Giving Back opportunities

Engage with the local community

Environmental Awareness

A Maldives Experience Without Resort Prices

Our short stay private tours allow a mix of cultural experiences, beach and ocean activities, as well as plenty of time for relaxation because surely that is what holidays are all about!

Chill out on perfect beaches, paddleboard around the lagoon, and explore the rich reef life on guided tours. Contribute to ongoing coral reef rehabilitation and waste management projects and immerse yourself in local life. With a variety of cafes and restaurants, Maafushi provides the ideal destination to meet locals and tourists alike and discover the Maldives on a budget.

Trip Details

Trip Details

Price

  • Private Tour from USD1049 per person based on double share

Availability

  • Available all year round

Start

  • Arrival on day 1 by midday

Meeting point

  • Velana International Airport (MLE)

Duration

  • 5 days & 4 nights

Group size

  • Minimum 1 person per booking
  • Maximum 8 people per booking

Included

  • 4 nights garden room guesthouse accommodation
  • 4 breakfasts, 2 lunch, and 4 dinners
  • Airport and domestic transfer assistance
  • Return transfer by public speedboat
  • Island tour and hedhika experience
  • Snorkeling trips
  • Sandbank visit and dolphin cruise
  • Day visit to Gulhi including island tour
  • Coral Nursery and Seagrass snorkeling tour including equipment
  • Malé city tour
  • Services of an English-speaking Secret Paradise guide
  • All local tax ($3 green tax per person per night, 10% service charge, and 16% GST)

Not included

  • 2 Lunches
  • International Flight
  • Travel Insurance

What to bring

  • All this together with full details on everything you need to know about travel within the Maldives will be provided in our welcome information pack.

Your Impact

  • Your travel spend sustains the local economy and the livelihoods of locals, including your tour leader and our local suppliers.
  • Contribute to the protection of coral reefs and marine life by learning about the Green Fins code of snorkeling conduct.
  • Participate in fish ID data collection which assists in monitoring biodiversity and track changes in marine ecosystems.
  • Become an advocate for the protection of vital ecosystems, helping preserve seagrass meadows and their crucial role in mitigating climate change.
  • Plant a tree and help combat climate change, improve air quality and provide essential habitats for wildlife.
  • Foster cultural exchange and mutual respect when dining with our local family.
  • Through interactions with local communities help preserve traditional customs, crafts, and cuisines.
  • Participate in a beach clean-up, directly removing debris and protecting marine life from pollution.
  • Using the provided reusable water bottles reduce the amount of plastic waste in the Maldives.

Carbon Footprint

1430Kg of CO₂e – average carbon emission per person
Find our more about our Carbon Management here


About Your Guide

One of our experienced and professionally trained local tour leaders will accompany you for the duration of the activity. All our guides hold First Aid and Lifeguard qualifications and have completed Travelife Online Sustainable Tourism Certification.

Meet the team


Important note

  • The Maldives is a Muslim country and therefore alcohol is not available on local islands.
  • Subject to availability, day/evening visits to resorts can be arranged.
  • Bikinis are not allowed to be worn on local island beaches; however, all of our guesthouses offer either private gardens or balconies and tourist beach areas for guests where bikini swimwear can be worn.
  • Some activities may be subject to change due to Maldives safe tourism guidelines.

WHAT ARE THE MALDIVES ENTRY REQUIREMENTS?

  • Travelers must have a confirmed accommodation/tour booking.
  • Travelers must have a passport or travel document valid for a minimum 30 days from date of entry to the Maldives.
  • Travelers must have a return flight ticket.
  • The online traveler declaration form IMUGA must be completed within the 96 hour period prior to arrival in country.

Highlights

Snorkel on some of the area’s best reefs and see rays, sharks, and turtles.

Taste Maldivian cuisine freshly prepared by a local family.

Enjoy a picnic lunch on an idyllic sandbank in the Indian Ocean.

Discover the quiet island of Gulhi and relax on the beautiful beach.

Explore famous landmarks and off the beaten path secrets in Malé.

