Baa, the dream atoll listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Located to the north-west of Malé, the Baa atoll is one of the pearls of the Maldives, a prestigious place home to some of the most breathtaking resorts in the archipelago, with telescopes, submarines and underwater restaurants! Separated from the central atolls by the wide waters of the Kandiva Channel, it is a string of 75 islands scattered over almost 1,200 km²! Only thirteen of the islands are inhabited, and around twenty have been converted into luxury resorts under prestigious names such as Anantara and Four Seasons.

Some inhabited islands also offer guest houses, which are rarer in the Maldives, giving you the chance to meet the local population, which is not easy in this archipelago! The Baa atoll is the only one in the Maldives to be classified as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO. It is renowned for its incredible gatherings of manta rays and whale sharks in Hanifaru Bay, the only one of its kind in the world!

Every year, from May to September, the world's largest gathering of manta rays takes place in Hanifaru Bay, on the eastern edge of Baa Atoll. Imagine the spectacle: a manta ray with an average wingspan of seven metres!

And as if that wasn't enough, they are accompanied by whale sharks, the largest fish in the world, which come to the same place at the same time to feast on plankton and reproduce.

The atoll of Baa is home to few hotels, but what hotels! Starting with the Kihavas Villas, the latest addition to the Anantara group in the Maldives. One of the extraordinary experiences on offer is lunch in an underwater restaurant!

Another unique experience for astronomy enthusiasts is to observe the stars through the most powerful telescope in the Maldives!

Landaa Giraavaru is a breathtaking resort. The measurements of the rooms are enough to make you dizzy. The number 137 does not represent the number of rooms, but the size in m² of the smallest of the 102 villas!

But the experience you won't want to miss if you stay at this resort belonging to the prestigious Four Seasons hotel chain is a trip aboard an electric submarine, where you can pretend you're Captain Nemo in the Nautilus, 20,000 leagues under the sea, or more precisely to a depth of 37 metres!

Three passengers can board this streamlined, shark-like aircraft, a bit like Professor Tournesol's craft in the Tintin album "The Treasure of Rackham the Red", offering a 360° view. A world exclusive! A chance to discover the sublime seabed of Baa Atoll, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.