Located in the bay Phang Nga , near Phuket. It is built at the foot of a giant limestone rock, right on the water.

We visited this village as a group as part of one of the excursions in 2013. Almost the entire village is located on stilts.

As we approached it (by water), the guide said that the inhabitants of this village are Muslims , and therefore you cannot visit it in very revealing clothes (for example, a swimsuit and pareo); you must wear at least shorts and a T-shirt. The weather was cloudy that day, so the photos weren’t very bright and juicy.

The purpose of our visit was to see how the sea gypsies live, and also to have lunch

About 1600-1800 people live in this village. Sea gypsies are called differently Chao Le people. From childhood, they find a common language with the sea - they learn to hold their breath for a long time, dive very deeply and see well in sea water (and it is very salty there) - they become excellent swimmers. Main activity sea ​​gypsies are, of course, fishing, collecting shellfish and crayfish. Last time Quite a lot of tourists visit them. Also Chao Le make various jewelry and souvenirs from pearls and shells , which can be purchased during a visit to the floating village. The village is supplied with essential goods from the mainland.

When visiting this village on stilts, we noticed that there were a lot of cats and kittens (like everywhere else in Thailand), we walked along the streets, had lunch and got acquainted with the life of sea gypsies. It was an unusual and educational excursion.

Thus, visiting the village of sea gypsies is an interesting opportunity to get acquainted with the national color of this people, however, do not forget that we are just guests, and we should behave appropriately.

I bring to your attention

The floating village of Panyi is located in the amazing and world famous Phang Nga Bay. The village is permanently home to approximately 1,485 people in 315 families. All these people are descendants of the same family, Toh Baboo, who settled on the island about 200 years ago.

The To Babu family and their friends left their homes in Indonesia and came here by boat in search of a new place to live. The three families made a promise to each other that whoever found a place where there were a lot of fish and where all three families could live would signal by raising a flag as high as possible to the other two families.

Then the Babus found this island with a lot of fish swimming off its shores and kept their promise by hanging a flag on a high cliff hanging over the sea. This is how the name of this island came about - Panyi means “island with a flag”.

Panyi is a small island in size, most of which is made up of huge vertical karst rocks. Hundreds of shacks and huts are built on stilts in the shallow waters. No one, not even the oldest local fishermen, knows how many stilts this unusual village rests on, but it can rightfully be called a unique example of alternative construction.

In the beginning, all the sea gypsies lived on was fishing. Now this ancient occupation has faded into the background; more than half of the village residents make their living from tourism.

The village has its own school, mosque, medical center, many small souvenir shops and several large restaurants overlooking the sea. Tourists who buy a one-day tour to James Bond Island dine at one of these restaurants. Lunch usually consists of a lot of seafood. Recently, bungalows were built on Panyi Island where you can stay overnight. One night in this exotic place costs only 300 baht.

At first glance, it is striking how friendly the people of this small village are. Children and adults immediately surround tourists, trying, as best they can, to tell and show their lives and way of life. Just ten years ago, the village did not have electricity or fresh water, which is now delivered to the village from the mainland. In the spring, children do not go to school, and they have free time a large number of free time to play football, wander around the area, help parents do business in a store or restaurant and play computer games. Surprisingly, this village also has the Internet.

The school has about 200 children and only 13 teachers. In addition to teaching, teachers are involved in environmental projects. Together with the children, they collect bottles and iron cans, sell them, and thereby earn money for the school. And above all, it helps keep the village itself and its coastal waters clean and increases the environmental awareness of local residents. In addition, teachers and students grow vegetables hydroponically and then sell them at the local market. The prices of young businessmen are more than reasonable - about 40 baht per kilogram.

Like all children, they dream about what they will be when they grow up. Some people want to be a guide, some want to be a doctor, and some want to become a famous football player. And it’s not so important what they will do in the future, the main thing is that now they look very happy in their small island with a flag.

• There is only one policeman on Panyi Island, who has practically no work, which is good news.
• Electricity on Panyi Island costs 6 times more than in Phuket Town.
• When the tourists leave, the restaurant and shop close, and the village turns from a tourist stop into a quiet fishing village.

How to get there

You can rent a long-tail wooden boat from Surakul Pier, which costs about 1,700 baht for 3 hours. The boat can accommodate up to 10 people.

Or simply buy a tour of the islands of Phang Nga Bay, which includes transfer to the hotel. Day tours to Phang Nga Bay include lunch in this village. There is also a souvenir stall nearby.