Enjoy a magical dinner on the beach under the stars.

Learn how the locals maintain the biodiversity of the Maldives and protect marine life.

What to Expect

Arrive at Malé International Airport for the start of your Short Stay Maafushi Tour. Here you will be greeted by your tour leader who will assist you with your speedboat transfer to your local island in South Malé Atoll. During the 40-minute journey across the Indian Ocean to Maafushi, view the beauty of the many Maldives islands that pass you by, keeping your eyes open for dolphins or sit inside and chat with the locals.

Upon arrival at your guesthouse, you will have time to settle in before exploring the island with your guide to get yourself acquainted with the layout and to observe local life in the Maldives. Try tasty traditional hedhika – Maldivian savory and sweet snacks served with black tea at a local cafe.

Following breakfast, hop aboard a boat to enjoy a 90-minute guided snorkeling trip to nearby reefs to discover the underwater world of the Maldives. Your guide will provide a safety briefing and highlight how to protect the reefs by being a responsible snorkeler, they will also act as your ‘spotter’ pointing out marine life that may not have caught your eye. They will assist less confident or inexperienced snorkelers, ensuring your equipment is comfortable and you feel safe in the water.

This afternoon discover the story of Renee’s Coral Garden. On route to the coral nursery, snorkel the seagrass beds with your guide and discover their importance to the ecosystem.

After dinner your Tour Leader will introduce you to the work of the Olive Ridley project. Providing an insight into their environmental monitoring and turtle studies preparing you for our turtle snorkeling tomorrow!

Following breakfast, you will be taken by speedboat to snorkel in search of turtles. The soft corals available on this reef usually mean it’s lunchtime all the time for turtles! Before entering the water, your tour leader will share the turtle snorkeling code of conduct, ensuring the experience is memorable for both you and the turtle.

We stop off at an idyllic sandbank just a short distance from Maafushi. Maldives sandbanks are a natural wonder that epitomizes the breathtaking beauty of this tropical paradise. Picture a pristine stretch of glistening white sand emerging from the crystal-clear turquoise waters, forming a tiny, isolated island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Here you have the opportunity to swim, snorkel or just lie back and relax as well as enjoying a picnic lunch. On the return journey to Maafushi, cruise the Indian Ocean on the look out for dolphins. This evening, dinner will be taken at a local café.

Following an early breakfast, we take a short journey to the quiet local island of Gulhi where your guide will accompany you on a tour of the island. Visit the boatyard to stand in awe at the size of the boats under renovation, chat with the ladies sweeping the streets, and finally refresh yourself with a cool Kurumba (coconut) watching the comings and goings at the harbor. Lunch is taken at the home of a local family, just don’t expect silver service as traditionally meals are eaten without the aid of a knife and fork!

Ready for relaxation? You can head to the bikini beach or for the more energetic, join your guide for a final snorkeling opportunity on the house reef of Gulhi.

Following breakfast, transfer by speedboat to Malé, where, accompanied by your guide, you will discover the history of the capital city and visit historical sites including Hukuru Miskiiy – Old Friday Mosque, The Grand Friday Mosque, and Sultan Park. The remainder of the day is free for you to explore Malé, enjoy lunch, buy souvenirs or just watch the world go by from a local coffee house. Transfer to Velana International Airport or your onward destination.

Stingray Beach

Accommodation for the trip

A local-style guesthouse with a beautiful coconut palm-shaded outdoor living area and 8 comfortably furnished rooms. Located on the quieter side of the island. All rooms offer an en-suite bathroom, AC and fan, an in-room safety deposit box, and Wi-Fi.

We have handpicked the best guesthouses throughout the Maldives to provide you the greatest experience while enjoying your Short Stay Maafushi tour package. Personally selected to provide a balance of comfort, good service, local atmosphere and value for money. In each, you can be assured of a warm welcome and know that your holiday money is contributing directly to the local economy and increasing local employment.

We require a minimum number of 6 persons for cruises to operate.

There is no minimum number for any of our land based tours.

Accommodation is offered on a twin/double room share basis.

