Maldives Tours

Maldives

Maldives is a unique destination to tour for the fun loving tourist seeking an exotic holiday. This beautiful tour destination is synonymous with top class Water sport destination of fairy tale resorts. Buddhism arrived here in 300 BC and was the main religion until 1153 AD when Islam started having an influence on the Royal family followed by conversions. Today, a common language (Dhivehi) and religion (Islam) have united people into a cohesive and peaceful society. Coral reefs protect over a 1000, tiny islands grouped into natural atolls. You can have an experience of lifetime in the low-lying islands of pure white coral sand, the highest point on any given island being no more than a meter and a half above sea level. There is so much to do on your tours of Maldives, you can enjoy cruising, island hoping, snorkeling, scuba diving you name it and it can be arranged for you.
Cruising in the Maldives is called a safari. Cruising vessels specially commissioned to cater to the needs of guests come in all shapes and sizes. You can stop anywhere for varying lengths of time at favorite diving, snorkeling or fishing points on your cruising tour in Maldives.
Island hopping is another exciting activity on Maldives Tours. Island hopping in an intersting way of fitting in a lot into one package. This entails a visit by boat to one or more fishing villages in addition to visiting one or more uninhabited islands.

During your stay in the Maldives, you must visit Male, the capital of the Maldives. Male' is roughly two square kilometers of land. There is no natural source of even portable water. Male' is reasonably green, peaceful and graceful in its charm. Male' would certainly count as one of the smallest capitals in the world. A third of the country's population, about 75,000 live on this island that is so different from all the Resort Islands. On your tours of Male, you will find that in the old bazaar area that still houses the country's hub of wholesale and retail trade, the lanes are so narrow that a single vehicle would find it difficult to navigate through, especially with its throngs of busy people.
The capital has several fascinating sights that offer an interesting glimpse into the history and culture of this small country. Built in the 17th century the Huskuru Miskiiy or Friday Mosque served the population of Male' as their main mosque for almost four centuries. A masterpiece of coral curving and traditional workmanship the mosque built in 1656 is probably the best display of coral curving anywhere in the world. The walls of the mosque are hewn together with blocks of filigree-curved coral blocks. Heavy wooden doors slide open to the inner sanctums with lamp hangings of wood and panels intricately curved with Arabic writings. The area surrounding the mosque is a cemetery with a legion of intricately curved coral headstones.
Right in front of the Hukuru Miskiiy is a palace Mulee-aage, built in 1906 by Sultan Mohamed Shamsuddeen III. The National Museum is housed in an Edwardian colonial-style building of three storeys, with amazing collection of artifacts from past giving an idea of the unique and rich culture and history of this island nation.
The Another tourist attraction is Islamic Centre, which is the most vivid architectural landmark of Male'. The spectacular golden dome in all its majesty dominates the skyline. The Centre completed in 1984 consists of a mosque big enough for 5000 people, an Islamic library, conference hall, classrooms and offices.
The main commercial area is located on the northern waterfront of Male'. This area is the main hub of trade and activity through out the day. The waterfront and the by-lanes in the area are crowded with shops stocked with a variety of goods. On your tour of the capital, you can visit the Male' Fish Market and the Local Market selling a range of local produce. Catch the scene in mid-afternoon as fishing 'dhonis' start returning with their day's catch. The catch, mainly tuna are carried across the road into the open-sided market and laid out on the tiled floors. As fast, as the fish are brought in they are bought and taken away by people. The market is kept scrupulously clean, washed down each day and disinfected.

If you want to enjoy an especially wonderful view of the country, try an air excursion tours by a seaplane. A glimpse of these wonderful islands from the air is an unforgettable sight.
The resorts in the Maldives offer a wide variety of water sports like diving and snorkeling. Windsurf schools or water sports centers in the resorts are often equipped with one or more catamarans and a few kayaks or canoes. Some resorts offer only non-motorized water sports. However many of the resorts offer you the chance of testing your skills to the limits, at water-skiing, jet skiing, parasailing, body surfing, knee boarding and fun with banana riding and ringo riding.
You can also enjoy windsurfing on your tours of Maldives. The windsurfing is done in the large lagoons that surround most of the islands. These lagoons with waist deep water for hundreds of meters with soft sandy bottoms and the protective barrier provided by the house reef, offer safe conditions for windsurfing, especially for beginners. All windsurf schools and water sports centers have the basic equipment for windsurfing, and in most cases one or more catamarans and a few canoes. Each island offers a beautiful house-reef that you could snorkel in everyday. Those resorts with far out reefs have boats that take snorkellers to the reef. You can rent the mask and fins from the dive schools if you need them. Explore the under water world on your Maldives tour. The variety and abundance of colorful fish in the reefs surrounding the islands and the atolls would fill you with amazement and disbelief. Water-skiing is another water sport offered by many resorts and a must activity on your tour of Maldives. You can rent speedboats and water skis for rent on an hourly or daily basis. Most of the bigger resorts offer the excitement and fun of parasailing. Some offer instruction for beginners. Almost all the resorts offer fishing, night fishing being the most popular. In night fishing, the boat is anchored at a reef just before sunset. Many resorts also organize morning fishing and big game fishing. The favorite catch is the red snapper. Many resorts also organize morning fishing and big game fishing. Morning fishing, like big-game fishing involves trolling outside the atoll, usually along the outer atoll reef.
Most of the hotels in the Maldives are called tourist resorts. A tourist resort, by the Maldivian definition, is an island all by itself. Every resort island has its own beach. Fringing the inner lagoon, you will normally find what we call the 'house reef' here. The house reef separates the island and its inner lagoon from the deeper water outside. You will discover that the landscaping has been done round the natural vegetation. The only man-made edifices on your resort would probably be the rooms and suites as well as the resort facilities that are on offer. Finally, all Resorts offer recreational facilities that include water sports and activities. Resorts set amidst incredible natural beauty offer modern services, delectable food and extremely hospitable service and personalized attention to smallest details.