Maldives - 1001 Coral Islands and Lagoons
The coral islands that make up the Maldives have to be one of the most unusual yet beautiful places you've ever seen. It's hard to recreate in words the beauty of endless the shallow lagoons and coral islands stained with the odd palm tree here and there. It really is the perfect image of what you'd imagined a tropical paradise would be
General Info
It’s widely regarded that the Maldives are truly a unique place on earth, an archipelago of small islands (1190 to be precise) bunched up into 26 ring-like atolls overlooking the Indian Ocean. They all lie to the southwest of the Indian Peninsula and thus are considered by most Yacht Charter sailors as part of Southern Asia.
Seen from above, the islands look like a small footprint on the ocean’s continuous surface but a closer look reveals their coral birth, making the shallow waters that surround the whole archipelago seem even more transparent, up to the point that Yacht Charter boats seem to be just floating on the seabed. The islands are so low, that Maldives holds the world record for lowest country with a maximum altitude of just 2.3 m above sea level.
Strangely, this beautiful location has had a rather rough history, starting out being settled by various populations of Indian origin sometime around 300 BC. The next important event in Maldives’ history comes with Emperor’s Ashoka expansion which brought to the islands Buddhism which became the dominant religion. The main form of government was a sultanate, even when the country was under Dutch and then British “protection”. After receiving its independence in 1965, the country has gradually been building up its tourist industry, despite the fact that in 2004 it was dealt a horrible blow by the tsunami that swept this part of the Indian Ocean.
You’ll find that the islands are divided into 7 administrative provinces, with the capital city of Male being its own province and also the biggest urban center of the country, the starting place for all Yacht Charter holidays. This place is hard to describe in words, it’s literally a city on the water, with modern high rise buildings literally popping up out of the ocean. It’s certainly one of the world’s smallest capitals but what it lacks in size it surely makes up for in beauty. There are no beaches as the city is lined by sea walls, but there is an old part of town which has an unmistaken Indian charm to it.
Law & Order
Maldives are suited for all types of Yacht Charter sailors with mile upon mile of coastline and peaceful, shallow lagoons where your boat can anchor safely. There are literally thousands of islands for you to explore and many of them are uninhabited making the whole discovery experience more pleasurable.
Since the Maldives make a lot of income from tourist, they’re keen to let people into their country so you’ll find that customs requirements are very relaxed. For instance, there are no visas required to enter the country, no matter where you come from. Your Yacht Charter group can stay for as long as one month (30 days), provided to show the customs officer a valid travel document (passport), a return ticket and proof of sufficient funds for the duration of the stay.The initial 30 day visa you receive upon arrival can later be extended to 90 days in Male but you’ll need to provide info about where you’ll be staying.
A word of advice for western Yacht Charter tourists: since this is a Buddhist country, they’re rather strict when it comes to alcohol, cigarettes and pornography (in a very wide sense) so bringing any of these into the country is strictly forbidden. Don’t think that you’ll be able to sneak these past customs, because all luggage is X-rayed upon arrival. Also, you might not want to take the usual harmelss souvenirs (sand, seashells) for a very obvious reason: the Maldives are currently actually importing land in order to prevent the rising sea levels, so getting caught with a bag full of sand of seashell can constitute theft.