Maldives is an absolute paradise that I am sure everyone has dreamt of visiting for a vacation. As it is mainly famous as a honeymoon destination doesn’t mean bachelors can’t travel to Maldives. Besides the luxurious villas for a perfect honeymoon, Maldives has so much to offer for travelers as well. After the second lockdown ended and Maldives tourism lifted the ban for Indian tourists, I booked a flight to Maldives with 2 of my friends. Here I am sharing a complete itinerary explaining how I explored 6 local islands in Maldives under 30K!
Before You Go
There’s no denying that 2020 has brought many changes in the entire world, across all industries. But the local authorities and tourism operators have found ways to keep everyone safe. All visitors, including children aged 1 or over, must present a negative PCR test on arrival in the Maldives– this must have been issued within 96 hours of departure. Visitors must also fill out a Traveler Health Declaration form 48 hours before the trip.
There is no standard quarantine. The only situation in which you’d likely be placed in quarantine is if you’re screened on arrival at the airport or on arrival at your resort and test positive.
I booked a direct flight from Mumbai to Male. There are more flights available from New Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai as well. For Indians, on arrival visa is available.
Day 1
I like to explore places and connect with the local people to experience the authenticity of that place. I was sure I would get this experience only by staying at the local islands instead of a private island in the Maldives. As some of the local islands opened their doors for visitors, I reserved a place in Maafushi Island. This is a tiny island near to Male airport, allowing travelers to have a Maldives experience with local people around them sampling everyday life, customs, food, and many adventurous activities.
Transport from Male to Maafushi is easily available. Public ferry is available but only twice a day. The best way is to contact your hotel and ask them to arrange a speed boat according to the time of your departure. If you don’t want to wait up for a speedboat then you can also get yourself a Private Boat at $150.
On day 1 we reached Maafushi at 8 in the evening and checked in our hotel. After getting freshen up, we took a small tour of the island and looked for the places which offer activities.
Day 2
To discover the tropical laid-back lifestyle with pristine white beaches, we decided to go to Gulhi Island on day 2. Gulhi is a very small local island of Kaafu Atoll, 20 minutes away from Maafushi Island. Transport to Gulhi is well connected on a daily basis by public ferry except Friday. There is a direct ferry from Maafushi to Gulhi everyday but you must confirm the timings a day before you go as it keeps changing.
Gulhi is very pretty with picturesque beaches on the south and north. It is surrounded by beautiful reefs rich with multi-colored fish and corals. Just wear the snorkeling gear and swim from the boat, you will be in a whole new world.
After spending 4 hours at Gulhi, we came back to Maafushi at 5pm and experienced the most amazing sunset at Bikini Beach with an amazing crowd around!
Day 3
For day 3, we booked a half day activity package which included many fun water activities. There are many options available to book packages like this at Maafushi, and the cost of all packages are almost the same everywhere. The package I bought included snorkeling with Nurse Shark and Manta Rays, Dolphin watching, Fulidhoo Island visit and lunch at Sandbank. The transport with a speedboat and underwater pictures & videos were included in the package.
The tour started at 9.30am where we were given a snorkeling kit and some instructions regarding the day's activities. At first, we went snorkeling where we got a chance to swim with Nurse Shark and saw very beautiful fishes. Then we went to the Dolphin watching where we spent half an hour watching wild dolphins playing in their natural environment, which was surreal. Lunch was served at a sandbank, a natural walkway in the middle of turquoise blue water. We spent an hour there, swimming in crystal-clear water under the bright sun followed by a delicious lunch. We missed snorkeling with manta rays as nothing with wildlife can be 100% guaranteed. Then the boat headed to Fulidhoo island where we got to play with very friendly sting rays at the shore.
Day 4
We reserved day 4 for Scuba Diving because a trip to Maldives is a waste if you didn’t explore the vibrant marine life. Here, you get to explore an underwater kingdom surrounded by untouched coral reefs and the most extraordinary aquatic life. There are many PADI dive centers in Maafushi and are available for both amateurs and certified divers. The scuba dive session for 45 mins costs $50 and this rate is the same everywhere on the local island.
Scuba diving session went from 1pm to 4pm and we still had a half day to go. So with the help of locals I arranged a private speed boat to Guraidhoo island for 5 people, which costed us 1000 MVR. Guraidhoo is a small local island located only 8kms away from Maafushi. We saw the sunset there and walked through the sandy streets of the island and spent some time in local shops. Embraced the boat ride in the sea under the starry sky as it became dark while returning to Maafushi!
Day 5
On our last day in Maldives, we checked out from the hotel at the earliest and caught the public ferry to Male at 7.30am. We reached male by 9am and decided to visit Hulhumale island as we had a day to spare before our flight departures. Hulhumale is an artificial island that is being built up by pumping sand from the sea floor in order to meet the existing and future housing, industrial and commercial development demands of the Male Island and is a delightful blend of urban and island life. We went to the central park and then strolled around the local market and ended up going to the beach. We indulge ourselves by having food by the beach on the various stalls and cafes near the white sand till noon.
We left Hulhumale at 1pm and returned to Male and visited some touristy places in the capital city. We paid a quick visit to Grand Friday Mosque, which is the biggest mosque in Maldives and is the highlight of the island.
Total Cost Per Head -
Male to Maafushi Speedboat - $20,
Maafushi to Gulhi Ferry - $10,
Maafushi to Guraidhoo Private Speedboat - $12.5,
Maafushi to Male Public Ferry - $5,
Snorkeling and Other Activities - $50,
Scuba Diving - $75,
RT-PCR Test - $50,
Taxi for Male - Hulhumale - $5
Hotel at Maafushi - $139
Travel Insurance - 310 INR (Explore Asia)
My favorite memories of Maldives were of trying delicious Mas Huni and Roshi (Shredded smoked tuna fish cooked with grated coconut and chapati like flatbread), watching local families chilling and roaming around the island as the sun went down, having dinner with friends in different cafes and finally meandering through the sleepy local islands seeing life drift on at a relaxed pace!
All in all, my visit to the Maldives was as inspiring as it was relaxing. Pollution free air, crystal clear water, eye soothing sunsets, alluring marine life, coral reefs and the islands themselves affected me greatly. It’s a fascinating country and I’m so excited to have contributed to share these experiences with you all.
I hope you will consider a local experience in The Maldives when planning your holiday and will leave you with some inspiration with this pioneering suggested itinerary!
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