Travel Photo of the Week: Freycinet National Park, Tasmania, Australia

This week’s photo of the week is the spectacular view from the Freycinet Eco Retreat at Mt Paul near Coles Bay out over Freycinet National Park. As dusk approaches, the view also included many of the local wallabies.

Photo courtesy of @monstermashrna

Travel Photo of the Week: Praia de Salinas, Boa Vista, Cape Verde

A fellow Twitter connection from the Netherlands who is also interested in #dream #travel destinations had a recent family vacation to Boa Vista. He kindly shared his favourite photo of nearby beach ‘Praia de Salinas’ to where they were staying at Riu hotel Karamboa. It was his favourite because of the empty beach. Warm sea. Nice clouds. Sun. Peak of Estância (little molar on the left of horizon) in the background.

Photo courtesy of @JeanD99 and you can read more about his trip to Cape Verde – Harvesting Clouds. No kidding

Where is Port Vila?

Port Vila is the capital of Vanautu. A cluster of 83 islands located in the South Pacific. Port Vila is situated on the west coast of the island of Efate within the sheltered Vila Bay. There has been a lull in blog posts here and that’s due to a recent 10 day family holiday to Vanuatu. I was determined to take a digital-detox and so no blogging was done whilst away! Only lots of time in the 3D world – sightseeing, swimming, snorkelling and relaxing with the sun on my face!

In and around Port Vila there’s plenty to see and do. We stayed at the mid-range priced boutique resort ‘Poppys on the Lagoon‘ which is an easy and pleasant walk to the town centre. This allows for walking the streets and passing the locals which you are greeted with cheesy grins and a great big “hello”. The people of Vanuatu are known for their happy, friendly ways and we had that confirmed!

Places of significance to visit include the Port Vila markets (I had a ball here), Erakor Island, Iriki Island, Hideaway Island, Mele Cascade Waterfalls, Tanna Coffee Factory and the many eating places offering fresh seafood and French cuisine. I don’t doubt I will be visiting Vanuatu again in the future especially considering it has 83 islands to explore! We were very impressed and highly recommend it as it’s certainly an easy trip from the east coast of Australia.

Lonely Planet Vanuatu & New Caledonia

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TravelTipsPlus Google Map of Port Vila

One Great Reason to Visit Port Vila

One great reason to visit this travel destination is for the laid back lifestyle and perfect climate. You can’t but relax here!

Vanuatu: Central Markets

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Where are The Maldives?

Long regarded as the ultimate in luxurious holidaying, the Maldives comprise an archipelago of 1,190 ancient coral islands fringed with white sandy beaches and lapped by the bath-warm waters of the Indian Ocean.

Originally formed by volcanoes, the underwater reefs surrounding the Maldives support more than 1,000 species of fish and other marine creatures – ranging from tiny fan-like coral structures to sharks and manta rays. The unique structure and rich abundance in marine life has ensured the Maldives reliably appears on lists of the world’s best dive sites.

In the Maldives diving holidays frequently take place on special live-aboard boats. These give divers access to the remoter atolls and, with up to four dives a day included in the price, can provide good value for money.

Other divers choose to base themselves at a particular resort and take day boats out to the various dive sites. However, with 644km of coastline and 200 inhabited islands, choosing a particular resort can vex even the most decisive of divers.

As a rough guide, stay on the western side of an atoll between May and November, as the visibility is better and life more varied on the reef. Divers arriving between December and April should opt for the eastern side of an atoll.

South Ari atoll and North Male atoll provide divers with the chance to feast their eyes on turtles, sharks, schools of game fish and the brightly coloured reef dwellers that inhabit the steep drop-offs known in the diving world as ‘walls’.

Some of the most popular dive sites for beginners include Banana Reef on the south-eastern side of North Male atoll and Maaya Thila off the North Ari atoll. Expect to see white-tip reef sharks, batfish, eagle rays and barracudas.

More experienced divers may choose to explore the protected marine park at the southern end of the North Male atoll. Known as Lion’s Head, this wall dive is subject to strong currents that attract large pelagic species such as tunas, giant barracudas grey reef sharks, napoleon wrasses and turtles.

Other popular spots for caching glimpses of gray, silver- and white-tip reef sharks are Rasfari and Cocoa Corner off the North Male atoll. Both are suited to more experienced divers.

To book an unforgettable holiday in the Maldives with some of the most remarkable marine life on the planet, planet diving holidays in the Maldives promise an unforgettable time.

The Lonely Planet Guide to The Maldives

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TravelTipsPlus Google Map of The Maldives

One Great Reason to Visit the Maldives

One great reason to visit this travel destination is for the pristine waters which allow for some amazing diving experiences.

The Maldives

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