4-Night Maldives Guided Local Experience from Male' Airport
Overview
Your 4-night Maldives experience provided by TripAdvisor's leading Hulhumale based tour company, allows you to travel inexpensively or combine a local island stay with a traditional resort holiday.
View the beauty of the Maldives islands, snorkel, enjoy optional water sports, and become acquainted with local customs through food and interaction with locals. Your tour offers an excellent way to combine both styles of vacation, particularly because your tours begins and ends at the Male International Airport. Your guided small-group tour can accommodate 8 guests. Round-trip shared transfer from Male International Airport included.
Private tours available upon request.
View the beauty of the Maldives islands, snorkel, enjoy optional water sports, and become acquainted with local customs through food and interaction with locals. Your tour offers an excellent way to combine both styles of vacation, particularly because your tours begins and ends at the Male International Airport. Your guided small-group tour can accommodate 8 guests. Round-trip shared transfer from Male International Airport included.
Private tours available upon request.
Inclusions
- 4 nights Guesthouse accommodation
- Experienced English Speaking Local guide
- Use of Snorkelling equipment
- Round-trip shared transfer by speedboat
- All activities mentioned in itinerary
- All Local Tax
- 4x Breakfast
- 4x Dinner
- Accommodation included: 4 nights
- 1x Lunch
What to expect
Itinerary
Day 1: ARRIVAL & EXPLORE MAAFUSHI
Stop At: Maldives, Maldives
Arrive Velana International Airport (MLE) where you will be greeted by your guide, who will assist you with your public speedboat transfer to your local island in South Male Atoll. The speedboat takes 40 minutes to journey across the Indian Ocean to Maafushi where you can view the beauty of the many Maldives islands that pass you by, keeping your eyes open for dolphins.
Upon arrival at your guesthouse you will have time to settle in before exploring the island with your guide to get yourself acquainted with the layout and to observe Maldives local life.
Your guide will explain the history of local tourism including the positive and negative impacts on the islands and local communities. Leave a positive impact by planting a palm tree with your guide.
Afterwards, experience traditional ‘hedikaa’ – Maldivian savoury and sweet snacks served with black tea at a local cafe.
Dinner will be served at your guesthouse.
Duration: 12 hours
Meals included:
•
Accommodation included: Stingray Beach Inn
Selected to provide comfort, local feel and value for money.
Day 2: SNORKEL TOUR & LOCAL DINNER
Stop At: Maafushi Island, Maafushi Island
Breakfast this morning is served at your guesthouse before being taken out by boat to enjoy a 90 minute guided snorkelling trip to nearby reefs to discover the underwater world of the Maldives.
Join your guide on a house reef snorkelling tour to discover the story of Renee's Coral Garden and discuss the importance of seagrass ecosystems.
The remainder of the afternoon is yours to relax or for those feeling a little more energetic, take advantage of the many water sport options available including kayaking and diving.
This evening after dinner, your guide will introduce you to the work of Olive Ridley Project to give you an insight on their studies on turtles, preparing you for a possible turtle encounter during snorkelling tomorrow.
Duration: 1 day
Meals included:
•
•
Accommodation included: Stingray Beach Inn
Day 3: SNORKELING, SANDBANK AND PICNIC LUNCH
Stop At: Maafushi Island, Maafushi Island
Following breakfast you will be taken by speedboat to an idyllic sandbank just a short distance from Maafushi. Here you have the opportunity to swim, snorkel or just lie back and relax.
A picnic lunch will be served before we head off to snorkel in search of turtles. The soft corals available on this reef usually mean its lunchtime all the time for turtles!
On the return journey to Maafushi cruise the Indian Ocean and hopefully spot dolphins.
This evening dinner is taken at a local cafe.
Duration: 1 day
Meals included:
•
•
•
Accommodation included: Stingray Beach Inn
Day 4: GULHI ISLAND VISIT
Stop At: Gulhi Island, Gulhi Island
Following an early breakfast we take a short journey by public ferry to the quiet local island of Gulhi where your guide will accompany you on a tour of the island. Visit the boat yard to stand in awe at the size of the boats under renovation, chat with the ladies sweeping the streets and finally refresh yourself with a cool Kurumba (coconut) watching the comings and goings at the harbour. Ready for relaxation you can choose to head to the bikini beach or for the more energetic join your guide for a final snorkeling opportunity on the house reef of Gulhi.
Duration: 6 hours
Meals included:
•
•
Accommodation included: Stingray Beach Inn
Day 5: MALE CITY TOUR & DEPARTURE
Stop At: Male, Male
Depart to Male by public speedboat. Your guide will accompany you on a city walking tour.
Duration: 3 hours
Meals included:
•
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 1: ARRIVAL & EXPLORE MAAFUSHI
Stop At: Maldives, Maldives
Arrive Velana International Airport (MLE) where you will be greeted by your guide, who will assist you with your public speedboat transfer to your local island in South Male Atoll. The speedboat takes 40 minutes to journey across the Indian Ocean to Maafushi where you can view the beauty of the many Maldives islands that pass you by, keeping your eyes open for dolphins.
Upon arrival at your guesthouse you will have time to settle in before exploring the island with your guide to get yourself acquainted with the layout and to observe Maldives local life.
Your guide will explain the history of local tourism including the positive and negative impacts on the islands and local communities. Leave a positive impact by planting a palm tree with your guide.
Afterwards, experience traditional ‘hedikaa’ – Maldivian savoury and sweet snacks served with black tea at a local cafe.
Dinner will be served at your guesthouse.
Duration: 12 hours
Meals included:
•
Accommodation included: Stingray Beach Inn
Selected to provide comfort, local feel and value for money.
