I was lucky enough to be able to personally meet Ruth for a coffee. The company is amazing and they arranged for me for an amazing trip. Will be back for more for sure.
Engage with the local community
Environmental Awareness
Historical & Cultural Insight
À UNIQUE MALDIVES EXPERIENCE RICH IN HISTORY & BIODIVERSITY
Journey with us to the north of the Maldives and discover stories of years gone by on the historical island of Utheemu. Explore the tropical forests and mangroves of Baraah and learn how these vast areas of vegetation are the lifeblood of the Maldives. Dip into the past on Kelaa and find out why the British established a staging position on this most north eastern Maldives island. With opportunities to relax on quiet white sandy beaches, snorkel tropical waters and enjoy uninterrupted views of Maldivian sunsets this is a Maldives island hopping experience not to be missed.
Trip Details
Trip Details
Price
- Private Tour from USD2999 per person based on double share
Availability
- Available all year-round
Start
- Check-in available on day one from midday
Meeting point
- Velana International Airport (MLE)
Duration
- 8 days & 7 nights
Group size
- Minimum 2 person
- Maximum 8 people
Included
- 7 nights deluxe room guesthouse and hotel accommodation
- 7 breakfasts, and 7 dinners
- Return Domestic flight transfer to Male – Hanimaadhoo – Male
- All speedboat transfers
- All Local Island Tours
- Villimale walking tour and evening tea
- Male walking tour
- Entrance Fee Utheemu Ganduvaru
- Visit to Hanimaadhoo Agricultural Centre
- All presentations
- Snorkeling tour
- Secret Paradise English Speaking Guide
- All Local Tax ($3 green tax per person per night, 10% service charge, and 16% GST)
Not included
- Lunch on 7 days
- International Flight
- Travel Insurance
What to bring
- All this together with full details of travel to and within the Maldives will be provided in our welcome information pack
YOUR IMPACT
- Your accommodation & travel spend sustains the local economy and the livelihoods of locals, including your tour leader and our local suppliers.
- Support local businesses, including shops & cafes, helping to sustain the livelihoods of residents and support the local island economy.
- Contribute to the protection of coral reefs and marine life by learning about the Green Fins code of snorkeling conduct.
- Increase your awareness of how you can make a positive impact on coral reefs even by your actions back at home or when you travel to other destinations.
- Become an advocate for the protection of vital ecosystems, helping preserve mangroves and seagrass meadows and their crucial role in mitigating climate change.
- By understanding what disrupts our ecosystem, you can take actionable steps to reduce your impact, both on tour and at home.
- 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
1825Kg 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 guides 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.
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 also 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.
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
Island hop islands filled with history & culture
Discover environmentally diverse and unique islands
Relax on fine white sandy beaches and snorkel marine rich waters
Meet local NGSs and sample Maldivian food
Join guided tours of Utheemu Ganduvaru and Kandhuvalu Mosque
What to Expect
Following a relaxed tour briefing at our hotel base in Hulhumale to Villimale to join “Save the Beach” and discover the quieter side of city life. Wander the quiet streets, learn the names of local trees and learn more about the coral reef conservation work and waste management practices being carried out by NGO “Save the Beach”. Before returning to Hulhumale we take time to sample traditional ‘hedika’ at a local café on the beach.
Explore & discover Male city accompanied by your guide. Traditionally Male was the King’s island, from where the ancient royal dynasties ruled the country and where their palace was built; now it is a commercial hub of the island nation.
Taking the ferry to the airport we board our domestic flight to Hanimaadhoo. The flight time will soon ‘fly’ by as you admire the picture-perfect archipelago from a bird’s eye perspective. From Hanimaadhoo it is a 30 minute speedboat journey across the ocean to Kelaa where you will have time to settle in and freshen up before dinner.