Sea Gypsy Village, or Ko Panye, is a unique settlement in Phang Nga Bay. It is located at the foot of a limestone cliff near the island of Phuket.

Sea Gypsies are one of the first inhabitants of Phuket. In Thai they are called Chao Le, which translates to “People of the Sea”.

This place is quite famous among travelers as a floating village, which is notable for the fact that it was built on the water by Indonesian fishermen.

During the period when a nomadic Malay fisherman founded a village near stone island Ko Panii, believed to be late 18th century.

At that time, the law restricted foreigners from owning land plot and allowed land ownership exclusively to Thais, and many consider this the main reason for choosing to live and build a village in these places not on land, but on water.

The construction of a village on stilts in the water was justified by the goals of protecting the island by the waters of the bay, while providing easy access for maintaining the usual way of life of a fisherman.

The floating village is over 200 years old.

There is also a small cemetery on land

The rest of the buildings in this settlement are supported on stilts, which makes it unlike almost any other village in the world.

A police station, a small medical facility, a school and other local infrastructure facilities rise above the water.

In the unusual locality There is a Muslim school where local children study in mixed classes (boys + girls).

Because the school and its system have not received approval from some conservative devout Muslims, many boys are sent to study in schools that are quite far from their home - in Phang Nga or Phuket.

A football team was founded in the village and even a unique football field was created: it is a wooden platform on the water.

Inspired by the 1986 World Cup, children at the time “put together a field” from old scrap wood and fishing rafts.

Since 2011, local team Panyee FC has been one of the most successful in Thailand

Relocation from a floating village, so-called internal migration, is rather encouraged by local and state authorities. In this way, the population size and its safety are controlled: during the rainy season, houses and the lives of residents are in danger.

In the late 90s, the community faced financial difficulties, as it could not exist solely on income from fishing.

The local postman suggested inviting tourists to the village to give the residents of the floating village an opportunity to earn money.

Nowadays it is one of the main attractions with a lunch stop on the programs of most boat tours in Phang Nga Bay and around Phuket

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The sale of souvenirs made from shells and pearls is also thriving in the village.

For this purpose, numerous fish restaurants and souvenir stalls were opened on the island and in the village of Koh Pani.

The name "Moken" among the villagers was formed from "oken" - salt water and "mo" - to dive. Moken are true amphibians. Swedish researcher Anna Gislen found that the vision of sea gypsies underwater is several times sharper than that of Europeans. Over centuries of diving, their pupils have acquired the ability to constrict and change focus. This quality and trained lungs allow the Moken to track and catch fish at a depth of 23 meters. They dive for pearls with ease. crabs and swim very well.

They have their own ancient language, but do not have their own written language. They eschew material goods and take only the most necessary things into their boats. Until recently, they exchanged their seafood catch and pearls for tools and clothing.

Despite the flourishing of tourism in the country, life on Koh Pani is still concentrated around fishing, because the bulk of tourists come to see the outlandish village only during the dry season.

You can watch about the village of sea gypsies in a short video

Do gypsies have a home? Yes Yes! That very popular sea gypsy village in Phang Nga Bay, near Phuket.How much money do the locals live on, how are houses built, and who became the founder of the Roma village?

Sea Gypsy Village - Ko Panye (KohPanyee) - what is she?

Sea Gypsy Village - Ko Panye, which is located in Phang Nga Bay, next to the island. Phuket is an amazing place-town, standing entirely on the water. Despite the complete absence of land, more than 400 Roma families live there permanently. This is exactly the rare and amazing case, when you can see gypsies who do not wander, but live and “earn” in one place.

Bird's eye view of the sea gypsy village

What is a sea gypsy village near Phuket like?

The area of ​​the village is only about 5 km². It is located at the foot of a huge rock in Phang Nga Bay, which is part of the same name national park. All houses, except the mosque, stand on stilts driven into the bottom of the Andaman Sea. Schools, shops and even police stations are “built on water.” The life of the locals is no different from the usual life on the ground. Instead of roads there are small bridges, cars - boats. The visiting card of the island is the mosque. It is a symbol of the village and a place of honor among Muslim residents. It hosts meetings of elders, religious holidays, and major events.

The photo shows a mosque in the village of sea gypsies

Surprisingly, during the daytime (working) hours, only women, children and old people are in the village. All men at this moment are engaged in fishing.

