Best Places to See and Photograph on Jandia Peninsula, Fuerteventura
02 February 2020, by Oana Badiu
Discover the wildest and most beautiful landscapes of Fuerteventura with these 10 best places to see and photograph on Jandia Peninsula!
The Best Place to Visit in the Maldives – Kuredu Island
07 March 2020, by Jan Klíma
I love mountains, nature, and landscapes - simply said, I love excitement and adrenalin. The idea of lying on a beach does not excite me much, but the Maldives took all my breath away. Especially one place - Kuredu Island. If you should ever visit the Maldives, add this incredible place to your bucket list. In addition to swimming with giant turtles and stingrays, Kuredu Island has one beautiful spot - an incredibly long and magical “road to nowhere“!
How to Find Kuredu Island in the Maldives
Sure, there are plenty of picturesque places in the Maldives. More precisely, 1 196 places - exactly just as many islands there are in the Maldives, haha 😃 But probably no other island in the whole Maldives offers what Kuredu Island does. This island is located in the north of the Maldives (in Lhaviyani Atoll), around 40-Minute flight by seaplane from the capital of Maldives - Male. Kuredu is one of the largest islands in the Maldives - it is almost 2 km long and more than 300 m wide. In addition to one of the best Maldives resorts, it offers three more unique experiences!
The Most Stunning Beach in the Maldives
Imagine an infinitely long beach. You will find the same in the Maldives! Well, it's probably not endless, but to be honest, I was unable to reach the end. And I tried hard :). This beach with sparkling sand is located at the western tip of the island.
Once, I almost managed to reach the end of this magical beach. It took me about half an hour and it had to be during the day - the tide is high at that time. On the other hand, it is a completely different story in the morning. It would take at least an hour to reach the end because a lot more of the beach is exposed. However, the beautiful thing about this place is that you will be there almost always alone. The water is crystal clear and if you are lucky enough, you will be accompanied by rays on both sides.
I guess I don't need to say that taking pictures here, especially with a drone, is a pure pleasure. This place is where I experienced the most beautiful sunrise of my life. Warning! It is a feast for the eyes, so a tear drops when you see such beautiful scenery. I can promise you that.
Giant Turtles and Incredibly Gorgeous Underwater Life
When I entered the water during the first day on the island, I wondered how far I would have to swim to get to a coral reef. It was beautiful sunny weather and I couldn't wait to put my head under water. While I was putting on a snorkel (the water barely reached my waist), I stepped on something incredibly massive. I immediately got out and I was startled like a little girl. It was a giant sea turtle! I guess that's why Kuredu Island is called a turtle island. You move just a few meters from the shore, and you can come across these beautiful and peaceful creatures. These turtles can measure up to a meter and weigh nearly 200 kg! There are many places in the world where you can swim with a turtle, but on this island, there are many, and they are huge! It is hard to describe how pleasant and reassuring it is to swim with these giants. Unique experience. Coral reefs and other underwater life is as breathtaking as these turtles. You just need to swim a little further from the shore. For the adventurous of you, I have one secret tip - near the port is about 10 meters deep sunken shipwreck. So, if you want to play treasure hunter (and right near the shore), you can!
Check my video montage from the Maldives below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzUfh156pFI&t
A Magical Beach That Glows during the Night
Did you know that some organisms can glow and produce light during the night? This phenomenon is called bioluminescence - a chain of chemical reactions allows some creatures such as fireflies, jellyfishes, or even plankton to emit light.
Bioluminescence sparkling is a result of the microplankton (the smallest creature in the sea) coming into contact with another object - in this case with sand. Once plankton touches the sand, a neon blue light is emitted. So, if you walk on wet sand, you can observe your luminous footprints.
As you've probably guessed, Maldives are not the only place in the world to spot such magic happen. Locations, where this natural miracle can be seen, are Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Jamaica. Unfortunately, the bioluminescent organism causing the glow on the Maldives beaches behaves differently. It only glows for a short time and very rarely. I must admit that I did not experience this natural phenomenon when I was on Kuredu Island. If you are lucky enough and spectate this incredible miracle, don't worry about entering the water, the Phytoplankton is nontoxic.
If you want to learn more about the Maldives, feel free to check my Maldives travel and photo guide or other travel stories (I've also been to Lofoten Islands in Norway).
Thanks so much for reading & subscribe!
Jan Klíma is a guest writer for Wild Planet Blog, who lives in Czech Republic and loves to travel! You can admire his pictures on his instagram account by following @knightontrip. Also make sure you check his adventures and travels at knightontrip.com.