‘Kelaa’ meaning sandal wood, is a unique island situated geographically in Haa Alif Atoll. This 3 km island is home to a population of over 1600 people and consists of distinct bio-geographical features on different parts of the island. The local community inhabit less than one third of the island, while the rest is the forest to explore. You can find powder fine white sandy beach on one side of the island and a rocky coral shore on the other side.
Following dinner your guide will provide a presentation giving an insight into Waste Management in the Maldives and the work Parley play in the war against plastic.
Following breakfast we take a walking tour of the village which includes a mosque built during the reign of Sultan Mohamed Ibn Ali.
There is time after lunch to relax in the comfort of the guesthouse, take a short stroll to the beach and sit in the shade of a palm tree or join a guided house-reef snorkel.
As the heat of the day subsides we will take a walk with a member of the Island Development and Environmental Awareness Society (IDEAS) They will introduce us to the mangroves that run along the rocky beach of Kelaa, one of the biggest small leafed orange mangrove areas in the Maldives and we will learn about the interesting history of ‘kandoo’ as a food source in Kelaa and why it gained particular importance during the Second World War.
Following dinner a presentation by your guide provides an understanding of the importance of seagrass in the Maldives and why locals are campaigning to protect it.
Following a presentation made by your guide on Maldives Coral Reefs and Marine Life, we take a speedboat to a nearby reefs in search of turtles, reef sharks and tropical marine life.
This afternoon we journey to the island of Vashafaru a small but beautifully formed island famous for its long white sand spit Vashafaru-thundi. Accompanied by your guide, explore more of this island, the community has many skilled carpenters and boat-builders who are known throughout the Maldives and we may be lucky enough to find them at work.
We have an early start today taking a short speedboat journey to the historical island of Utheemu.
We will first visit Utheemu Ganduvaru and Kandhuvalu Mosque before the main heat of the day. Utheemu is famed as the birthplace of Sultan Mohamed Thakurufaanu, who with his brothers and his companions fought an eight-year-long war to drive out the Portuguese invaders who occupied the Maldives from 1558 to 1573. Utheemu Ganduvaru is the wooden palace in which Sultan Mohamed Thakurufaanu lived and grew up. It is well preserved and evokes more than any other existing building in the Maldives, the lifestyle of the rich, centuries ago.
The afternoon is free for you to relax on the beach in the shade of a palm tree or participate in optional excursions available including snorkeling and fishing.
Following breakfast we make a short speedboat journey to the island of Baraah. Historically, Baarah was the island where the vessel Kalhuohfummi was built in the latter half of the 16th century.
The Maldives is known for its coral reefs and beaches while mangrove ecosystems in Maldives are overshadowed by these environments and oftentimes neglected. Mangroves create unique ecological environments that host rich assemblages of species.
Following our exploration of Baraah we take a short speedboat transfer to Hanimaadhoo and the Barefoot ECO Hotel where the remainder of the afternoon is yours to relax.
Following dinner Barefoot’s Marine Biologist will provide an insight into their environmental monitoring and marine life studies.
This morning we take a guided tour of Hanimaadhoo Agricultural Centre. Lush with an impressive variety of crops, discover local favorites such as watermelon, banana, and papaya, as well as more exotic varieties such as grapes, aloe-vera and dragon fruit. Dedicated to enriching local diet and knowledge, the Agricultural Centre also boasts a goat pen and a greenhouse and a small team of interns.
Following a stop at a local café for refreshment we walk back along the beach to Barefoot.
The remainder of the day is yours to relax and enjoy the beautiful beach and surroundings of the property.
Departure flight to Male or the option to extend your stay at the Barefoot Eco Hotel.
Your Trip Accommodations
- H78 – Hulhumale
- Beach Home Kelaa – Kelaa
- Blue Coral – Vashifaru
- The Barefoot Eco Hotel – Hanimaadhoo
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
It really was a trip of a lifetime and the itinerary was absolutely perfect for anyone wanting to really understand the Maldives and the incredible sea life it offers. Absolutely 5⭐️ service and would so highly them.
