- We are a social business. All tours include local guides, local food, local crafts & activities with local people. All tours include a dolphin conservation fee. All tours are carbon neutral.
- Itineraries are designed for best chances of seeing Irrawaddy dolphins & cooperative fishing.
- Only glamping experience on the Ayeyawaddy.
Irrawaddy Dolphins
Fishing with Dolphins
the Ayeyawaddy River
of the Ayeyawaddy
Burma's Irrawaddy Dolphins
by Supporting Communities
Introduction 1-Day
Take a 1-day boat excursion to see Irrawaddy dolphins and cooperative fishing, with lunch in a fishing community.
Experience 2-Day
Experience dolphins & life on Ayeyawaddy, overnighting in tents at a fishing community & learning how to fish with dolphins.
Explorer 3-Day
For best chances of seeing dolphins and a rich cultural experience, explore the Ayeyawaddy Dolphin Protected Area on a 3-day journey.
WHY OUR TOURS
WELCOME TO THE LIVING IRRAWADDY DOLPHIN PROJECT!
The Irrawaddy River is home to the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin, found just north of Mandalay. What’s unique about Burma’s (Myanmar) Irrawaddy dolphins is their relationship with local fishermen. Dolphins and fishermen communicate and fish together, a practice called “cooperative fishing”–a unique phenomenon found in only two other places in the world! Your visit helps raise awareness for dolphin protection and generates income for local fishermen to continue their practice of cooperative fishing with dolphins. The Living Irrawaddy Dolphin Project is an initiative of Living Irrawaddy Travel and works with 6 communities to help them develop and market community-based ecotourism.
Cooperative Fishing with Irrawaddy Dolphins - An Experience Found Only Here!
We are a proud Travelife Partner (click to see our certificate)! The Travelife Partner award is a recognition of our commitment towards social and environmental sustainability. We are complying to more than 100 criteria related to sustainability management, office operations, working with suppliers and customer communication. We are working towards further improvements aiming to eventually reach the Travelife Certified stage.
The Living Irrawaddy Dolphin Project was the winner of the 2020 Experience Mekong Showcase for its significant social impact to its community, having an innovative concept and sustainable business model, and providing an authentically local experience positioning the GMS as a responsible, inclusive, and experiential tourism destination.
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I just came back home and I can definitely say that my 2-day experience with the Dolphin Project was a highlight of my travel in Myanmar. This lets you see... read more kry_jvt
January 22, 2019 I came to write an article about the traditional cooperative fishing with the dolphins for a Swiss magazine and "Living Irrawaddy Dolphin Project" facilitated the trip and helped me to... read more eva_voyageuse
December 20, 2018briancQ6189CQ We took the two day tour with camping/ glamping for the overnight. Despite a romantic name, Mandalay was a little underwhelming so this experience was a highlight of the... read more
November 26, 2019 - TvBalen Truly a very special experience to spot the dolphins in their natural habitat! So beautiful! But also all other activities are more then worthwhile! Lovely to visit the local communities... read more
March 3, 2020frenur We enjoyed 3 wonderful days, visiting local villages and watching the dolphins communicate with fishermen. We were very good taken care off and our three children (4,7 and 9) had... read more
December 21, 2019 A very good couple of days on the Irrawaddy river. Village excursions and visits to monasteries and to the attractions in Mingun were interesting and worthwhile. Lovely leisure... read more cjt221
May 24, 2019 - Julie D Our day began with a short ride to the boat dock where we took a boat crewed by a local family and our guide Chit along the Irrawaddy river past... read more
March 22, 2020555jessea Can't recommend this trip enough. It was a really good mix of activities with some free time on the boat mixed in. I definitely wanted to see the dolphins but... read more
February 18, 2020 We had a beautiful day cruising up the Ayeyarwaddy River on a very comfortable boat which resulted in seeing dolphins. The staff was very knowledgeable and friendly and we felt... read more Stephanie F
November 11, 2018
Our Activities
Engage with communities and learn about local livelihoods, such as throwing a cast net, making a bamboo hat and fishing with dolphins.
Our Boat
Travel on the Living Irrawaddy Dolphin Boat and take in the scenes of the Ayeyawaddy Dolphin Protected Area.
Our Food
Get to know local culture through local food. Enjoy authentic dishes prepared and hosted by communities.
OUR PROJECT - Why it's important & What we do
Why protect Irrawaddy dolphins & cooperative fishing?
Irrawaddy dolphins are an endangered species found in only three rivers in the world, including the Irrawaddy River in Burma (Myanmar)--the only place where cooperative fishing with Irrawaddy dolphins exists.
What is our project?
The Living Irrawaddy Dolphin Project is a social business working to protect Irrawaddy dolphins and the tradition of cooperative fishing through community-based ecotourism.
