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Ports of call

Summertime is high time to hit the high seas.

China Daily looks at some of the top spots to yacht this season, recommended by Chinese luxury-travel brand HHtravel and Ctrip.

Sanya

Yachters can embark from the Hongzhou wharf to Phoenix Island, an artificial islet built on a coral reef, and coast to Dongdao Island, viewing colorful coral and fish in unpolluted waters.

Xidao Island is one of China's best snorkeling and seafood spots.

Wuzhizhou Island, 30 kilometers north of Sanya, boasts the country's best diving facilities. Lobsters, mackerel and green snails dwell in conserved coral reefs.

Indonesia

Yachting between Bali's Sanur and Nusa Dua offers amazing sunsets over seascapes.

HHtravel offers excursions on Amandira, a traditional brig that houses up to 10 passengers in three five-star bedrooms. The trip takes visitors to Komodo National Park, and the primitive wilderness and waters of Raja Ampat.

Passengers can see monitor lizards, deer and monkeys at Pulau Komodo, which is celebrated for its barbecue, snorkeling and sea fishing.

Many consider the route Indonesia's ultimate expedition.

Maldives

Yachting from Kuda Huraa to Kagi Island offers magnificent view of Maldives' coral atoll, which resembles a tiered wedding cake. Clear waters brim with conger eels, clownfish and sea turtles. Yachters can disembark on the white beaches of the archipelago's 1,000-plus islands. Dugout canoeing, water skiing and seabed exploration are popular pastimes.

French Polynesia

Bora Bora's waters are hailed as Polynesia's "best natural aquarium". You can swim with stingrays among polychromatic swarms of marine life.

Raiatea Island is named among the area's "best natural gardens". Yachters can snorkel or fish in its waters or anchor at its sandy beaches to buy vanilla products from local farmers.

About this series

China Daily explores summer-vacation destinations every Monday.