South Ari Atoll, also known as Alifu Dhaalu Atoll, was one of the earliest parts of the Maldives to develop resort islands for tourists, in the manner pioneered in North Male Atoll near the Maldivian capital. As a result South Ari is now one of the most popular regions with foreign visitors, although there is never any sense of it being crowded with tourists - South Ari and neighbouring North Ari Atoll comprise more than 100 islands, and fewer than half of them inhabited by local people Each of the sixteen resorts in South Ari occupies its own uninhabited island, with views of lush palm forests, white coral-sand beaches, azure waters and open ocean horizons that can make you forget the rest of the world exists.
The individual resorts offer a range of holiday options, from secluded simplicity to expansive luxury. In typical Maldivian island style, many have bungalows built out over the reefs and waters of the a sheltered island lagoon or sand bar, and all have extensive guest facilities such as restaurants and bars, swimming pools, health spas, golf courses and tennis courts. Some of the larger resorts are spread over several beaches on their island, with foot paths and cycling trails through the forest connecting the different areas. While South Ari Atoll is a little further from the capital and the international airport than North Ari, most of its resorts can be reached by seaplane in around half an hour. Speedboats also connect to many of the resorts from Male, but it can be a long and bumpy ride in some sea conditions.
The beaches and the sea are the focus of most daytime activities. Windsurfing, sailing, and sea-kayaking are all catered for, and traditional dhoni boats can take visitors in search of a remote and untouched beach, or perhaps to one of the inhabited islands for a glimpse of life in the Maldivian villages. Dhangethi Island is the site of a cultural centre and museum celebrating the traditional heritage of the islands. Until the development of tourism in the Maldives most islanders made their living by fishing, and the Dhangethi cultural centre includes displays of boat-building, sail-weaving, and early fishing techniques. A few of the islands have remains of Buddhist temples built before the Maldives were converted to Islam in the 12th Century.
South Ari Atoll has a reputation as one of the best parts of the Maldives for snorkelling and scuba diving, and many livaboard diving boats visit the area. Each resort is home to a certified diving operation that provides dive training on the nearby reefs, and guided diving trips to local dive sites. Some of the best dive sites in South Ari atoll are the large pinnacles, or thilas, that rise from the deeper lagoons and island channels and serve as aggregations areas for innumerable fish and other sea creatures. The Hukuruelhi Faru and Maamgili sites in South Ari Atoll are famed as manta cleaning stations, where sometimes dozens of the giant fish have been seen to gather.
Shaviyani Atoll is one of the northern island groups of the Maldives, about 150 miles from the capital Male. Geographically Shaviyani is part of the largeThiladhunmathee-Miladhunmadulu atoll group - the largest coral atoll structure found anywhere on earth, covering an area of more than 1400 square miles. The natural ecosystem of these remote islands is especially sensitive - most of the islands are very small, and only about a dozen support local towns and villages. There are currently just two exclusive island resorts within Shaviyani Atoll, both of which opened only recently. More resort island developments are planned, but for now the many beautiful islands of the atoll retain their pristine and unspoiled beauty, while the warm waters, coral reefs and undersea scenery of the region offer unparalleled opportunities for snorkelling and scuba diving.
The newly-opened Viceroy Maldives resort of the island of Vagaru and the latest Zitahli resort of the island of Dholhiyadhoo can both be reached in a seaplane flight taking just under an hour from the international airport at Male. Vagaru Island is an almost circular coral atoll, with a strand of small islands and sand-bars enclosing around a central coral-filled lagoon. The Viceroy resort features 61 luxury villas built over the water of the circular lagoon, and secluded among the palms and tropical vegetation of the main island of the atoll. With up to 3000 square feet of floor space the most luxurious villas are also among the most spacious found at any Maldives resort, and each features private garden areas, courtyards and plunge pools. The resort's spa and fitness centre are also built out over the water, and the central Tree House restaurant includes touches such as a telescope for viewing the sky at night.
The five-star Zitahli resort is located on the crescent-shaped island of Dholhiyadhoo, in sheltered waters near the southern edge of the Shaviyani Atoll region. The resort is a sister to the exclusive Zitahli resort at Funafaru Island in Noonu Atoll to the south, and guest transfers to Dholhiyadhoo are made by taking a 25-minute speedboat trip after arriving by seaplane at Funafaru. Dholhiyadhoo is relatively large compared to many in the northern atoll, and provides plenty of space and privacy for the 123 villas of the resort. Each villa has a private pool and wine cellar, and guests have a choice of bungalows set among the palms and landscaped gardens along the beach, or water villas built out over the lagoon and living coral reefs of the island. The outer reefs of Dholhiyadhoo island include several excellent snorkelling sites.
