Reset search
Maldives
Satellite

Maldives
Kaafu Atoll

Discover travel destinations of travelers writing a travel journal on FindPenguins.
Top 10 Travel Destinations Kaafu Atoll
Show all
Travelers at this place
    • skip's retirement travelMaldives
      Day 8

      Swimming with the sharks

      December 3, 2022 on the Maldives ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

      These are nurse sharks. They are friendly, curious about us in their environment, and not dangerous. I swam with dolphins and sea turtles, too, but no pictures.
      And, yes, that's me in the Cressi swim shirt.Read more

    • TravelerFebruary 2023
      1
      Day 4

      Snorkeling in Male

      February 4, 2023 on the Maldives ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F

      We went snorkeling with in Male. So beautiful!

      Hulhumale Watersports Club led the expedition and they did a great job. Not only did they provide all the equipment, but they explained everything very clearly, including which hand signals to use.

      We snorkeled in two different places, and there were at least 3 tour guides in the water with us at all times.

      I mention this, because we have been on snorkel trips before where they did not keep an eye on the group. It’s easy to lose track of which boat is yours, or accidentally float way off track, but these guys were great.

      We saw colorful fish both places we swam. At the first stop, there were clouds of brine shrimp, which I mistook for debris in the water at first.

      At the second stop, we saw sea turtles as well as some black tipped sharks. The sharks made me a bit nervous, but they stayed well away from us.

      Even though it takes energy to swim, I felt so relaxed afterwards, as if I’d had a massage. I did not want the day to end!      Read more

    • TravelerFebruary 2023
      Day 5

      Male Alphabet

      February 5, 2023 on the Maldives ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F

      I’m always curious about street signs and graffiti around the world. In the Maldives, I noticed a “new to me” script.

      I don’t even know what this alphabet is called or what language it represents!

      The sign you see with all the “things you can’t do” was posted outside the big mosque in Male. The Maldives have been a Muslim country since the 12th century.

      I’m sure that foreign script is quite ancient, too, but I’ll have to research it later.      Read more

    • TravelerFebruary 2023
      1
      Day 5

      Green City

      February 5, 2023 on the Maldives ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F

      Male is the capital of the Maldives. But while the roads are cram jammed with cars and motorbikes, it still did not feel as frenetic as most big cities.

      Larry and I tried to pinpoint what makes Male feel more relaxed, or at least what made us feel as if it were.

      For one thing, people drive at an easy pace, without much honking. Sure, they want to get from here to there, but there is a palpable air of patience running through it all.

      It’s hard to explain, but Male feels more relaxed than most cities. (We experienced something similar in Bali.)

      At one point, Larry joked that, “Male is full of house plants!” Perhaps the abundance of flora contributed to our sense of relaxation here.

      During our snorkeling trip, the heat and humidity of the Maldives did not bother me. After all, we were in the crystal blue water most of the time!

      Exploring the city on foot, however, was another story. Many streets here are shaded by trees. (If you look closely at one of the photos I shared, you can see a tree growing through the roof of a restaurant.)

      By the time we bumped into our Romanian friends, we were drenched with sweat! (You can probably tell from the photo.)

      The man in the red shirt is walking down one of Male’s many narrow alleyways. While we appreciated all this shade, Larry and I were more than ready for a shower once we returned to the ship!      Read more

    • TravelerMaldives, Singapore, & Vietnam
      Day 8

      Farewell Maldives

      March 12, 2023 on the Maldives ⋅ 🌬 27 °C

      What an amazing trip. We had a great time enjoying the sun and ocean these last couple days.

      For our second to last dinner, we enjoyed a Teppanyaki set menu dinner looking out over the sea. Our chef was incredible, and cooked us Wagyu beef, the best fried rice, and seared prawns. Served with delicious aged sake and cocktails, we were quite stuffed by the end of our meal.

      To continue chronicling our food, we enjoyed many free breakfasts during our stay including lobster and crab omelettes, dosa, congee, dumplings, poached eggs, and endless meats, cheeses, and fruit! Oh and free flowing prosecco. 🥂

      We didn't only eat of course, we read, explored the island, spa'd, and I partook in many snorkel trips from our bungalow. On my last snorkel excursion, I spotted a sea turtle and manta ray! A major highlight for me! The turtle hung out in the coral right in front of our villa and let me follow him around for a while. It was incredible! I will miss the daily ocean exploring and swimming with all the colorful fish.

      We wrapped up the trip watching the sunset with some grilled octopus, cooked cod, and lobster (sorry snorkeling buddies 😢). Followed by some star gazing and cocktails.

      As I write this, we are at the airport, waiting for our flight to Singapore. While I'm quite sad to be leaving this dream vacation, I'm glad the travels continue and work is still a few weeks off. And I'm working on daydreaming up my next remote island vacation much to Igors excitement.

      Stay tuned for many tasty food pics!      Read more

    • TravelerMalediven 2022
      Day 3

      Malé International Airport

      September 18, 2022 on the Maldives ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

      … Nach weiteren 6,5 Stunden Flug von Abu Dhabi nach Malé sind wir dann erschöpft aber sicher auf dem Malé International Airport gelandet. Dort wurden wir von sehr netten Menschen begrüßt die uns umgehend in Empfang genommen haben und uns weiter zum Flughafen der Wasserflugzeuge transferiert haben.
      Beim Wasser Flughafen angekommen wurden wir für die nächsten knapp 3 Stunden in die Huvandhumaa Lounge eingeladen. Hier konnten wir uns etwas ausruhen, etwas trinken sowie essen und die Zeit bis zum Abflug überbrücken…      Read more

      See translation
    • Two penguins in Asia
      Day 7

      First Night on Maldives, Capital Malé

      March 13, 2023 on the Maldives ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

      After spending the night in a capsule hotel in Male, which is quiet an experience, we woke up early and went to see the city.

