Surin Islands Moken

There is no word for worry in the Moken language

The Similan Explorer 5 day 5 night trip to the Similan and Surin Islands also includes an island excursion to visit the Moken village on the Surin Islands.

It’s the only liveaboard that includes this in it’s itinerary and guests love opportunity to see a completely different way of life.

About the Moken

The Moken have lived a nomadic life on the coastal seas of South East Asia for 4,000 years. There are now only around 2,000 Moken free roaming the Mergui Archipelago, down from around 10,000 15 years ago.

Pressures from a degraded ocean environment, government restrictions and the expansion of the tourism and the fishing industry have seen many Moken communities forced into a “civilized” life reliant on working in tourism or on fishing trawlers for survival.

The ocean roaming Moken of the Mergui Archipelago still spend most of their lives on traditional Kabang boats hollowed from a single tree trunk. These Kabangs have been shown to have exceptional ocean crossing qualities.

Moken children can focus underwater without the use of a mask or goggles. Their eyes adapt at an early age so that their pupils contract rather than dilate as most peoples do.

For more information on Moken culture have a look here: http://www.projectmoken.com/