Both resorts in Shaviyani Atoll feature fully certified scuba diving schools that offer instruction and guided tours of the best local dive sites in the nearby reefs and islands Much of the atoll is still relatively unexplored by divers, except for one noted live-aboard diving cruise that tours the northern atolls - which means the underwater scenery is unspoiled, and the dive sites uncrowded. The renowned diving sites in nearby Noonu Atoll are also within reach of the Shaviyani resorts.
North Ari Atoll, Maldives
North Ari Atoll - also known as Alifu Atoll - comprises the northern part of the sprawling Ari Atoll and the smaller Rasdhoo and Thoddoo atolls. It is one of the more well-developed tourist areas in the Maldives, with a dozen beautiful resorts each enjoying the seclusion of their own lush island paradise. North Ari Atoll is exceptional even in the Maldives for the quality of its diving and snorkelling, and this has contributed to its popularity with foreign visitors.
North Ari Atoll is relatively close to the capital Male, and most of the resorts can be reached by seaplane flight from the international airport in about half an hour. North Ari is also close enough to the capital to take a speedboat to many of the resorts - but many visitors find the bumpy surface ride between the atolls more of a chore than a cherished memory of their trip, especially when compared to the unique experience of a take-off and landing in a seaplane - and the breathtaking aerial views of the lush palm-covered islands, white sand-beaches and crystal-clear blue waters during the short flight.
North Ari Atoll's twelve resorts span a range of accommodation options, from small and intimate island retreats, to large and luxurious resorts. Many feature cabins built out over the reefs of the island lagoon, to create a uniquely tropical mix of relaxation, romance and adventure. Since every resort occupies its own island, they each have extensive facilities to keep visitors entertained, including swimming pools, health spas, tennis courts and fitness centres, restaurants and beach-side bars. Equipment and training for numerous water activities are also available, such as windsurfing and snorkelling, and several traditional dhoni boats are always on hand to ferry visitors on sightseeing tours, fishing trips, and to remote beaches and picnic spots on some of the many uninhabited islands of the region. Trips to some of the nearby inhabited islands may also be possible, for a chance to buy handmade souvenirs and experience traditional Maldivian culture and villages life. Many of the islands have been inhabited since ancient times, and a few have archaeological remains dating from the Buddhist period, before the conversion of the Maldives to Islam in the 12th Century.
Due to the popularity of scuba diving in North Ari Atoll, each resort here is home to a certified dive operation that offers training and guided dive tours of the best sites in the area. Most resorts also have excellent diving and snorkelling opportunities in the fringing coral reefs that surround each island, but several resorts are particularly renowned for the quality of diving on their local "house reefs" - such as the Chaaya Reef Resort on Ellaidhoo Island, on the east side of North Ari Atoll, where the house reef even includes a small shipwreck. Beyond the local reefs, much of the diving in North Ari Atoll involves drift dives near the large submerged pinnacles (known as thilas) found in the lagoons and in the channels between the islands. North Ari has several thilas that serve as cleaning stations for mantas, and whale sharks are often seen in these waters during from November to May. Rasdhoo Atoll, north-east of North Ari's main chain of islands, is famous for a resident school of hammerhead sharks.
Raa Atoll, also known as Northern Maalhosmadulu Atoll, lies about 100 miles north-west of Male, the capital of the Maldives and the site of the international airport. There are about 90 islands in Raa Atoll, and only fifteen have local towns and villages - most are completely uninhabited Until fairly recently this part of the Maldives was not open to tourist development, but one island resort has opened and more are planned, including an ambitious property development on Lundhufushi island that proposes to sell luxurious private water villas as exclusive holiday homes, targeted at the super-rich.
