Maldives Travel

Places of Interest in Maldives

Malé, the capital of the Maldives, is the commercial center, seat of government and the location of many important historical and religious landmarks. It was known as the Sultan's Island in the past.

The Grand Friday Mosque, Masjid-al-Sultan Mohammed Thakurufaan-al-Azzam is the biggest mosque in the Maldives. It also includes the Islamic Center. This grand mosque with its dominant golden dome decorates the façade of Malé. It can accommodate over five thousand worshippers at a time. The old Friday Mosque, with its unique minaret and the tombs of national heroes and members of royalty resting in the quietness of its compound, gives the visitor a glimpse of the past. The art in the mosque and royal burial grounds are exclusive and priceless. Other important sites in Malé include the tombs of legendary saints, the Presidential Palace, the National Museum in the Sultan Park, which shows the glories of a different era, and the Singapore Bazaar. All these are within a ten-minute stroll.

A few locations worth visiting in the Maldives are Seenu or Addu Atoll, Fuamulaku, Kuahuvadhoo, and Baa Atoll.

Malé

About 2km (1.2mi) long and 1km (0.62mi) wide, Malé is small, quaint, and densely settled. Though not spectacular, it is quite unique as a capital city. It's clean and tidy, with mosques, markets, a maze of small streets and a certain, sometimes sleepy, charm all its own.

Malé is packed to the edges with buildings, roads and a few well-used open spaces. Officially, the population is around 65,000, but with foreign workers and short-term visitors from other islands, there may be as many as 100,000 people in town - it certainly feels like it.

Monuments in Male
The Grand Friday Mosque, Masjid-al-Sultan Mohammed Thakurufaanu-al-A "z" zam is the biggest mosque in the Maldives. It also includes the Islamic Center. This Grand Mosque with its dominant golden dome decorates the facade of Male'. It can accommodate over five thousand worshippers at a time. Nearly all visitors to Male' take time to visit this magnificent landmark.

The old Friday Mosque with its unique minaret and the tombs of national heroes and members of royalty resting in the quietness of its compound gives the visitor a glimpse of the past. The art in the mosque and royal burial grounds are unique and invaluable.

Seenu (Addu Atoll)
This is the 'second city' of the Maldives, and the resort here is the best base from which to visit traditional Maldivian island communities. The Addu people are fiercely independent, speak differently from folk in the capital and at one time even tried to secede from the republic.

Tourist development in Addu has been slow to start, but a resort has been established in the old RAF buildings on Gan. Gan is linked by causeways to the adjacent islands, and it's easy to get around them by bicycle, giving unmatched opportunities to visit the local villages and see village life.

Resorts
The vast majority of visitors come to the Maldives on package tours, staying at one of the 70-plus resort islands. Most resorts are in the three atolls closest to the capital - North Malé Atoll, South Malé Atoll and Ari Atoll. Despite their apparent similarity, however, they differ considerably.

Judging by the brochures, all the resorts are beautiful and are blessed with white sand, blue sea and swaying palm trees, and they all promise great diving. But they can vary distinctly in their comfort, cuisine, clientele, character and their suitability for various excursions and activities.

HOW TO REACH
Almost all visitors to the Maldives arrive by air. Malé International Airport, situated in Hulhule Island, is just over a kilometer or about ten minutes by boat from Malé, the capital. There are regular flights to Colombo (Sri Lanka), Thiruvananthapuram (southwest India), Dubai, and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), as well as many chartered flights from European centers.

The tourist resort islands have their own transfer boats to carry their clients. Visitors with confirmed reservations are normally met on arrival at the airport and transferred by boat, helicopter or seaplane to the resort island of their choice. Transport and communication services provided for tourists are generally of a high standard. There is no regular inter-island transportation system between inhabited islands. The ad hoc transportation system is serviced mainly by the local boats, which average a speed of about 8 miles per hour. A larger number of dhonis ply between the Malé International Airport and Malé route as ferries. Dhonis and even modern speedboats are also available for hire. Air Maldives, the national carrier, operates regular flights to the domestic airports at Hanimaadhoo, Kadhdhoo, Kaadedhdhoo and Gan.

Cruising among the islands may be an exciting alternative. Yachts and yacht-dhonis with bunk beds or private cabins are available for hire. These boats can accommodate between eight to twenty passengers on cruises that sail for ten to fifteen days. Some of the larger vessels have scuba diving and windsurfing facilities with qualified instructors on board. Food prepared by the crew using the day's fresh catch of fish may be modest, but a tourist is never too far to stop for a sumptuous meal or a drink. On a cruise, dining under a clear sky in the Maldives can be an experience in itself. With the equator running through the Maldives, it is an astronomer's dream too.