School "on the water" in the village of sea gypsies. Street with local transport

History of the Sea Gypsy Village

The village began its history at the end of the 18th century. Unfortunately, the settlement on the water was “forced” to be built “out of reluctance.” At that time, in Thailand, the law prohibited foreigners from entering the kingdom. There was no talk about building permanent housing. Immigrants from Burma and Malaysia, namely they were the first to claim residence on Thai lands, were not at a loss and built housing on the water. After all, the law didn’t prohibit that! Over time, the sea gypsies settled densely on the water island, maintaining and systematically improving the internal infrastructure.

On this moment It is difficult to classify the residents of the village as belonging to any particular race. The village “walks” its own language, external signs are “mixed”. The village does not have its own written language, which makes it difficult to trace its original roots.

Typical day local resident to the sea gypsy villages

What does a village live on - how do sea nomads earn money?

• Fishing and pearling

Sea Gypsies - sea gypsies - are excellent fishermen. From father to son they pass on their fishing skills. In addition, residents extract pearls, which are later transported to the mainland.

• Tourist activities

Several years ago, the village elders decided to “let in” tourists, because they understood that their water spaces would be of interest to foreigners from all over the world.

In the history of the development of Ko Panye, a certain postman is mentioned who constantly shuttled between the mainland and the village of sea gypsies. It was he who “threw the hook” to the elders and offered to “make money” from tourists who were already so actively visiting the neighboring mainland and the Thai islands.

At the moment, many fish restaurants, stalls and shops are opening their doors in the village. As expected, gypsy children actively “sell” souvenirs, cutely clinging to the hand.

Souvenir shop in the floating gypsy village

Despite modern realities, fishing remains the main income of the village. The Thai authorities are “inviting” local people to migrate to the mainland, since permanent residence in the village is not safe.

Necessary food products on Koh Panye are delivered from land. As in the whole world, sea nomads exchange the money they earn for necessary things.

How to get to the gypsy village

As a rule, a visit to the sea gypsy village is included in the James Bond Island excursion. This is the fastest and most profitable way to get to this place.

If you are planning an independent trip, then stick to the plan " independent travel according to Phang-Nga” - this is written in the article -

The famous Phang Nga Bay is famous, first of all, for the beauty of its nature, but in addition to bays, caves, lagoons and rocks sticking out of the sea, there are also cultural attractions. One of them is the sea gypsy village of Koh Panyee. This settlement, built entirely on stilts, is now part of tourist routes and attracts many tourists daily during the high season.

The history of this place is interesting and unusual. At the end of the 18th century, several families of the nomadic Chao Le people left their native island of Java and went in search of best place for life. Since they were all fishermen, they were looking for a fishing place. The travelers agreed that whoever found a suitable island would raise a flag, calling the others. A man named To Babu discovered the place where the village now stands, and he planted his banner on the island, giving the rocky cliff the name Ko Panyi - flag island. There was a lot of fish here, the convenient bay was protected from the waves, so the fishermen decided to stay.
According to the laws of that time, not being citizens of Thailand, they did not have the right to own Thai land, but they still found a way out: they built their houses on the water around the island. Now the village stretches for half a kilometer from edge to edge; more than 300 families live in it, which is about 1800 people.

In our time, the inhabitants of Panya received the right to own land, which they were not slow to take advantage of - to tiny island The first thing they did was build a mosque. She is not the only one in the village, there are others, although not so large. It also has its own medical center, an elementary school with more than 300 students, and even a police station, where the only policeman is bored.

Residents of Koh Panyi still continue to engage in fishing, because it has brought them income for many years, but now they combine it with serving tourists. The idea to show foreigners his amazing life was suggested by a local postman, and it turned out to be very successful. Now a lot of shops and shops have appeared on Panyi, as well as cafes and several restaurants that serve, of course, seafood. Those who especially like it here can stay overnight in bungalows, which serve as a hotel here.

Local residents don't seem to be distracted by the constant flow of tourists. Lessons are in session at school, and after school children go to help their parents, collect and sort garbage, or play football. Surprisingly, there is not only a real football field here, but also its own football team, by the way, one of the best in Thailand. The first field was once built here from old boards and fishing rafts, but now it is a full-fledged stadium, also on stilts. Older people do their usual fishing, because all other products have to be brought from the mainland, which is why they are more expensive. And the funniest and most amazing thing about this seaside village is the cats living here, who feel completely calm in the middle of the open sea.