If you are a solo traveler, on our group tours/cruises we offer the opportunity to share with same gender traveler.

Or if you prefer a private single room to yourself throughout the tour/cruise, this can also be arranged.

 

Yes, we can assist with organising pre and post tour accommodation, including a transit night in the capital area or a longer independent stay on a local island or resort island.

Like many places in the world today, the climate and weather patterns are changing and historical data is becoming less reliable as an indication of what to expect. With a tropical climate, plenty of sunshine and temperatures around 30°C throughout the year, there is never a really bad time to visit the Maldives. There are two distinct seasons: the dry season (northeast monsoon) from January to March and the wet season (southwest monsoon) from mid-May to November. ‘Wet season’ doesn’t mean it rains all the time, but during this period there is a higher probability of rain. However, in today’s world we do experience rain even during the ‘dry’ season.

More detailed weather information can be found here

The Maldives are a Muslim nation, therefore care needs to be taken regarding dress on small islands and in local communities.

While it is acceptable for men to wear t-shirts and shorts/swim shorts, women should avoid causing offence by maintaining a more conservative approach. T-shirts with sleeves that cover the shoulders, loose shorts that cover the thighs, or sundresses with a sarong around shoulders are advised.

All the islands we visit are more tolerant of guests wearing traditional beachwear, but women should NOT wear swimwear unless on an uninhabited island, sandbank, private tourist bikini beach (available on all islands you’ll stay on) or on board our cruises and snorkeling boats. Your tour leader will advise when and where this is possible.

No previous experience is needed for any of the included activities – just an average level of fitness and a sense of adventure. The activities aren’t strenuous, the only requirement is that you must be able to climb a ladder to exit the water, be comfortable in the water and be able to swim to participate in snorkeling activities.

We strongly recommend you bring along your own mask and snorkel wherever possible. Not only will you be assured the mask fits your face properly (making it more comfortable and less likely to leak), it’s also more hygienic. A mask and snorkel are small and light, so they should take up very little space in your suitcase! Due to the ocean current and wind conditions in the Maldives, the use of fins is essential for almost all snorkelling and these are included in all snorkelling activities we provide on tour. However, if you want to ensure a perfect fit, you are always welcome to bring your own.

On board our cruises we can cater to most diets providing we are advised at time of booking.  If there is something particularly you eat within your diet that you can’t live without we would encourage you to pack some and be prepared for perhaps more repetition of meals than you would be used to back home. For further clarification drop us a message.

Note to support our sustainable approach to cruises we do not offer beef products on board.

When traveling on land based tours properties can cater for vegan and vegetarian diets but it is worth noting in regard to food on local islands, over 95% of products are imported and then from Male they are transferred once or twice a week to outer islands.

Fruit and vegetables whilst available can be limited and they do not form part of the traditional Maldivian diet in the way you may be used to back home with your 5 a day! Given that tuna is a key component of our diet as vegetarians you will find your diet quite limited in comparison to what you are used to, even a potato curry is likely to have dried tuna added. On local islands you can’t just pop out to the supermarket and what you may see in the convenience store one week is not seen again for months!

Maldivians, as Muslims, are prohibited by law from consuming alcohol; hence there is a total restriction on alcohol being available on inhabited local islands, this includes the capital Male. Please do not bring alcohol through the airport as it will be confiscated and returned to you at time of departure.

Alcoholic beverages are available on our cruise itineraries and are purchased on board. Payment is required in USD cash or local currency to the boat captain.

When staying on local islands, visits to tourist resorts and bar boats in certain areas can be arranged.

 

Travel insurance is compulsory on all of our multi day tours. You need to be covered for medical expenses abroad, including any emergency transportation costs to the nearest hospital and any emergency repatriation that may be required due to illness/injury. We recommend your insurance covers flight delays, missing flight connections and lost/delayed luggage.

Hear From Our Previous Guests


See Our Other Tours


A turtle swims underwater next to an island
A woman paddles in the shallows of clear blue water
A couple hug in front of their boat for the cruise