One Day I Want To Visit The Maldives

The Maldives - I've Always Dreamed Of Going There

One day, about 30 years ago, while I was sitting in the hairdressers waiting for my perm to take I picked up a Cleo magazine and read an article on the island nation of The Maldives. I was instantly hooked! To me, The Maldives epitomises everything I dream about in a fantasy holiday destination. Tropics, beaches, exotic culture and cuisine. I had traveled abroad just once in my life, with my parents to the States and that trip had kindled a lifetime love of traveling. This article had fanned the spark into a flame.

Contents at a Glance

1. Some Maldivian Facts
2. The Lonely Planet Guide To The Maldives
3. More Great Guide Books To The Maldives
4. Things To Do In The Maldives
5. I'm Going To Need Some New Sunglasses
6. Male, Capital Of The Maldives
7. A Bit About The Maldivian Culture
8. And I'll Need A Few Good Books
9. More Things To Do In The Maldives
10. I'll Definitely Need A Hat
11. Boxing Day Tsunami

Some Maldivian Facts

The Maldives - Island Nation of The Indian Ocean

The Maldives is a nation made up of more than 1,000 islands located in the Indian Ocean. It’s nearest neighbours are Sri Lanka, around 700km to the North-East, and India.

Although its territorial area is 90,000 square kilometres, only around 300 square kilometres is land which means the country is 99.9% water! Only around 200 of the islands are inhabited. The islands are grouped into 26 atolls which form two chains in a north-south line.

The average height above sea-level of The Maldives is a whopping 1.5 metres making it the lowest lying country on the planet. Its highest point is a mere 2.3 metres (careful you don’t crick your neck looking up!) I want to visit this place before the oceans rise and completely gobble it up.

The Lonely Planet Guide To The Maldives

If you plan to travel to The Maldives then you should consider taking with you one of the very best guide books there is. Lonely Planet guides are fantastic because of the way they are researched and put together. Real people on real trips having real experiences – good and bad – all combine their knowledge into a guide that is up to date and thorough.

The Lonely Planet Guide To The Maldives provides information on everything you would expect from accommodation and where to eat to local sights and customs.

Things To Do In The Maldives

From Lying on a Sun-Lounge All. Day. Long. to Getting Into All the Water Activities - It's Your Choice

The Maldives is a tropical island nation. A nation made up of lots and lots of tropical islands. So the essential thing here revolves around water, sand, palm trees and that’s pretty much it. The Maldives is a diver’s paradise. The perfect combination of year round warm water and incredible visibilty sometimes as much as 50 metres. Other activities include snorkelling and fishing. The abundant marine life makes it a haven for underwater photographers. There is also whale and dolphin watching. There is also limited surfing opportunities. Most resorts however lie within the protected waters of the reef. For those who prefer to stay dry or who are unable to partake in scuba diving there is now the German built Whale Submarine, where divers and non-divers alike can enjoy the enchanting beautiful coral reefs and magnificent tropical fish from the comfort of an air-conditioned submarine.

Me? I’m going to sit in a sun-lounge with a good book and a cool drink. Oh, I might get up to stroll around the island occasionally.

I'm Going To Need Some New Sunglasses

To Spend All Day In The Sun in The Maldives

Male, Capital Of The Maldives

Surprisingly Densely Populated

This amazing photo of the capital of The Maldives, Male, is used under a Creative Commons licence from Wikipedia

A Bit About The Maldivian Culture

The culture of the Maldives is similar to that of its closest neighbours, India and Sri Lanka, with a smattering of sea-faring past thrown in for good measure which is reflected by a largely Islamic religion. From 1887 until 1965 it was a British protectorate. The main and official language, Dhivehi, is similar to several languages from Sri Lanka and South East Asia and includes many Arabic, Hindi and English words. English is commonly spoken and is now taught in schools.

Not surprisingly, the Maldivian cuisine revolves around its proximity to the sea and features many fish and rice dishes, usually with the addition of coconut milk.

And I'll Need A Few Good Books

For My Vacation in The Maldives

More Things To Do In The Maldives

For Those Who Want to do More Than Just Lie on a Beach

Staying on Addu Atoll offers the opportunity to cycle to three neighbouring islands connected via a causeway. The additional benefit of this is that it is the only place in the Maldives outside Male where interaction with locals can freely occur. Since resorts occupy 88 of the 200 inhabited islands the only locals normally encountered by tourists are service staff.

Boating activities of various sorts are abundant and there are plenty of opportunities to indulge in activities such as sailing, wind-surfing, day cruises and fishing.

If at all possible, a trip to the Maldives should include a day trip to Male for its local culture, its interesting shops and bustling markets.

I'll Definitely Need A Hat

that provides plenty of shade

Boxing Day Tsunami

In December 2004 a sub ocean earth tremor caused a tsunami of devastating proportions to rip through many South East Asian countries, The Maldives was one of the worst affected. Although loss of life was thankfully small in comparison to other countries, the overall destruction affected the entire country. The cost to rebuild was estimated to be almost $0.5billion which amounts to approximately 62% of that countries GDP. According to an article on Asian Development Bank’s website “Of the 198 inhabited islands in the archipelago, 53 suffered severe damage, and 10% of the islands were totally destroyed. Schools, clinics and pharmacies were destroyed in some 50 islands.”

Would You Like To Meet Up With Me Under A Palm Tree?

I'll get the first round of fruity cocktails

• noriukeliauti Oct 23, 2013 @ 2:51 am
  I also dream about going to Maldives, I think this place is really like a paradise...
• siobhanryan May 23, 2013 @ 6:38 pm
  A super lens
• khatha0808 Jan 28, 2013 @ 9:27 am
  This is my dreamed place to visit
• Pukeko Jan 09, 2013 @ 9:00 am
  I guess I will now be adding the Maldives to my bucket list. Wonderful. Blessed.
• Waxing-Lyrical Jan 09, 2013 @ 6:32 am

  Yeah, I'd love to visit The Maldives :)
• BarbaraCasey Aug 23, 2012 @ 10:40 pm
  The Maldives look lovely. And that's coming from someone who's lived in Florida quite a few years.
• daria369 Aug 23, 2012 @ 9:49 pm
  Breathtaking place indeed! :)
• mumsgather Aug 23, 2012 @ 8:48 pm
  Yes, let's meet up under a palm tree. :) My brother went to Maldives for his honeymoon. It's beautiful.
• swathymenon Jul 18, 2012 @ 2:10 am
  hi ElleDeeEsse, Great lens and well presented. As your title says, i would also like to visit Maldives one day.i heard that Maldives is the world's most beautiful islands..
  thanks for sharing this information with us :)