National Geographic Traveller - UK (2020-07 & 2020-08)

IMAGES: ALAMY; GETTY

UNDERWATER

ADVENTURES

With low-lying islands surrounded by

shimmering reefs, the Maldives is a superb

place to learn to snorkel and scuba dive, or

perhaps advance your skills. For the ultimate

indulgence, you can experience the ocean

from the comfort of your bed by booking

the ultra-exclusive The Muraka, at Conrad

Maldives Rangali Island. Launched in late

2018 for an eye-watering $200,000 (£160,000)

per four-night stay, this two-level lagoon suite

has a submerged bedroom with huge windows

and an arched ceiling of transparent acrylic.

It’s like sleeping in a private aquarium.

kagimaldives.com

WATERSPORTS

Mauritius has a wild side. In the south west,

a basalt monolith, Le Morne Brabant, acts as

a natural throttle, whipping up winds that

set hearts racing among the windsurfers and

kitesurfers who flock here. One Eye break, to

the west, is famously lively and should only be

tackled at high tide. For beginners, Le Morne

Lagoon is ideal, with resorts such as Lux Le

Morne offering lessons. luxresorts.com

XYLOPHONE MUSIC

Handmade from wood, with hollow gourd

resonators beneath the keys, the marimba

is Africa’s xylophone. In Kenya and

Tanzania’s laidback beach resorts, you’ll

often hear rippling marimba melodies

floating on the breeze. Together with

acoustic or electric guitars and wood-and-

goatskin drums, they’re a mainstay of the

local bands that entertain at hotels and bars.

magicalkenya.com tanzaniatourism.go.tz

vanilla

Around 80% of the world’s vanilla pods

are grown in Madagascar. With a minimum

export price of £280 per kilo, it’s a treat

when hotel housekeepers leave them on

your pillow. Sweet and evocative, vanilla is

so quintessential an island commodity that

Madagascar, Seychelles, Réunion, Mauritius,

Comoros and Mayotte chose the name

Vanilla Islands for their tourism partnership,

which encourages visitors to island-hop.

vanilla-islands.org

FROM TOP: Vanilla extract for

sale at a market in Madagascar;

windsurfing in Mauritius; musician

playing the marimba

Jul/Aug 2020 105

INDIAN OCEAN