Tag: "Maldives Holidays"

Meet Olivia the Turtle, Marine Researcher in the Maldives

Meet Olivia the turtle, Four Seasons Resort Landaa Giraavaru’s latest marine researcher in the Maldives. Olivia is a rare Olive Ridley turtle and a pioneer for her species. She spent some 12 months of her long life being nurtured and cared for at the island’s successful Landaa Turtle Rehabilitation Centre and as the longest-staying resident to date, she has been fitted with a satellite tracking device and released back into the wild.

Her adventures so far have already taken her into the middle of the Indian Ocean, a distance of 510 miles from the resort, and with the satellite tracking device anyone is able to follow her whereabouts via the regularly updated ‘Olivia-link’ run by the rehab centre here. This geo tagging technology has allowed marine biologists exclusive access to the life of Olivia. With such little information known about the world’s smallest sea turtles, this project is an excellent opportunity to find out more about these fascinating creatures.

Meanwhile, we have been watching Olivia’s emotional release into the wild and look forward to discovering Olivia’s whereabouts in the world. Other patients at the rehab centre include Sally and Clover, Olive Ridley turtles who were found with multiple lacerations caused by fishing boats in the local area. Landaa’s Turtle Rehabilitation Centre’s successful program means that their release back into the wild is imminent and with the necessary sponsorship of these turtles, the centre would be able to purchase more satellite tags to continue their important research.

Buried Treasure! The Hidden Gem of the Maldives

Touching down at London Heathrow Airport, I took a moment to reflect on the incredible two weeks I had just spent on my luxurious Maldives holiday. We all know about the sapphire blue seas, white sand beaches and year round warm weather, but the Maldives has so much more to offer, it has undiscovered treasures, and that’s what I wanted to share with you on this blog article.

Diving is often thought to be the best way to see the true beauty of the Maldives, but as a fairly new diver, I was a little sceptical about going out to sea, for half an hour only reliant on an oxygen tank, a much more daunting task than splashing around the swimming pool, where fresh air was only a few centimetres away. I tried to escape the expedition by saying ‘the place is so beautiful anyway, I don’t need to see anymore’ and in my eyes there was plenty of wildlife to be seen on the land, such as the rare birds and the occasional turtle that ventured onto the beach. However, my husband, a keen diver, ignored my protests and chivvied me onto the boat. After reluctantly boarding, we set off out to sea, and eventually arrived at the spot where we were to plunge under water. Standing on the side of the boat with my back to the drop, I could feel the butterflies in my stomach. We rocked backwards and then crash, we hit the water.

After a few moments of only being able to see white water, I was suddenly astounded as my eyes opened up onto a wonderful plethora of colour, my eyes feasted on the sight. The abundance of tropical fish of every colour of the rainbow glided past my eyes and weaved through the ethereal coral reef as it swayed gently with the movement of the sea. All of my previous anxieties had disappeared; I was completely dumbfounded by the beauty that danced before my eyes. A tap on my shoulder by my husband, woke me from my reverie, he did a big ‘thumbs up’ and even behind the mask I could see his huge grin and I could feel my face as it involuntarily cracked into a huge smile, I couldn’t stop it!

Marine life in the Maldives

We swam amongst the reef, watching the fish as they swam almost entirely ignoring the fact that two humans had just entered their habitat. Then we were both tapped on the shoulder by our guide and asked to swim back to the top where we clambered back onto the boat. It took me a few moments to gather myself before I said to my husband, ‘thank you that was the most amazing experience I have ever had.’

Coral in the Maldives

The underwater world was something that I had never even imagined would be a part of my holiday to the Maldives. I was just there to lie on the beach, read a few books and eat and drink till my heart was content. Our Maldives holiday was a world away from what we expected and I hope you will go to the Maldives and scratch beneath the surface and discover the true beauty of these islands.

