Maldives is stuff of the postcards - tranquil laid back islands, water so clear you can see fish swimming, great underwater reefs for diving-snorkelling and beautiful sunsets.

 

Rasdhoo

I took the public boat to Rasdhoo, which is a small island 3 hours away from Male. Everything in the Maldives run on "island time" (ie no rush). The ferry was meant to leave at 9AM but did not depart until 12. Rasdhoo is known for its home reef. There are two very beautiful uninhabited islands nearby – Madivaru and Madivaru Finolhu. Madivaru can be reached with a short boat ride. And from this island you can go to Madivaru Finolhu on foot.
On Rasdhoo, there are very few people on the streets throughout the day, more lively in the evenings. Restaurants also run on island time, they'll ask you to wait 1.5 hours for food to be prepared after you order.

 

Hulhumale

Hulhumale is the airport island and is also a man made island. Hulhumale is not picture postcard territory. It's mostly suburbs and hotels meant for little more than overnight stays. There is a pleasant enough beach but no snorkelling options so in the end we chartered a small boat to a nearby reef.

 

Male

Male is the most densely populated capital city in the world. Couple of hours is enough to visit. Male is a perfect example of how humans can ruin a beautiful natural place. Yes space is at a premium, but it's really disheartening to see rubbish everywhere, and the most colorful fishes swimming alongside bottles and empty redbull cans.