      Male is the capital and main island of the Maldives. With 130'000 inhabitants and an estimated 50'000 employees on an area of ​​2 square kilometers, the city is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Male is located on the southernmost tip of North Male Atoll (Kaafu Atoll), directly opposite the international airport. Its a very noisy and congested and outdated area. There isnt much to see here except for a few places like the Old Friday Mosque (Blue Mosque) which can also be seen from the airport, the Vegetable and Fruit Market and the Fish Market.

      The Maldives is the name for the entire archipelago. “The islands (dives) of “Malé” is the translation of the term “Maldives”. The first settlers on the Maldivian islands were Dravidians, who came from the neighboring coasts of the modern Indian subcontinent and the coast of Ceylon. The influence of "India" is visible everywhere.

      After 1-2 hours of walking around the city, we decided to leave the capital and go to Thulusdoo, the local island, where we will spend the most of our time in the Maldives.      Read more

    • Two penguins in Asia
      Day 10

      The untouched side of Maldives

      March 16, 2023 on the Maldives ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

      Last day in the Maldives before continuing to India. It was a lovely time, interesting to see the other side of Meldives than what we usually know about Maldives, luxury holidays.

      In addition to the luxurious resorts, there are other islands with beautiful beaches that are (still) untouched by tourism. As an island nation, life revolves around the sea. The culture of the Maldives is influenced by Indian, African, Arabic and Sri Lankan cultures. Maldivians have assimilated bits of everything and built a unique culture. You can also see that in the food culture, which has different influences.

      The official language of the Maldives is called Dhivehi and is of Indo-Iranian Sanskrit origin, but most people also understand English. Islam is the official and only permitted religion in the Maldives, no other religion may be practiced. To be a citizen or own land you have to be a Sunni Muslim, no exception allowed. Historically, the Maldives has been a Buddhist country, but this has changed during 12. Century when Islam was introduced and slowly Buddhism disappeared, also by force.

      Not visible to us as tourists, but religion is an integral part of life here and the culture of the Maldives itself is based on Islamic Sharia, as in Dubai. The rules are strict here, but thats why resorts were built where tourists can have fun. Islam is strictly followed on the local islands.      Read more

    • TravelerMalediven
      Day 1

      Ab auf die Malediven 🌴☀️🤿

      April 24, 2023 on the Maldives ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

      In meiner zweiten Unterkunft in Srilanka habe ich einen italienischen Tauchlehrer kennengelernt der aktuell auf den Malediven arbeitet. Nachdem ein befreundetes Pärchen aus Kanada erzählt hatte, dass sie auch auf die Malediven fliegen, habe ich mich entschlossen einen kurzen Tauchurlaub auf den Malediven zu machen. Die Flüge von Sri lanka sind sehr günstig und man fliegt nur eine Stunde. Los gings am Montag den 24.04. Man landet auf der Insel Malé und fährt von dort noch 1,5h mit dem Speedboat um nach Rasdhoo zu gelangen. Rasdhoo ist eine kleine lokale Insel und vor allem ein Paradies zum Tauchen. Auf den malediven gibt es private und lokale Inseln. Auf den privaten Inseln befinden sich die ganzen Resorts, für die mein Budget leider nicht ausreicht 😅 die Inseln darf man auch nur betreten wenn man dort etwas gebucht hat. Die lokalen Inseln sind dagegen etwas Budget freundlicher aber im Vergleich zu Asien immer noch sehr teuer. Hier ist nun wirklich Entspannung angesagt, denn außer Tauchen gibt's hier nicht viel zu machen. Alkohol ist auf der insel verboten da es hier hauptsächlich muslimisch ist. Die Insel läuft man in ca 15min komplett ab. Es gibt 5 kleine Restaurants und ein paar hotels und Tauchschulen.
      Also ich angekommen bin wurde ich freundlich von einer Hotelmitarbeiterin empfangen und habe Jonny (den Tauchlehrer) und noch 2 Schweizer die ich auch auf Sri lanka kennengelernt habe, getroffen.
      Am Hafen haben wir direkt einen recht großen Hai sehen können 😍🦈
      Abends zum Essen hab ich dann das Kanadische Pärchen getroffen und damit hab ich gefühlt auch schon die Hälfte der Menschen die auf der Insel leben getroffen 😅      Read more

      See translation
    • TravelerMalediven
      Day 8

      Von Rasdhoo nach Guraidhoo

      May 1, 2023 on the Maldives ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

      Am Montag gings für mich dann morgens mit dem Speedboat zurück zur Hauptinsel auf der der Flughafen ist. Dort hatte ich 6h Aufenthalt die ich in einem Internet Cafe verbracht habe um ein bisschen zu arbeiten. Dort habe ich einen deutschen Piloten kennengelernt der aktuell auf den Malediven lebt und mir erstmal quasi einen Job auf den Malediven angeboten hat 😅
      Weiter gings mit der lokalen Fähre nach Guraidhoo. Auf der Fähre habe ich 3 deutsche kennengelernt. Von wegen "Solo-Traveling", alleine ist man eigentlich nie. Nach 2,5h Fahrt wurde ich von dem Hotelbesitzer mit dem Roller abgeholt und zum Hotel gebracht wo ich freudig von meinen kanadischen Freunden empfangen wurde. Wir sind abends dann noch essen gegangen und sie haben mir die Insel gezeigt 😊      Read more

      See translation

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Kaafu Atoll

    Join us:

    FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android

    • 2024© FindPenguins
    • Home
    • About us
    • Blog
    • Group Tracking
    • Press
    • Terms
    • Privacy Policy & Cookies
    • Support
    • Legal notice
    • English