Medhufushi Island Resort Wins TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence 2011

Surrounded by powdery white sand and a warm crystal clear lagoon, Medhufushi Island Resort is located in the unspoilt Meemu Atoll in the Maldives. This luxury resort offers beautiful beaches and is a perfect retreat for couples and honeymooners looking to relax in an unspoilt, calm and peaceful atmosphere. It’s also a very popular choice with divers and those looking for water sports, where the attractive, unspoilt and relatively unexplored atolls offer some of the world’s best diving sites.

Holidays in Medhufushi Island Resort are also a popular choice for holiday makers who love eating from an exquisite range of delicious culinary delights. Medhufushi Island Resort offers guests a fantastic, spacious buffet-style restaurant which serves superb food, themed nights and often beach barbeques.

In May 2011, after many holiday makers had shared their positive experiences of Medhufushi Island Resort on TripAdvisor, the website announced that the resort had won its 2011 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence. This award was offered to the resort due to receiving consistent excellent ratings from TripAdvisor’s members and community. TripAdvisor quoted, “We think your 4 rating is something to be proud of and we hope you do too.”

Impressed? Have a look at some of the luxury treats which Medhufushi Island Resort has in store for you:

Medhufushi Island Resort Birds Eye View

Beach Lunch at Medhufushi Island Resort

Medhufushi Island Resort Spa

Medhufushi Island Resort Pool & Bar

Medhufushi Island Resort - Water Villa

Medhufushi Island Resort - Water Villa Interior

Share your experiences at the Medhufushi Island Resort with us. Would you like to go here on your next Maldives holiday?

Incredible Disappearing Wonders of the World

It’s incredibly sad to think that in a couple of centuries some of the world’s greatest wonders will have disappeared.  It wasn’t until recent years that I realised how much of an impact tourism has on the destruction of unique habitats and fascinating destinations. With climate change and travel very closely linked, we’ve learnt that by our means of travelling to these iconic destinations, we often do more damage then good, and due to climate change, some of the greatest destinations will soon disappear. Below are some of the destinations which could be affected and a must see before they do!

Amazon Rainforest

Spanning the border of eight countries, the Amazon is the world’s largest river basin and the source of one-fifth of all free flowing fresh water on Earth. The Amazon Rainforest is one of the planets most luxuriant and home to one in ten known species on Earth. In 2004 alone, the equivalent of an area larger than Sicily was lost to logging and farming. Rainforests used to cover 14% of the earth’s surface and now sadly only cover a mere 6%. Experts predict that the last remaining rainforests could be consumed in the next 40 years.

Logging in the Amazon Rainforest

Africa’s Rooftop

“The Snows of Kilimanjaro” as described in Ernest Hemingway’s 1938 short story may soon be a distant memory. A report published in 2009 warned that Africa’s highest peak has lost 26 percent of its icecaps since 2000, and 85% of the snow that once covered the mountains in 1912. Scientists predict that all of its glaciers could be gone as early as 2020!

Disappearing Glacier of Kilimanjaro

Luxor Tombs

On the west banks of the Nile, the Valley of the Kings is the site of burial grounds and tombs that belong to kings and powerful nobles that lived centuries ago between the 11^th and 16^th Century. The valley consists of 63 tombs and chambers and thousands of visitors explore the valley every year. The carvings and painted decorations of the chambers are so fragile that the humidity and fungus that is caused by poor ventilation and tourist’s breath are destroying the artefacts inside. Scientists and archaeologists predict the tombs could disappear within 150 to 500 years.

Valley of the Kings - Egypt

The Maldives Islands

Maldives holidays are enjoyed by thousands of people every year. At just a metre above sea level, the Maldives is one of the world’s lowest lying countries and with rising sea levels, many fear that the islands will simply disappear beneath the waters. To the every day traveller, the signs of climate change are invisible, but scientists on the island fear the sea level is rising 0.9cm a year. Since 80% of its islands are no more then a metre above sea level, scientists predict that the Maldives could become uninhabitable within 100 years.

Ariel view of the Maldives Islands

Are there any other places which you know of that may disappear in the future?