Maldives: local islands, guesthouses and whale sharks

Arrive in Male

Velana International Airport over the Sinamale Bridge to your hotel in Male

• Welcome dinner
• Nuit : Male
• Environ 18 min de route

Soir

In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a briefing on the week: the ferry and speedboat plan, the dress and alcohol rules on local islands, and what to pack for the reef. Then we walk to a local restaurant for a welcome dinner of Maldivian fish curry, rice and roshi flatbread.

Compris

• Pick-up at Velana International Airport (MLE), at any time
• Welcome briefing with your guide
• Welcome dinner in Male

Male on foot, then the ferry to Maafushi

Male walking tour, then public ferry or speedboat to Maafushi (South Male Atoll)

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Maafushi
• En traversier

Matin

We start at 8 am, before the heat, at the fish market, where the morning catch of skipjack and yellowfin tuna is carried in from the boats and cut on tiled counters. Next door the local market sells areca nuts, chillies, smoked fish and sweet bananas. From there we walk to the Old Friday Mosque, Hukuru Miskiy, built in 1658 from carved coral stone, which we see from outside if it is closed to visitors, and through Sultan Park to the gold-domed Grand Friday Mosque; cover shoulders and knees for the mosques.

Après-midi

Lunch is at a local cafe at about 12.30. The public ferry to Maafushi leaves mid-afternoon (about 3 pm on current MTCC listings, confirmed at booking), so there is an hour or so after lunch to rest at the hotel, where the bags wait, or sit in the shade by the harbour. The crossing takes about 90 minutes, with island families and their shopping. Public ferries do not run on Fridays, so on a Friday, or if the sea is rough, we take a shared speedboat, about 45 minutes.

Soir

The evening is free on Maafushi.

Compris

• Guided walk in Male: the fish market, the local market, the Old Friday Mosque (Hukuru Miskiy, from outside if closed), Sultan Park and the Grand Friday Mosque
• Lunch at a local cafe in Male
• Public ferry from Male to Maafushi (shared speedboat on a Friday or in rough seas)

Reef, turtles and a sandbank

Maafushi by dhoni to the reefs of South Male Atoll and a sandbank, then back to Maafushi

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Maafushi
• En bateau

Matin

After breakfast we board a dhoni, the traditional wooden boat of the Maldives, for a morning on the water with a local snorkel guide. The first stop is a reef where hawksbill and green turtles often feed among the coral, the second a shallower coral garden with parrotfish, butterflyfish and, sometimes, black-tip reef sharks in the shallows. Masks, fins and life jackets are provided, and the guide stays in the water with anyone who is less sure.

Après-midi

We finish on a sandbank, a strip of white sand with nothing on it, for a swim and an hour in the sun before lunch back on Maafushi. The afternoon is free. Maafushi was one of the first inhabited islands to open guesthouses, after the law changed in 2009, so it is busier than most; the bikini beach, the village lanes and the harbour are all within a ten-minute walk.

Soir

In the evening some guests take an optional sunset trip to look for spinner dolphins.

Compris

• Half-day dhoni trip with a local snorkel guide: two reef stops and a sandbank
• Snorkel gear and life jackets
• Lunch on Maafushi

Activités en option

• Sunset dolphin trip by dhoni (price shown at booking)
• Scuba dive with a licensed local dive centre (certified divers or a try-dive)

Across to South Ari Atoll

Maafushi to Dhigurah (South Ari Atoll) by chartered speedboat

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Dhigurah
• En bateau

Après-midi

There are no scheduled boats on this route; if the crossing is too rough, we go back through Male and take the afternoon shared speedboat to Dhigurah instead. Dhigurah means long island in Dhivehi, and it is just that: about 3 km of sand, palms and a single village, with a sandbank that runs out from its southern tip. We arrive in time for lunch at the guesthouse, then the afternoon is yours. Walk the long beach to the sandbank at low tide, swim from the bikini beach, or sleep off the boat. This is our base for three nights, so you unpack once and leave the bags alone until the last morning.

Compris

• Chartered speedboat from Maafushi to Dhigurah for the group, with luggage
• Lunch on Dhigurah

Whale sharks, and dinner with a family

Dhigurah by boat into the South Ari Marine Protected Area, then back to Dhigurah

• Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
• Nuit : Dhigurah
• En bateau

Après-midi

Back on Dhigurah for lunch, the afternoon is free.

Soir

In the evening a family on the island cooks dinner for us at home: mas huni (tuna, coconut and chilli), a fish curry, rice, roshi and sweet tea, and the chance to ask what island life is like after the guesthouses came.

Compris

• Whale shark snorkel trip in the South Ari Marine Protected Area with a local guide
• Reef stop for turtles; manta point when in season
• Lunch on Dhigurah
• Home-cooked dinner with a local family

Activités en option

• Scuba dive at a South Ari site with a licensed local dive centre

A slow day on the long island

Dhigurah: village walk, beach and sandbank

• Petit-déjeuner
• Nuit : Dhigurah

Matin

Your guide leads a short walk through the village after breakfast: the harbour where the fishing boats tie up, the school, the island council office, the small mosque and the vegetable plots behind the houses, with a stop to see how the coconut palms are climbed and tapped. Then the day is yours on the bikini beach, the stretch of sand set aside for visitors where swimwear is fine. Bring a book, snorkel the house reef from the beach, or walk out along the sandbank at the south end, which shifts with the tides.

Après-midi

In the late afternoon we meet at a beach cafe for hedhikaa, the Maldivian tea-time spread of short eats: bajiya (fish samosas), gulha (fried tuna balls) and sweet coconut bites with black tea.

Soir

Dinner is your choice; most guesthouses and cafes serve fresh reef fish grilled to order.

Compris

• Village walk on Dhigurah with your guide
• Hedhikaa afternoon tea at a beach cafe

Activités en option

• Kayak or paddleboard hire from the guesthouse
• Sunset fishing trip by dhoni with a handline

Speedboat back to Male

Dhigurah to Velana International Airport by scheduled speedboat

• Petit-déjeuner
• En bateau

Matin

A last swim before breakfast, while the lagoon is flat and the beach is empty. Then we take the scheduled speedboat from Dhigurah to Velana International Airport, about 1.5 to 2 hours across the channel, landing at the jetty right outside the terminal.

Après-midi

Boats on this route usually leave in the morning and early afternoon, and we put you on the one that fits your flight; book a flight leaving after about 2 pm so there is no rush. We reserve the group's seats and luggage space when we confirm your dates; if the scheduled boat cannot take the whole group, we charter a speedboat for the transfer at no extra cost to you. If you are staying on, the speedboat can drop you in Male instead, and we can book extra nights in Male, Hulhumale or back on a local island. Your guide travels with the group to the airport and checks everyone's flight before saying goodbye.

Compris

• Scheduled speedboat from Dhigurah to Velana International Airport (MLE), with luggage