German mountain adventurer Florian Nagl, who has 10 years of history climbing mountains in different countries, recently visited Shangri-La's Resort & Spa, Maldives to climb the Maldives' highest peak, Mount Villingili.
His goal is to be the first in history to climb the highest mountains around the globe. His dream is to live the moment. His passion is adventure.
Mount Villingili is number 74 in his highest peak collection. It stands at a modest 5.1 metres and is located at tee number eight on Villingili's Golf Course - the only golf course in the Maldives. Despite its humble height, it dwarfs over the previously known highest point in Addu Atoll that stands at only 2.4 metres above sea level. However, compared with other mountains, Mount Villingili may come up short against the rest, but not less in significance.Nagl said that the experience had the "same value as climbing Mount Kilimanjaro". His passion for mountain hiking was inspired by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak, back in 2007. He compared his feeling and enthusiasm for climbing Mount Villingili, the world's smallest mountain, to that for his first mountain climb, Mount Kilimanjaro.Two months ago, Nagl climbed the highest mountain, Mount Everest, which stands 8,848 metres high. With a size difference of 8,842.9 metres, he marked his record by climbing the highest point in the Maldives. He succinctly compares the experience of climbing both mountains."Falling ice to flying golf balls," said Nagl, describing his experience. "The views of Mount Villingili of the Indian Ocean is breathtakingly astounding, just like the views of Mount Everest."After conquering Mount Villingili, Nagl earned a certificate confirming that he had climbed the islands' highest point, a perfect memento of his trip to the Maldives."Absolutely, I fall in love with the island and its lush vegetation, turquoise lagoons and breathtaking views of the Indian Ocean. It was truly amazing to be at the edge of the world, knowing that the golf course was at the end of the island and beyond is simply the endless ocean. The resort offers various activities for dynamic travellers, including bicycling that is the ideal way of transportation to roam around Villingili," said Nagl.The Mount Villingili tour is part of the list of activities Shangri-La's Villingili Resort & Spa, Maldives offers to its guests. It includes a guided bicycle tour between Maldivian villages linked by a series of bridges throughout the atoll; a historical tour on the island of Gan, a former British Navy base during World War II; a guided tour of local farms on Meedhoo Island that provides an opportunity to see first-hand the source of locally grown produce used within the resorts' restaurants; and a guided nature trail with a local naturalist from the resort's Eco Centre.
