Absolute Magazine

The History of
MALDIVES
Most of the
islands have
a dense
and natural
vegetation
with the typical
“Bacardifeeling”
travellers long
for.
ARI & NORTH ARI ATOLL
Ari Atoll is located west of the Male Atoll and at
80 kilometres from north to south and a width
of 30 kilometres it’s the second biggest atoll
in the Maldives. Like Male Atoll it is separated
into a southern and northern part, and it’s well
known for diving. One site, Ukulhas Thila is a
heaven for underwater adventurers with its
long and narrow pinnacle, a flat top and reef
slope down to 30 metres. At the end of the
reef top divers discover underwater treasure:
a cleaning station for mantas. From December
to April mantas go there to get their skin, gills
and teeth cleaned by parasites and bright blue
striped cleaner wrasse. The mantas will hang
around, sometimes for hours, patiently waiting
their turn at the cleaner station – ideally for the
watching divers. Mahibadhoo is the capital of
South Ari with around 2000 people. There are
now several guesthouses and it’s a good place to
experience life in a large Maldivian town. Other
inhabited islands are dotted around the edges
of the atoll and a few have ruins or artifacts
of ancient Buddhist and Hindu settlements.
Well known hotels in this area are the Conrad
Rangali and two resorts of the Mauritian
Constance group.
ADDU ATOLL
The southernmost atoll of the Maldives
is close to the equator, and about 450
kilometres away from Malé. During the
Second World War it was used as a base for
the Royal Navy. Today all that is left is an
old wreck of the oil tanker British which is a
must-see for divers in this area as well as the
many underwater caves where one can often
spot turtles and little sharks. Addu Atoll also
has the highest point in the Maldives: the
island Villingili is 2.4 metres above sea level.
RAA & BAA ATOLL
These two atolls opened to tourism only a
few years ago, and offer a variety of dream
islands and interesting dive sites. The Raa and
the Baa Atoll are separated by the Moresby
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