Maldivian adventures with Sara Ali Khan and more about the safest tourist destination

Sara Ali Khan, daughter of actor Saif Ali Khan and actress is one of the travel buffs in the world of Bollywood. Sarah often takes off to vacations during holidays and mostly she will have her friends with her.

Sara and her friends are currently on a vacation in the Maldives. Dressed in a red life jacket and cool glasses, Sarah has shared a video of her riding a jet ski with two friends across the sea. The occasion was her friend's birthday. The actor had previously posted a picture of the two of them standing on the beach together.

Here is another picture of Sara standing by the sea against the backdrop of the setting sun.

The Maldives, with over a thousand islands, is a popular tourist destination for Indian tourists, including celebrities. With the decline of Covid, the Maldives opened its doors to tourists once again. The Maldivian government has eased travel restrictions for international passengers at all airports in the Maldives after taking precautionary measures against the spread of Covid. For a trip to the Maldives, Indian tourists need a negative PCR test result taken within 96 hours. This applies to all tourists, including those who have completed the prescribed doses of the Covid-19 vaccine and those who have recovered from Covid-19.

The Maldives is one of the first countries in the world to open borders to international travellers. All travelers arriving in the Maldives with a confirmed booking to stay at any of the registered tourist destinations are offered a free 30-day on-arrival visa. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has awarded the Maldives a 'Safe Travels Stamp' in recognition of its efforts to implement better health and safety practices in line with Global Safe Travels protocols.

Here are some interesting FACTS and trivia about the Maldives.

1. The coconut tree is one of the symbols of the Maldivian emblem. National tree of the islands and only natural shade protection of Maldives beaches, coconut trees can grow up to 30 meters and reach the age of 100 years. Their wood is extremely solid and widely used to build Dhonis.

2. The Maldives has some of the smallest islands in the world with no more than a few square meters in size. The largest island barely reaches 6 km long.

3. Feeding fishes during snorkelling in the Maldives or elsewhere in the world is harmful to them. The food we eat is not part of their ecosystem and therefore not adapted to their digestive system.

4. The Maldives flag has various symbols and symbolic colours: Green for peace and the national Coconut Tree, a White Crescent for Islam and Red for the blood of their fights for independence.

5. There are approximately 1200 islands in the Maldives. Around 800 of them are still uninhabited, 200 islands are populated, about 200 host Hotels and Resorts. The rest of the islands are used for airports, agriculture, picnics, governmental assets, industrial activities and even jails!

6. The Maldives is the flattest country in the world, with an average altitude of 1.8 metres from the sea level. The closest competitor to this claim is Qatar, with an average elevation of 28 metres. That is 26.2 metres more! The Maldives is truly flat. Actually, the highest point in the entire country is 2.3 metres, which is at a point in Villingili Island.

7. Another interesting fact about Maldives is that it was actually founded by an Indian prince who was sent to exile. Sometime around 270 BC, an Indian prince was sent from the kingdom of Kalinga as a punishment to run over the islands of Maldives. Sri Soorudasaruna Adeettiya is said to be the first king of the island, which was then called Dheeva Maari, and established the Adeetta Dynasty in the Maldives.

8. The Maldives is a very diverse country when it comes to biological diversity. It hosts 5 of the 7 species of marine turtles in the world: the Olive Ridley turtles, the loggerhead, the leatherback, the green turtle and the hawksbill.

9. Due to its very less than average height, and other factors including rising sea levels and increasing land erosion, Maldives is sinking into the ocean rapidly. Strict laws are being enforced to prevent this, but if the sinking continues at the current rate, the island will be completely submerged by 2030.

10. The Maldives is one of the world’s safest travel destinations. This is largely because of the isolation of its island resorts.

5 traditional food you must try in the Maldives
Saagu bondibai (Sago Pudding): Sago is a major component of Maldivian diets, extracted from the spongy cores of tropical palm stems. This dessert is warmed with coconut milk, cardamom rose, and laced with creamy condensed milk. Quite an addictive one.

Gulha: A typical delicacy served in Maldivian homes, these deep-fried dumplings are made of wheat or rice flour dough stuffed with tuna, onions, coconut, and chillies. Gulha makes for an amazing evening snack and can be enjoyed with tea as well as coffee.

Bis Keemiya: A combination of a puff, samosa, and a spring roll, it is stuffed with gently sauteed and shredded, cabbage, hard-boiled eggs, and spiced onions. This Maldivian snack is light and flaky, and chewy.

Mas Huni: A Maldivian breakfast must include tuna. Perhaps the most popular Dhivehi breakfast food is mas huni, a fishy mixture consisting of tuna, coconut, onion, and chili all blended together and served with flatbread.

Kulhi Boakibaa: Maldivian baked fish cake, usually a little spicy, combines the island nation’s three staples, fish, coconut, and rice. Initially a festive dish, it is now a much-loved tea-time snack. The dish’s ingredients, including ginger, turmeric, lime, coconut oil, and peppers, are mixed and put to bake, resulting in a divine pie that is the perfect savory companion to a glass of Sai – Maldivian tea.