The Maldives is our 69th country that we have visited and it is definitely one of our favorites. We spent 20 days exploring 6 islands and didn’t even scratch the surface of all the amazing experiences this beautiful, tropical country has to offer.
The beaches in Maldives are straight out of a postcard. They were some of our favorite beaches we’ve experienced. The shallow water is so clear that it is easy to see turtles, rays, and sharks swim by. If you’re not a fan of sharing the water with big animals there are hundreds of other islands and beaches in the country to choose from! 1,200 islands, less than 200 of which are inhabited, make up the beautiful country of the Maldives, so there is something for everyone in this beautiful tropical country.
Before visiting the Maldives, the first thing that I pictured were the pristine overwater bungalows on resort islands. What I didn’t know was that we could experience the same idyllic beaches for a fraction of the cost at local islands. Through our 3 week stay, we also found out that there are an endless amount of activities to experience. From scuba diving with whale sharks to having a fish cookout on a private island, every day was an adventure in the Maldives!
Here is a list of our top 10 favorite things that we experienced in this beautiful island country!
1. Scuba Diving / Snorkeling With Whale Sharks and Manta Rays
One of the things that we looked forward to the most during our stay in the Maldives was swimming with whale sharks and manta rays. These gentle giants of the ocean are unbelievable to see up close and in person. One of the best places in the Maldives to see whale sharks and manta rays all year round is in the South Ari Atoll. So during our 5 days of scuba diving with South Ari Dive Center, we saw these incredible animals up close! It was probably the coolest experience we’ve seen while diving!
At one point I was less than a few feet away from several 10 foot manta rays! We have seen whale sharks before, but never got to scuba dive with one! It was a surreal feeling swimming alongside such a graceful, giant animal in the crystal clear Maldivian water. This is definitely one experience that is at the top of my favorite travel memories.
Even if you don’t scuba dive, snorkeling with these incredible animals is just as amazing of an experience. Manta rays and whale sharks often like swimming along the surface and feeding on plankton, which means snorkelers can also have an up-close view. South Ari Dive Center offers different options from snorkeling, PADI certification, all the way to month-long dive packages. We spent the week staying at a local guest house diving every day. It was our favorite week of scuba diving we’ve experienced.
If you are interested in booking a diving or snorkeling experience with these gentle giants, check out the South Ari Dive Center website.
2. Stay at a Local Island Luxury Hotel
One of the best ways to experience a local island with a luxury feel is to stay at a local boutique hotel. We stayed at Island Luxury Fulhadhoo Boutique Hotel and had an unbelievable experience. Right when we landed on the local island, we were greeted with coconuts, freshly made leis, and music from the friendly hotel staff.
The island of Fulhadhoo has one of the most incredible beaches that we’ve ever experienced! The clear blue water and white sandy beach stretches the entire length of the long island. There are only a few guesthouses on the 400 person island, so we often had the beach to ourselves!
The hotel was an unbelievably relaxing experience and an amazing way to start our time in the Maldives. In addition to the amazing staff and delicious food, the hotel also features an infinity pool, outdoor showers, and hand crafted furnishings. Even our hotel key plate was custom engraved with our names!
While on the island of Fulhadhoo we went snorkeling, handline fishing, had a local island tour, joined in on karaoke night, and several other amazing activities. One of our favorite highlights of our stay was when the hotel prepared us a beachfront dinner with our favorite foods that they had asked us when we first booked our stay.
We can’t say enough amazing things about our stay. The hotel offers several different packages including food and activities. If you are interested in booking your own stay with Island Luxury Fulhadhoo Boutique Hotel, you can visit their website or read more about our experience here.
3. Swim With Sharks and Dolphins
A few years ago, I didn’t know that it was possible to swim with sharks in the wild. But during our stay in the Maldives, we got to swim with more than 30 nurse sharks! It was one of the coolest animal interactions I have experienced.
