I could not have done this trip without Secret Paradise! As tourism outside of resorts, is relatively new to the Maldives, logistics/transfers/directions are still a bit unclear.
Engage with the local community
Environmental Awareness
Historical & Cultural Insight
A Maldives Experience Without Resort Prices
Thoddoo is truly a unique island paradise and is waiting to be explored. Experience an island rich in culture with vast agricultural resources, not at all what you expect from a Maldivian island. With two beautiful white sandy beaches a short bicycle ride away from the village center, Thoddoo offers the ideal location to venture away from the capital area of the Maldives and discover that there is more to Maldives islands than beaches and palm trees!
Trip Details
Trip Details
Price
- Private Tour from USD1299 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
- 6 days & 5 nights
Group size
- Minimum 1 person per booking
- Maximum 8 people per booking
Included
- 5 nights in deluxe-room guesthouse accommodation
- 5 breakfasts and 5 dinners
- Airport and domestic transfer assistance
- Return transfer by public speedboat
- Island tours
- Hedhika experience
- Sandbank visit
- Snorkeling tour
- Sunset cruise
- Malé city tour
- Services of an English-speaking Secret Paradise guide
- All local tax ($3 Gree Tax per person per night, 10% Service Charge & 16% GST)
Not included
- 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.
- 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
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 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 nearby reefs and spot an array of sea life including turtles and mantas.
Experience the local tradition of hedhika -- afternoon tea.
Cruise the Indian Ocean in search of wild dolphins.
Relax on a sandbank that’s home to a perfect beach and great snorkeling opportunities.
Tour local farms and pick fresh produce for your dinner.
Take a tour of famous landmarks and off the beaten path secrets in Malé.
What to Expect
Arrive at Malé International Airport for the start of your Taste of Thoddoo Tour. Here you will be greeted by your guide who will assist you with your public speedboat transfer to your local island in North Ari Atoll. The speedboat operates every day excluding Friday and takes 60 minutes to journey across the Indian Ocean to Thoddoo. Sit back and view the beauty of the many Maldives islands that pass you by, keeping your eyes open for dolphins.
Upon arrival at your guesthouse, you will have time to settle in before exploring the island with your local guide to get yourself acquainted with the layout and to observe local life in the Maldives, before trying hedhika. This is a very traditional part of daily life, similar to the western culture of afternoon tea. Enjoy savory and spicy, as well as sweet bite-size snacks served with black tea in one of the local cafes.
Breakfast on day 2 is served at your guesthouse before being taken out by 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’ to ensure you don’t miss out! There is always the opportunity to encounter sharks, turtles, groupers, mantas, and a myriad of colorful fish. The afternoon is yours to relax, or for those feeling a little more energetic, take advantage of the many water sport options available including diving.
This evening enjoy a BBQ dinner cooked by your host!
Today is yours to enjoy as you please. Relax on the bikini beach or for the more active, participate in the various optional watersport activities on offer. Optional diving trips can be organized for certified divers and day visits to resorts are also available. All optional activities can be arranged prior to or during your stay.
This evening’s experience is a relaxing cruise in search of wild dolphins while watching the sunset in a blaze of color over the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is home to several species of dolphins, which can be seen gracing the waters near Thoddoo. Watch them jumping and dancing as they frolic and play in the wake of the boat.
After breakfast on day 4, you will jet out to a nearby sandbank allowing you an idyllic escape. There will be plenty of time to relax on the beautiful white sands or to swim or snorkel the crystal clear waters.
Late afternoon as the day begins to cool, we’ll explore the agricultural side of the island and learn why Thoddoo is known as the home of the watermelon! When was the last time you dined with an abundance of freshly picked fruit and vegetables? Your evening meal will be prepared from produce fresh from Thoddoo’s farms.
Spend day 5 making the most of your last full day in an island paradise. Lie back on the white sand with a great book, go for a stroll along the picture-perfect coastline, or participate in the various optional watersport activities on offer.
Following an early breakfast on day 6, you will transfer on the early morning public speedboat to Malé, where, accompanied by your local guide, you will discover the history of the capital city and visit places including The Friday Mosque, local market, fish market, 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 Malé International Airport or your onward destination.
Evilia Inn
This family-run guest house sits around a private peaceful garden setting. The food they prepare for your meals comes from Thoddoo’s farms, you can’t get fresher than that! Its flower-adorned garden is a great place to relax after a day of activity. 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 Taste of Thoddoo 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.
