The Maldives is stunning, but let’s be honest, every picture basically looks the same. So how can you decide on the right private island? Having investigated hundreds, first hand, here we share our top 5 resorts to help you find the right one for you. The Maldives are where people come to experience island life at its most relaxed — and most beautiful.
Tourism in the Maldives includes ecotourism, natural beauty, scuba diving, snorkeling, underwater scenery and listed as best recreational diving destinations in the world.
Here are our top 5 islands in Maldives
Fihalhohi Island
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Fihalhohi Island offers a great holiday with family and you will see the tropical natural beauty of the Indian Ocean.
Alimatha Island
Photo credit: visitmaldives.com
Alimatha Island of Maldives is rated as one of the best dive sites in the country and famous for its white beaches and aquamarine lagoons.
Ambara Island
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Ambara Island is located in Felidhoo Island. Our Vaavu Atoll sightseeing planner makes visiting Ambara Island and other Vaavu Atoll attractions simple and helps you make a travel plan personal to you.
Biyadoo Island
Photo credit: snorkelaroundtheworld.com
Biyadhoo Island is located 29 km from Male International Airport and famous for water sport activities such as windsurfing, canoe paddling, snorkeling, scuba diving and Catamaran.
Halaveli Island
Photo credit: constancehotels.com
Halaveli Island is a real paradise of the Maldives where the blue sky is as blue as the sea and the white sand of the beach are as white as the clouds in the sky.
Many people think about the Maldives as a dream holiday destination and never turn these dreams into reality because they believe that a Maldives holiday is too expensive. But with little research, we say that you can easily find deals that fit your budget! The differences are huge in service and in price level between the islands, there are 6-star luxury resort islands but fair hotels at affordable prices too. We recommend to set your maximum budget first, find a few hotels you like and start comparing prices on booking sites. It is always worth giving chance to travel agencies’ package prices. They might have good offers on complete (flight+hotel) options.
Maldives is an all-year destination with a hot, humid climate with two seasons. The monsoon season starts in May and ends in October. The rainiest months are June and July. The dry season runs from November to April. The best weather you can except between December and April
Bhutan is the only country in the world to rank Gross National Happiness (GNH), above economic growth GDP. It is designed to measure and protect the collective happiness and wellbeing of the population, people’s quality of life, and makes sure that “material and spiritual development happen together.” We all always strive for happiness, and one of the main goals of our lives is to be happy, but with economic growth has on the front line, that is not easy to find the right balance. The people of Bhutan have found this balance.
In 2015, the country had a population of 760,000 inhabitants with there are three main ethnic groups: the Tshanglas, the Ngalops, and the Lhotshampas. The official language is Dzongkha, a language closely related to Tibetan and Nepali. The capital and largest city is Thimphu.
How does Bhutan measure happiness?
The country has been ranked as the happiest country in all of Asia, and the eighth Happiest Country in the world according to Business Week. In 2007, the country had the second-fastest-growing GDP in the world.
The Kingdom’s philosophy is based on four central pillars – equitable social development, cultural preservation, conservation of the environment, and promotion of good governance. It is put into practice using a 30-page questionnaire that every Bhutanese should pass, describing various indicators such as health, psychological well-being, education, pastime and hobbies, and so on.
Over five months, Bhutanese were interviewed across the country and it was concluded that GNH has grown significantly from 0.743 in 2010 to 0.756 in 2015. An indication that shows overall people’s lives are getting better.
The government has a belief that a society’s happiness should be measured not only by its material indicators but also by the health, education and contentedness of its population.
For many centuries, the kingdom has preserved much of its culture, maintaining its environment and cultural identity by avoiding globalization and staying isolated from the world. Bhutan limits the number of foreigners in the country each year, and every traveler has to pay the two hundred and fifty dollars a day fee.
The Internet, television, and western dress style were banned from the country up until the beginning of the 2000s as part of a radical plan to modernize the country. Bhutan became the last nation in the world to be introduced on television. In the past years, globalization has begun to influence Bhutanese, but things remain perfectly balanced.
This tiny country was created in 1616 as a Buddhist sanctuary from a refugee monk from Tibet. The country was so well isolated from the world and well preserved its identity. The novelist James Hilton called it Shangri-la, a secret Himalayan valley.
Bhutan is the only Buddhist Kingdom in the world – its official religion is Mahayana Buddhism. Buddhism is supported by the government both politically and economically. The government gives subsidies to Buddhist monasteries, monks, and other Buddhist programs. Buddhists also are very influential politically with a guaranteed voice in public policy.
Bhutan government has also made significant efforts to keep other major religions out of their country as promoting other major religions are not allowed in Bhutan.
The restrictions on tourism and their protection of natural resources have let the country preserve the beautiful landscape and physical country as well as their cultural identity.
The country’s economy and culture are still growing and changing, adapting to globalization, while still able to preserve its unique thousand-year-old traditions and culture.
The idea of gross national happiness was developed by Bhutan’s previous monarch, the fourth king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck.