Just a short boat ride away from Fulidhoo island in Vaavu Atoll (not to be confused with Fulhadhoo) is an area where more than 100 nurse sharks are waiting to greet visitors brave enough to swim in their waters. The friendly sharks were historically drawn to this area as it was a popular area for local fishermen to clean their fish. As soon as our boat pulled up in their area, the sharks quickly started circling us.
Although they are not dangerous, it is still a little intimidating to be surrounded by dozens of sharks that can measure up to 10+ feet in length! We booked our excursion with The Pearl Seaview during our stay on Fulidhoo island. We felt completely safe at all times. They knew the sharks’ behaviors and the best place to go to have the perfect shark interaction. We were the only guests on our excursion, so we were able to avoid other tourists and spend as much time as we wanted in the water with the sharks.
If you’re interested in booking a nurse shark excursion with The Pearl Seaview, check out their website here. Or for more information about our experience on the island of Fulidhoo, read our full blog post here.
4. Tour the Capital of Malé
A great way to experience more than just an island resort in the Maldives is by taking a tour of Malé. We booked our transportation, lodging, and tours for the first part of our Maldives vacation with Secret Paradise. One of those tours was of the capital city Malé. We took this tour right after landing in the Maldives, and it was the perfect way to learn more about the country’s history and culture. When we landed, we were greeted by Zaffran, our tour guide. It was great having a local expert to introduce us to the Maldives and it gave us an even greater appreciation for this beautiful country.
Although the country has nearly 200 inhabited islands, 1 in 4 Maldivians live in Malé. Our favorite highlights were touring the local fishing market and getting a birds eye view of the city from a rooftop restaurant. Although it is an island, the capital city is connected by a newly built bridge to the airport island of Hulhumalé, making it a perfect first stop on your trip to the Maldives.
Secret Paradise offers countless different packages that range from day tours to multi-day luxury experiences. They were wonderful to communicate with and they customize the perfect tours based on their clients’ interests. They place a huge emphasis on sustainable travel and partnering with local businesses. It’s a great feeling booking through companies who are trying to make a difference. If you are interested in booking a custom Maldives package with a local focus, check out their website here or read more about our experience with Secret Paradise here.
5. Visit a Sandbank
It has been a dream of Emily’s to be dropped off on a sandbank, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by crystal clear water. Em’s dream was fulfilled just a boat ride away from the island of Fulidhoo. After we swam with nurse sharks, The Pearl Seaview took us to a sandbank where we got to relax and take photos for the next hour.
It was an amazing feeling being dropped off on a little piece of sand surrounded by the clearest water we’ve ever seen. It’s honestly the same as pretty much every other beautiful beach found all around the Maldives, but for some reason, it seems even cooler being dropped off on a tiny piece of sand. We spent the next 45 minutes taking pictures, relaxing, and wading in the beautiful water. It was a great way to end the day after swimming with dozens of nurse sharks!
To book a similar experience, or to stay at a local guest house on the island of Fulidhoo, read our full blog post or visit The Pearl Seaview‘s website.
6. Stay in an Overwater Bungalow
When I first pictured the Maldives, I thought of overwater bungalows surrounded by crystal clear water. The Maldives has more than 100 resort islands, many of them with luxury overwater bungalows. Just flying into the country, we saw more than a dozen resort islands below.
Although the Maldives is so much more than just private resort islands, Em and I still wanted to experience the “postcard picture.” So we used some of our saved up credit card points and booked 2 nights in an overwater bungalow. To get to the resort, we hopped on a seaplane and headed to the resort island.
It was an incredible experience and beautiful view. Our room led straight down to perfectly clear blue water where we went swimming and snorkeling. We loved laying on our hammock over the water, watching the fish during the day and stargazing at night!
It was an amazing experience and we are so thankful we got to experience it! However, like most overwater bungalows, it was ridiculously expensive! (I am thankful for Em’s credit card points planning. =) In addition to the cost of the room, the seaplane to many of these resorts can cost an extra $400-$500 per person. Many of the resorts offer food packages for an additional cost, but wanting to save some money, we decided not to purchase the all-inclusive option. The restaurants were fairly expensive. We laughed when we saw that an apple or an orange in our room cost $8 USD! (Needless to say, we didn’t eat much while we were there.)
