Maldive Dhoni Cruise - 8 Days

Our adventure begins in Male at our joining hotel. The circumference of the island is little more than 5 kilometres/3 miles, making it easy to explore on foot. Male is a hub of activity, in stark contrast to the laid-back islands of the archipelago that we'll explore in the coming days. If you'd like an airport transfer today, you'll need to arrive at Male International Airport (MLE). For those arriving on time, our tour leader will meet you in the hotel reception at 4pm for the welcome meeting followed by an orientation walking tour of the town. We'll take in the Mosque, and the fish market and stroll along the water's edge to watch the ferries coming and going. Please note that if you'd like to join the orientation tour today, you'll need to arrive at the hotel by 4pm. If you're booking your own flights, we recommend giving yourself at least one hour to clear the airport and make the short transfer to the hotel. Therefore, the latest your flight can arrive is 3pm. If you miss the meeting, our tour leader will leave information with the meeting time for tomorrow in the hotel reception and will inform you of any essential information as soon as you catch up.

This morning, we'll drive to Hulhumale Marina to meet our moored dhoni and crew. We'll have breakfast onboard and our tour leader will take time to introduce the crew and tell us about the boat and our day-to-day living for the coming days. We then begin a four-hour cruise south, passing through the Vaadhoo Canal to the South Male Atoll - a smaller and quieter neighbour to the more developed North Male Atoll. Here, many of the islands are uninhabited and are surrounded by clear turquoise water and reefs. Heading further south, we'll cruise to the Vavuu Atoll, where we'll spend time exploring the picturesque island of Kudiboli. Please note, you don't need special footwear for getting on and off the boat and exploring these islands - most travellers manage just fine in flip-flops. After our island exploration, we'll spend the afternoon snorkelling or relaxing onboard our dhoni. For our first snorkel we plan to enter the sea from the beach or sand bar into relatively calm waters. All subsequent snorkelling and swimming will be directly from the boat, over reefs and into deeper waters. Over the week, we're likely to encounter plenty of underwater fauna. We might be lucky enough to spot green turtles, reef sharks and gigantic manta rays, as well as smaller sting rays and eagle rays. At each stop, we'll also swim amongst a rainbow of small, colourful fish, including the famous Clown Fish. Our knowledgeable local guides will be able to help identify many of the underwater species that we come across. All meals are included on the dhoni. Menus are likely to include freshly caught fish, as well as curries and pasta. Drinking water, tea and coffee are readily available, with alcoholic and soft drinks can be purchased on-board, too. You can pay your bill for drinks at the end of your cruise in USD or by credit card. Cabins are compact but spacious enough for two people. You also have the option to sleep on deck under the stars some nights. Please note that the itinerary is entirely dependent on the local weather, winds and tides. It's very often necessary to adapt the planned itinerary to local conditions.

Today (if weather conditions for the next couple of days allow it) we'll sail south for a further two or three hours, crossing to Meemu Atoll. If the weather stops us from doing that, we'll continue to explore Vaavu Atoll, snorkelling in the turtle reef before cruising on to Loabi Faru to snorkel in the pristine reef there. Back on the dhoni, we'll cruise over to Bongo Veli where we plan to spend the night close to a popular sandbank known for its pristine white sand. We'll have time in the late afternoon to enjoy the white-sand beach, swim and watch the sunset. Later this evening, we can look forward to a barbeque beach banquet in an idyllic spot on the island, laid on by the dhoni crew.

After breakfast., we cruise for about an hour to Ruhhuri Hura for a snorkel in a quieter reef. We travel on a short distance to Acho Kacho Reef nearby for another chance to marvel at the marine life and have a swim and snorkel. Cruising north, we reach the Felidhoo, the administrative centre of Felidhoo Atoll. With a population of about 400, this is the least populated of all the country's administrative centres. Again, we'll take it easy, taking time to visit the village, meet the island's inhabitants and learn about their traditional, yet relaxed, way of life. Please note, not many tourist groups visit the village and it's essential to dress and act respectfully. This includes removing shoes when visiting a house or a mosque.

Now we've gotten into the flow of island living, our daily routine likely includes reading, sunbathing and napping between island exploration and snorkelling. Our first dip in the ocean today is to snorkel over a shipwreck, spotting myriad colourful fish. In the afternoon, we'll pick another suitably sheltered location for our second snorkel of the day. With a subtly different name to our previous day's stop-off, we plan to spend tonight at anchor off Fulidhoo Island. Once again, we'll meet the locals and gain more of an appreciation for their life in this tropical paradise. This evening, we'll enjoy a Bodu Beru performance, the traditional folk music of the country. Please note that during the month of Ramadan it's not possible to arrange the Bodu Beru drumming performance. In 2026 this runs from 17th February to 18th March, and in 2027 from 7th February to 8th March.

For an early morning snorkel today, we'll dip into the waters at Nurse Shark Reef. We'll then start to motor back north for around three hours, crossing the channel once again to South Malee Atoll with time for another snorkel at a sheltered spot.

Our last day on the boat sees us cruising back towards Male. Of course, we'll take the opportunity for a final splash in the water with a spot of snorkelling and swimming, at Maafushi Coral Garden and Stingray Point, before enjoying a farewell meal with our boat crew. If the weather is clear, we'll try to find a natural spot to drop anchor for tonight but most often we find ourselves in Gulhi Falhu Marina.

The trip ends after breakfast on our dhoni in Male. The crew need to start preparing for the next voyage so we are off boarded after breakfast and dropped at the airport for 9am. There are no activities planned today, however, the earliest your flight can depart is 11am. If your flight is departing later in the day, luggage storage facilities are available at the airport for a cost of $6 per item. If you'd like an airport transfer today, you'll need to depart from Male International Airport (MLE).