To celebrate World Oceans Day, the InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort has launched a new offer, The Manta Ray Experience.
The Manta Ray Experience package addresses the curiosity and adventure-lust of the resort’s guests, bundling the must-try manta-related experiences together in one comprehensive package. To celebrate the ocean and its beauty, the resort’s Marine Biologist and the Manta Trust team have prepared a range of fun and educational experiences for kids and adults alike.
On their manta journey, guests will join different talks about the manta rays in the Maldives, their relatives around the world and how they are researched and protected. Guests will also get to join a manta excursion, seeking manta rays within Raa Atoll and the surrounding areas. Should there be an unidentified manta sighted during the excursion, guests can name the manta and will receive updates on their whereabouts whenever sighted by the Manta Trust team. As a memento, guests will also receive a “mantastic” gift from Manta Trust.
For the perfect manta experience, InterContinental Club benefits, return seaplane transfers and half board package are already included in the offer.
The new offer complements the resort’s annual Manta Retreat, with the next retreat set to take place in March 2024. While the Manta Retreat comprises an even deeper dive into the world of manta rays, with hands-on experiences in manta research and exploration, The Manta Ray Experience offer provides a great overview of everything manta-related.
While The Manta Ray Experience Offer can be booked throughout the year, on 8 June, the focus will be on World Oceans Day, a day to raise awareness and educate on the oceans, to learn and get excited by the mysteries still lying beneath the oceans’ surface, and most of all, to enjoy the beauty and fascination of marine life.
Guests from young to old will have the chance to participate in talks and presentations as well as marine life-related activities, beach fun and an ocean-themed movie night.
Although the manta rays are the main event on this World Oceans Day, guests can take a closer look at the tiniest creatures too, exploring how plankton looks under a microscope and learning about their significance in the marine life food chain. Attention will also be drawn to the life of corals as those fascinating creatures grow, evolve and influence marine life in a reef. To commemorate the day, the resort’s marine team marine team will design a coral frame and plant coral pieces with guests and use the opportunity to teach them about corals.
InterContinental Maldives is located at the southern end of Raa Atoll, recognised for its unspoiled marine life. The resort’s lagoon is a known juvenile manta ray aggregation point, and with the partnership with the resort-based Manta Trust team, their goal is to learn more about these gentle giants, their movements, migration behaviour, and how to protect them and their natural habitat.
While there is never a guarantee to spot manta rays, the chances of a manta encounter within the lagoon of Maamunagau island are great from December to April, while excursions to the world-famous manta feeding point in Hanifaru Bay, Baa Atoll, are offered from June to November as well.
