Have a floating platform dinner in the Maldives

Wake over a turquoise lagoon with steps down into the reef — the Maldives invented the overwater villa.

A bare crescent of white sand in the middle of the ocean, yours for an afternoon by dhoni.

Green railway tunnel formed by trees arching over a working track.

Romantic 18th-century landscape park of grottoes, cascades and follies.

Unwind in over-water villas, turquoise lagoons, and coral gardens of the Maldives

Visit Malé, the capital city of the Maldives. Explore the Old Friday Mosque (Hukuru Miskiy, built in 1656 from coral stone with intricate carvings), stroll through Sultan Park (a former royal garden with tropical plants and the National Museum), and see the bustling fish market (where local fishermen unload their daily catch). Experience the vibrant local life in this densely populated island city.

Plankton light the surf electric blue on Vaadhoo and other islands on dark nights.

Hundreds of mantas feed in this tiny bay during the monsoon plankton blooms.