Want to learn more about Bhutan? Check out some of our other posts about Bhutan.
Taiping is a charming old tin-mining town in Perak, northern Malaysia, between the strong mountains of Ipoh and the murky seas of Georgetown. This small city is not known as a popular tourist spot, but it contains such a rich history of the country, the first railway, the oldest museum, good food, and scenic views of mountains, lakes, the first zoo, the oldest prison. and centuries-old rain trees.
The name Taiping is made up of two Chinese characters (tai – ‘great’) and (ping – ‘peace’). The area developed quickly in the 19th century when tin was discovered. The discovery of tin deposits in the area attracted settlers from China.
The months of June to August may be more convenient due to the slightly warmer and drier weather.
Taiping Lake Gardens opened in 1880 becoming Malaysia’s first park, built on the site of an old tin mine, its sprawling 62-hectare forest and lake offer a perfect spot for a picnic, chill out or relax. There are plenty of well-maintained tracks around the lake or you can rent a variety of small boats from the Pusat Rekreasi Dayung. There are lots of various plants, iconic rain trees that are dramatically bent downwards towards the lake that makes walking around it a wonderful experience.
Check this video taken from DJI Phantom 3 Profession from Mode Media MY
The Lake Gardens are also popular with cyclists as well as groups of martial artists.
Taiping Zoo
Taiping Zoo is Malaysia’s oldest zoo that houses more than 1,000 animals or 180 species of amphibians, mammals and reptiles. The zoo is located nearby Taiping Lake Gardens. It is also one of the popular things to do in Taiping, and the zoo has active participation in conservation and breeding efforts.
Perak’s oldest church
All Saint’s Church along Taming Sari Street is Perak’s oldest church. It was the first church in the Federated Malay States, founded in 1886. The church features a timber facade and gothic architectural design, with a small adjacent cemetery. Its cemetery is laden with beautifully crafted tombstones of European settlers.
Muzium Perak, otherwise known as the Perak Museum, was the first museum established in Malaysia in 1883. Located at the intersection of Jalan Muzium and Jalan Taming Sari, it sits directly opposite the Taiping Prison.
The 8474 exhibits displayed show Malaysia’s history, zoology, and geology, amongst many other parts of old history that have long been forgotten. Some of the exhibits show the culture and products of the indigenous tribes of Perak, including the Senoi and Negrito tribes.
Explore Taiping for FREE with an electric shuttle bus
After Taiping was established as a Heritage town, the shuttle buses were gifted to Taiping by the Japanese government. Not only are the shuttle buses convenient for tourists to go sightseeing in, the buses are also environmentally friendly. Buses stop in a total of thirty-nine places including Taiping Museum and Taiping Lake Gardens.
Visitors can board the bus along the Taiping Heritage Trail, the Zoo, Clock Tower, or Museum.
Founded in 1884, it is the oldest hill resort in Malaysia. It is approximately 1250 m above sea level. The name Maxwell comes from the first British resident of assistant of Perak. The hill was supposed to be a tea plantation, but the tea plants didn’t grow very well here, so the British planters moved to Cameron Highlands instead.
You can see different types of trees and plants here due to the slightly lower temperatures from the rest of the mainland.
Malaysia’s first railway station was situated in Taiping and was opened in 1885 when the Taiping-Port Weld Railway Line, Malaysia’s first, was opened.
Located about an hour drive away from Ipoh, Taiping Railway Station has been a heritage building in town, in which it acts as part of the history. The station remains in the state as a heritage site and serves as a tourist attraction.
Taiping Railway Station has a gallery explaining the 33 things that happened first in Taiping.
Covering an area of more than 40,000 hectares, Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve is recognized as one of the most well-managed expanse of mangrove swamps in the world. Established in 1902, it is the largest mangrove reserve in Malaysia. Mangrove forests are considered as one of the most productive ecosystems in the world and have a well-established ecological, economic and cultural importance.
The state of Perak has received various international awards for its excellent maintenance of this mangrove.
The Burmese Pool is a large rock pool along a stream at the foothills of Bukit Larut, an especially popular weekend nature attraction among locals.
The area is popular with the locals who come here to bath in the river. Burmese Pool got its name from the natural rock pool fed by a waterfall.
Opened in 2015, by Malaysia’s largest bottled water manufacturer, dedicated Kidz Zone and 18-Hole Mini Golf, an ideal family retreat, the Spritzer EcoPark has a mini-golf course, and a rainforest walk with scenic views of the park. Entry to both the EcoPark and the bottling plant is free.
Watch this video from Malaysia Truly Asia to find out what are the must visit places when you are in Taiping.
Love the content. My husband and I run a diving center in Cyprus. We want to offer something more than diving to our existing customers. Anyone have any ideas? It can’t be coffee.
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Photo credit: visitmaldives.com
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Love the content. My husband and I run a diving center in Cyprus. We want to offer something more than diving to our existing customers. Anyone have any ideas? It can’t be coffee.