The sole tourist development is the Adaara resort on Meedhupparu island, situated in the sheltered waters of the inner lagoon of the atoll. The beautiful island is relatively large and covered by enough tropical forest to support several native wildlife species. The resort development itself quite large by Maldivian standards, is also with more than 200 beach side bungalows and water villas grouped around the edges of the island. The resort is especially popular with Italian and British visitors. Most visitors transfer from the international airport at Male by seaplane - a short 45-minute flight low over hundreds of tropical islands, followed by the excitement of landing in the water beside the resort island. There is a range of accommodation options available, including a series of prestige water villas built out over the sheltered waters of the island's sheltered lagoon, with spacious sun decks and glass floor panels that afford a view of the living coral reefs and schools of fish below.
The on-shore guest facilities include a landscaped swimming pool, flood-lit tennis courts, beach volleyball and football matches, a health spa, fitness centre and shopping arcade. Equipment and coaching is available for snorkelling, windsurfing, jet-skiing and water-skiing, while the resort's scuba dive school offers diving certification training on the diverse house reef, as well as guided boat tours of several exceptional dive sites in the area. The iridescent blue waters and colourful coral reefs surrounding the resort are in pristine condition, and home to countless fish species, including rays, sea turtles, sharks and groupers. Raa atoll also features on the itineraries of several live-aboard dive boat safaris that tour the local group of Baa, Raa and Noonu atolls, where larger pelagic species such as mantas and whale sharks are frequent seasonal visitors.
Boat tours from the resort also offer visitors the opportunity to go sailing at sunset, deep-sea fishing, and to explore the nearby uninhabited islands of the atoll - for a romantic champagne picnic or a family swimming trip to an empty white coral-sand beach, shaded by coconut palms and tropical forest. The resort on Meedhupparu also organises sight-seeing trips to a traditional fishermen's island, where visitors can glimpse the character of traditional life in the scattered small villages of the Maldives, and purchase local handicrafts as souvenirs of their experience. Other popular boat excursions include seeking out the remote sandbanks that form in the inner lagoon of the atoll, to spend time swimming and playing in the warm, shallow blue waters and banks of white coral sand.
Noonu Atoll has only recently been opened for tourism, and is the location of the newest tourist island developments - including some of the most luxurious island resorts in the Maldives. The lush tropical islands, white sugar-sand beaches and colourful coral reefs of the region are in pristine condition, and Noonu Atoll has also become a popular resort destination for scuba divers keen to experience several renowned Maldivian dive sites that previously could only be visited by taking a cruise on a live-aboard diving boat.
Noonu Atoll - also known by its administrative name of Southern Miladhunmadulu Atoll - lies about 110 miles north of the capital Male. There are more than 70 islands in the atoll, and only 13 have local villages or small towns. Just two islands have been developed as exclusive luxury resorts, two more are opening soon, and the rest of the islands are uninhabited. Guests at the resort islands can reach many of the uninhabited islands in a traditional dhoni boat, for romantic or family picnic on an idyllic and secluded tropical beach, or to go snorkelling on unspoiled coral reefs teeming with colourful fish.
The transfers to the resorts from the international airport at Male are usually done by in a short seaplane trip arranged by the resort - a scenic 45-minute flight low over hundreds of lush tropical islands and the iridescent blue sea, before the thrill of landing on the water near the resort. Each resort in the Maldives enjoys the exclusive use of its own island, and offers a range of accommodation options and recreational facilities for guests. The new resorts in Noonu Atoll are all very high-end developments, including the Hilton Maldives resort on Irufushi island and the upcoming Mandarin Oriental Maldives on Maavelavuru Island. The Hilton Iru Fishu resort features water villas built out over the circular lagoon, with glass-panelled floors that let guests enjoy the living colours of the corals and fish beneath their rooms. The resort also has good facilities for families on holiday with children, including a kids activity club and children's menus in the many restaurants and bars on the island. The chic and intimate Zitahli resort on Funafaru Island is a five-star eco-styled resort with just 50 villas, built out over the water and the amid the palms and landscaped tropical gardens beside the beach. The Mandarin Oriental resort is not yet open (in 2011), but is certain to establish itself as a top-end resort destination and haven for international celebrities, with four expansive luxury presidential suites that feature their own private swimming pools and wine cellar.
Until recently only scuba-divers on live-aboard dive cruises could visit Noonu Atoll, and so the best dive sites are unspoiled and rarely visited. The most renowned sites include Christmas Tree Rock, a coral pinnacle (thila) surrounded by ledges populated by reef sharks, rays, tuna and snapper. At Orimas Thila, divers can get close with eagle rays and watch packs of grey reef sharks hunting packs above the corals.