the CBT services, you can go back to Dawei and rest in a hotel.
Do’s and Don’ts
Do’s
- Use sunscreen before the boat trip
- At least 3 people in snorkeling site
- Follow rules and regulations of the marine guides during the trip
Don’ts
- Don’t throw wastes along the South Moscos island and into the sea.
- Don’t use sunscreen snorkeling and swimming time because it can destroy Nemo fishes and Coral Reef.
- Don’t go alone to the snorkeling site without permission of the Marine Guide.
- When you go snorkeling, you should take care not to destroy Coral Island.
- Don’t collect and destroy the Coral reefs and Snail shells to maintain the beautiful natural environment.
Conclusions
The southern area of Myanmar is full of beautiful natural views such as mountains, beaches, waterfalls and islands. If you visit Dawei, I want to recommend a day trip to Moscos Island because a day trip to Moscos Island is cheaper than a trip to the Myeik Archipelago or other island in the Tanintharyi region. Moscos Island is the best place at the northern coast of Tanintharyi to do snorkeling and enjoy spectacular under-water views with Nemo fishes, coral reefs and coral islands. The best times to visit are cold season and hot season, when the sea is stable and the views are best for snorkeling.
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