Banana Reef
Located on the eastern side of North Malé Atoll inside the barrier reef, Banana Reef is a protected marine park around 300m long.

Banana Reef is ideal for scuba divers and snorkellers alike. See colourful coral, sharks, barracuda and groper. Dive deep past plunging cliffs, caves and overhangs or snorkel the reef top to watch jackfish, morays and blue-striped snapper.

Mushimasmingali Thila
Explore one of the world’s most famous dive sites, located off Ari Atoll. Plunge down cliffs past ledges, overhangs and caves to the atoll plate at 42m.

The reef is about 100m long, 60m wide and the reef top just 10m from the surface. Discover anemones, sea fans, black corals, grey reef shark, blue-lined snappers, napoleon wrasse and schools of fusiliers and yellow grunts.

Malé
The small but busy capital of Maldives, Malé (pronounced MAHL-ee) has a laid-back charm with great shopping in the busy markets.

Stroll along the sea wall into the narrow lanes of the old quarter or head into the shady tree-lined streets of the residential area. In just a few hours you’ll cover all the main sites: a good place to start is on the waterfront near the main square known locally as Jumhooree Maiden.

From here its an easy stroll past the fishing harbour – where colourful dhonis unload their catch – to the National Museum, Old Friday Mosque and the shopping boutiques along the northern end of Chaandhanee Magu.

Best buys include local handicrafts like seashell jewelry and carved replicas of the traditional Maldivian sailboats.

Check out Hukuru Miskiy (Old Friday Mosque) – the country’s oldest mosque dates from 1656 and is a masterpiece of coral carved with exquisite filigree designs.

And don’t miss the National Museum, where you can admire the former possessions of the sultan, including rich brocades and weapons, as well as pre-Islamic stone carvings collected from sites all over the country.