Robert HardingMade up of a chain of nearly 1,200 islands off the Indian subcontinent, the Maldives is often considered to be the ultimate tropical island paradise. Imagine intense bright blue skies and seas, year round sunshine and amazing diving and snorkelling opportunities. We picked our favourite images of the Maldives from our photo archive.
Aerial view of desert island with seaplane, South Male atoll (Sakis Papadopoulos/Robert Harding)
Children looking at a hermit crab on the beach (age fotostock/Robert Harding)
Young people jumping from boat into sea, Maldives (Sakis Papadopoulos/Robert Harding)
Maldives, Indian Ocean, Asia (Sakis Papadopoulos/Robert Harding)
Butterflyfish, Ari Atol (Sakis Papadopoulos/Robert Harding)
Dinner at the beach, Maldives (Sakis Papadopoulos/Robert Harding)
Aerial view of North Male Atoll, Maldives (Sakis Papadopoulos/Robert Harding)
Spa bath, Maldives (Sakis Papadopoulos/Robert Harding)
Beach, Maldives, Indian Ocean (Neil Emmerson/Robert Harding)
Traditional dhoni, North Male Atoll, Maldives (Sakis Papadopoulos/Robert Harding)
Snorkeling near a yacht, split image, Ari Atol, Maayafushi (Sakis Papadopoulos/Robert Harding)
Wooden deckchair and hat on tropical beach, Maldives (Sakis Papadopoulos/Robert Harding)
See more images of the Maldives here
Read more about specialist Maldives photographer, Sakis Papadopoulos