THE BEST TOURS AND EXCURSIONS OF MALDIVAS (FROM MAAFUSHI)

In addition to its wonderful beaches with crystal clear waters and its incredible resorts where you can stick a few days without moving a finger, in Maldives you can (and should) make some excursions to live unforgettable experiences. Coral gardens where to snorkel, dive with turtles, swim with dolphins and whale sharks, rest in sand tongues, get to know local islands ... there are lots of plans and for all tastes, and so you know them a little more before going, we tell you what they are the best tours and excursions in Maldives.

Clarification: we made all visits from Maafushi 🙂

There are lots of islands to stay in and from which to make several excursions, but Maafushi is the one we recommend to make a base for a few days, and take advantage of them to make several excursions. The reason is simple: it is the place that offers the most offer and has the best prices. In other local islands, such as Dhiffushi or Huraa (not to mention the resort islands) you will also have the possibility to do some excursion, but there will be many fewer operators and therefore prices tend to be higher and the catalog of activities is reduced.

Likewise, for companies that make these excursions to be profitable, there must be a minimum of people who sign up. Maafushi is the most visited island in Maldives (removing its capital Male and its Hulhumale resort area), so there will be no problems to complete the tours and you will not have the danger that your excursion will be canceled due to not reaching the quota of participants.

On the island of Maafushi there are a lot of operators that organize excursions. Some bigger ones like iCom (the one we chose), Maafushi Tours or Shadow Palm. And smaller ones like the ones organized by the Alaka hotel.

Prices are usually the same or similar, and usually all excursions include the following:

• Towel
• Snorkeling equipment (glasses, tube and fins)
• Lifejacket
• Food (which is usually rice with some meat already prepared) + fruit + water
• Umbrellas for stops in sand tongues (sand banks)
• Photos and videos made by the instructors with their GoPro underwater, which you can download in your office.

And now, let's see what are the best tours and excursions to do in Maldives. We put the ones that can be done from Maafushi, but in reality they are very similar to those offered on other islands (half a day of snorkeling, sandbank, dolphins, fishing ...)

It is a perfect excursion to start discovering the seabed of Maldives and its small inhabitants. This half-day excursion usually leaves at 10 am and returns at 2:30 pm. It includes a point of snorkel in some barrier of coral near an island, another stop to snorkel in the "turtle reef" with many possibilities to see turtles, go to the "dolphin lagoon" where you may find groups of dolphins (and yes, you can jump and swim with them) and finally a sand bank Where you eat and have free time. Price: $ 25.

You can find a tour similar to this, but with some more snorkeling stop. In that case the excursion is a full day and the price is around $ 35.

Once you have acclimatized with the first excursion, it is time to have stronger experiences. This tour takes you to the Vaavu atoll, south of Maafushi, where your main course is swimming surrounded by lots of cat sharks. They have a size not exceeding 1 meter and are not dangerous, but there will be many and perhaps a bit overwhelming.

In addition the day is completed with stops to see dolphins, a sand tongue (Some companies say they stop on the largest sandy tongue in the Maldives), snorkel around a sunken ship near Felidhoo Island or the visit of the local island Fulidhoo where you can see striped blanket. The specific plan depends on the operator where you hire. The excursion starts at 8 and returns at 15-16. Price: between $ 50 and $ 65.

It is one of the quietest excursions from Maafushi and we only saw in the iCom operator. It consists of a point of snorkel in a coral garden spectacular, stop at a sand bank to eat and free time on the island of Gulhi (between 45 minutes and 1 hour). It leaves around 10:30 and returns around 14-15. Price: 20$.

There is an alternative that is to go to spend the whole day on the island of Gulhi. The beach is much better than that of Maafushi and is not crowded, so you will enjoy it a lot. It also has a pretty handsome snorkel near the beach (you can arrive quietly even walking). To get there it is best to go to the Maafushi Tours company, which are the ones that manage the transport by speed ferry, one day before and ask if there are places for the next day. Actually they are the ferries that leave for Male, but if they have empty places, they are also assigned for this route. As for schedules, it is best to inform yourself there, although we understand that one leaves at 10 and can be returned at 15 or at 17. The price is $ 5 per way.

Whale sharks are sensational, harmless and uniquely beautiful animals. And they are lovely: they can measure about 18 meters! Maldives is one of the best places in the world to see them since, although they are migratory animals, they are found here almost all year long. In general, we could say that the best months to see them are the months from May to December (west zone) although there are also many possibilities to see them between January and April (east zone).

Always inform yourself about the tour: as we were told, in Maldives, what happens, for example, is not happening in Oslob, where sharks are fed throughout the year to stay there. But you never know ... another fundamental thing is to NOT touch the animal while snorkeling in your company (that rule applies to everything: you never have to touch anything underwater). If you see the instructors do it, bad signal.

We did not do it this time, but it is very clear that it has to be one of the best Maldives tours and excursions (come on, sooner or later we will).

The price of this tour is around 100$.

If what you want is to disconnect from everything and stay a few hours surrounded by water, as if you were a shipwreck, there is a possibility that you will be taken to a tongue of sand (where you are probably alone). There you can stay for a few hours by getting sunburned and snorkeling, after which they will come to pick you up. The tour will probably include an umbrella, since there you will only see your own shadow. Price: around 25$.

A plan that we discard because of the fear of “evil of the sea” and because, the truth, it does not attract much attention to us, come on, I don't know, we don't see it. But the option exists and may be interesting for a somewhat more familiar plan. And the sunset from the sea has to be cool. In addition, everything you fish then you prepare it to the barbecue on the beach! Price: 25$.

If you do not have the budget to stay at a resort, but you really want to see with your eyes what is going on there, there is an option: take a day tour to a resort. Prices vary by resort category but calculates about $ 100-180 to spend the entire day there. The tours include transportation of i / v to the chosen resort, entrance to all the common areas of the resort (obvious to the beach too), use of the facilities, food and free drinks (alcoholic beverages included).

Some issues that you have to keep in mind before taking an excursion in Maldives are:

- Excursions are usually Reserve At least one day in advance (although you can also go the same day and ask if there are places).

- If time does not accompany and it is decided cancel the excursion, the amount is returned in full (but better question since this may vary from agency to agency).

- The duration of stops Snorkeling, sandbank, visit to a local island, etc., are usually 1 hour.

- The prices They usually depend on the distance traveled (the largest expense for the operator is gasoline). So, for example, the 1-day shark swim trip at iCom leaves for $ 65 (instead of $ 50) because they reach the sunken ship, which is much further south than the others.

We hope we have helped you to know which are the best tours and excursions in Maldives. As always, if you need more info, here we are 😉

Video: MALDIVES FULL DAY EXCURSION: SAND BANK TRIP, SNORKELING & DOLPHIN WATCHING (May 2024).