Consisting of approximately 1200 coral islands at the Indian Ocean, with about 200 inhabited of these, The Maldives Republic is located 500km southwest of the southern tip of India. Inhabited islands are covered by tropical vegetation and palm trees, while the uninhabited islands, are covered in bushes. Every single island is surrounded by reefs, enclosing a shallow lagoon. All the islands are low-lying, not more than 2meters above the sea level. The majority of the indigenous population does not mix with the tourist visitors, with the exception of those involved with tourism in the resorts and Male.
Most of the resorts are located in Male Atoll. After that come Vaavu, Lhaviyani and Baa. Alifu Atoll has been declared the new Tourism Zone of the Maldives and work to upgrade and build new resorts is progressing in this area. At any resort it is possible to have interesting night-fishing trips, snorkeling, windsurfing and the majority of them have facilities for scuba diving, para-sailing, banana-boating, catamaran sailing, water-skiing and volleyball. Some of them are offering other facilities like badminton or tennis.
Male, capital of The Maldives, is situated close to the airport. Although accommodations are available, few foreign visitors prefer to stay in the capital. Even those doing business normally stay in one of the nearby resort islands and travel to Male by boat. Several shops selling local handicrafts or imported goods attract people. But far more interesting would be the Mulee-aage, the National Museum with a fantastic collection of artifacts, the fish and vegetable markets, the beautiful Hukuru Mosque and the Islamic Centre, with a stunning golden dome. About 20 other mosques are spreaded out around the city.
Baros has a beach of 1024m length. One side of the island is full of corals, while the other side has an excellent beach. East of there, the island of Bandos is consisting of nice bungalows viewing the beach. A particularly good diving school relative to conditions here is porviding a dive down to a place named Shark Point.
With the deep lagoon next to it, Furana, the ‘Full Moon’ resort, it a favorite base for visiting yachts. The island Giraavaru lies 11km west from the airport. You can reach it by speedboat or per normal boat. These rooms face either a tropical garden or have a view to the Indian Ocean. The untouched and beautiful island Reethi Rah consists of bungalows on stilts, influenced by the local architecture with modern comfort. Nearby, Coco Island has eight huts, all furnished beautifully. To the east Veligandu Huraa, the Palm Tree Island and Dhigufinolhu are twin-islands, connected by a causeway across the lagoon. The Fun Island, Bodufinolhu Island is ringed with a massive lagoon, possible to reach on foot during low tide.
And if you dream of a diving paradise, asking for it will lead you to Vaadhu, with a fully equipped diving school located on the northern tip of South Male Atoll.
Join Dreamtrips; the premier travel society, for an unforgettable Maldives experience