We were thankful that we spent the majority of our time in the Maldives on local islands. We could experience the same type of amazing beaches and excursions at a fraction of the cost. However, we are thankful we got to experience both the local and resort island experience in the Maldives.
7. Handline Fishing & Private Island Cookout
A popular tradition in the Maldives is handline fishing. With thousands of islands to fish nearby, you never know what type of fish you may catch in the Maldives. During our stay on the Island of Fulhadhoo, the staff from Island Luxury Fulhadhoo Boutique Hotel took us snorkeling and handline fishing!
We boated out to a nearby reef where our guides baited our hooks with octopus and we threw the line into the water. Before long, we felt a nibble and had a fish on the line! It was our first time reeling in a fish by hand. Once we caught a couple of fish, the guides parked a boat at a nearby uninhabited island. Within minutes, they made a fire and grilled the fish right there on the beach! It was an amazing local experience and just one of the many incredible things that Secret Paradise planned for us during our stay. Read our full blog here.
8. Beach Cleanup
After enjoying this incredibly beautiful country, we wanted to learn how to help give back to a local community. The company Secret Paradise focuses on sustainable travel and offers several different ways for visitors to help protect and conserve the Maldives. We chose to participate in a beach cleanup on the island of Guraidhoo.
Kamay, our Secret Paradise guide while on the island of Guraidhoo, took us on a tour of the local island and showed us how the Maldives is combating pollution. Then we got to experience hedhikaa, a local tradition of afternoon tea, while locals talked to us about the Maldives conservation efforts. Even though picking up a few bags of trash is a very small way to help, we are glad we could and it was an amazing way for us to learn more about the Maldives and Secret Paradise’s efforts to keep the country clean.
Kamay made the experience a good mixture of fun and education. We are just one of many groups that Secret Paradise leads in volunteer work. The beach cleanup and conversation during afternoon tea was a great way to learn more about sustainable practices and life on the local islands.
Even if you plan on going to a resort island, it is definitely worth adding a few extra days on a local island to the beginning or end of your trip. Secret Paradise has countless different options to book. You can experience the same amazing Maldives beaches while learning more about the Maldives and the incredible people who live here. If you are interested, read more about our experience with Secret Paradise here.
9. Snorkeling
No trip to the Maldives would be complete without snorkeling. Every island we visited had an incredible house reef close by full of an incredible variety of fish! We loved our week of scuba diving, but you don’t have to dive to see beautiful fish and coral.
One of our favorite snorkeling experiences was near the island of Fulhadhoo. There was a unique coral garden that was home to a countless number of fish. Our guide from Island Luxury Fulhadhoo Boutique Hotel led us around the garden, pointing out the most unique fish and coral.
You never know what you might see snorkeling in the Maldives. There are countless turtles, stingrays and nurse sharks around the country. Several days that we were at the beach we had a harmless nurse shark or stingray swim right past us! If you are interested in snorkeling, I would highly recommend visiting South Ari Atoll to see the gigantic manta rays and whale sharks! We dove with South Ari Dive Center and they offer manta ray and whale shark snorkeling trips to see these amazing animals all year round!
10. Glowing Bioluminescence Beach
With only 3 weeks in this beautiful island country, there are countless other experiences that we would still love to do. One that is at the top of that list is the bioluminescence on Mudhdhoo Island (aka Vaadhoo Island). The videos and pictures that we have seen from other travelers seem surreal. There are entire waves of baby blue fluorescent phytoplankton that light up the water at night. We have seen bioluminescence in other areas, but the view on Mudhdhoo Island seems to be more miraculous than anything else we have seen! We’ve read that the peak season for the bioluminescence is between June – October due to the warmer water.
Hopefully someday we will be able to travel back to this incredible country!