Day 2: SNORKEL TOUR & LOCAL DINNER
Stop At: Maafushi Island, Maafushi Island
Breakfast this morning is served at your guesthouse before being taken out by boat to enjoy a 90 minute guided snorkelling trip to nearby reefs to discover the underwater world of the Maldives.
Join your guide on a house reef snorkelling tour to discover the story of Renee's Coral Garden and discuss the importance of seagrass ecosystems.
The remainder of the afternoon is yours to relax or for those feeling a little more energetic, take advantage of the many water sport options available including kayaking and diving.
This evening after dinner, your guide will introduce you to the work of Olive Ridley Project to give you an insight on their studies on turtles, preparing you for a possible turtle encounter during snorkelling tomorrow.
Duration: 1 day
Meals included:
•
•
Accommodation included: Stingray Beach Inn
Day 3: SNORKELING, SANDBANK AND PICNIC LUNCH
Stop At: Maafushi Island, Maafushi Island
Following breakfast you will be taken by speedboat to an idyllic sandbank just a short distance from Maafushi. Here you have the opportunity to swim, snorkel or just lie back and relax.
A picnic lunch will be served before we head off to snorkel in search of turtles. The soft corals available on this reef usually mean its lunchtime all the time for turtles!
On the return journey to Maafushi cruise the Indian Ocean and hopefully spot dolphins.
This evening dinner is taken at a local cafe.
Duration: 1 day
Meals included:
•
•
•
Accommodation included: Stingray Beach Inn
Day 4: GULHI ISLAND VISIT
Stop At: Gulhi Island, Gulhi Island
Following an early breakfast we take a short journey by public ferry to the quiet local island of Gulhi where your guide will accompany you on a tour of the island. Visit the boat yard to stand in awe at the size of the boats under renovation, chat with the ladies sweeping the streets and finally refresh yourself with a cool Kurumba (coconut) watching the comings and goings at the harbour. Ready for relaxation you can choose to head to the bikini beach or for the more energetic join your guide for a final snorkeling opportunity on the house reef of Gulhi.
Duration: 6 hours
Meals included:
•
•
Accommodation included: Stingray Beach Inn
Day 5: MALE CITY TOUR & DEPARTURE
Stop At: Male, Male
Depart to Male by public speedboat. Your guide will accompany you on a city walking tour.
Duration: 3 hours
Meals included:
•
No accommodation included on this day.
Additional information
- Not wheelchair accessible
- The Maldives is a Muslim country and therefore alcohol is not available on local islands. Subject to availability day/evening, visits to resorts can be arranged.
- Bikinis are not permitted on local island beaches; however, our guesthouses offer access to bikini beach, private gardens or private beach areas for guests
- The Maldives is a Muslim country and care needs to be taken in relation to the dress code on local islands. While it is acceptable for men to wear t-shirts and shorts or swim shorts, females should avoid causing offence by maintaining a more conservative approach to clothes by wearing t-shirts, loose shorts or sarongs. While the islands we visit are more tolerant of guests wearing traditional beachwear, females should avoid wearing bikinis and swimwear unless on an uninhabited island, picnic island, sandbank, screened off tourist beach, dive boat or resort island
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- No prior visa arrangements are required. Tourists are issued a 30-day visa on arrival. A passport valid for 1 month and travel documents (flight tickets) are necessary
- Safety has always been important to our business, this is why our guides are Emergency First Responders & Life Guard Certified. We are pleased to offer safe travel and hygiene standards as required by the World Travel & Tourism Council and Maldives Safe Tourism Guidelines. Private tours available upon request.
- Most travelers can participate
- The online traveler declaration form IMUGA must also be completed within the 96 hour period prior to arrival in the Maldives
- Face masks required for travelers in public areas
- Face masks required for guides in public areas
- Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
- Social distancing enforced throughout experience
- Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
- Gear/equipment sanitized between use
- Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized
- Guides required to regularly wash hands
- Regular temperature checks for staff
- Temperature checks for travelers upon arrival
- Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
- COVID-19 vaccination required for guides
- All our guide team are: * Have been trained on HPA (Maldives Health Protection Agency) How to Identify & Manage Suspected cases of COVID19 for Tourist Operations. * Emergency First Responder Certified * Level Three International Life Guard Certified
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travelers
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 7 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received within 48 hours, subject to availability
Ticket delivery
You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
Cancellation
If you cancel at least 7 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure, there is no cancellation fee.
If you cancel between 3 and 6 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure, there is a 50 percent cancellation fee.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, there is a 100 percent cancellation fee.
If you cancel between 3 and 6 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure, there is a 50 percent cancellation fee.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, there is a 100 percent cancellation fee.
anncH5818KL
January 2020
We have just returned from a 2 centre trip with Secret Paradise visiting Maafushie and Gulhi. We loved the snorkelling and felt very safe with our guide Kamey. At the same time the tour gave us first hand experience of every day life on the islands, a meal with a local family, hedikaa (aftern...
We have just returned from a 2 centre trip with Secret Paradise visiting Maafushie and Gulhi. We loved the snorkelling and felt very safe with our guide Kamey. At the same time the tour gave us first hand experience of every day life on the islands, a meal with a local family, hedikaa (afternoon tea and snacks) and accommodation in local guesthouses. All the arrangements were well organised and we had a good balance of free time and organised time. Very many thanks David and AnnMonica A
August 2019
Secret paradise has supported us so much in organizing our trip to Maldives I think they made eveything so easy by email, and then even easier when we met them LIVE.I recommend to book through them to have a great experience and forget about all problems! We arrived in Malè airport and Mashir was...
Secret paradise has supported us so much in organizing our trip to Maldives I think they made eveything so easy by email, and then even easier when we met them LIVE.I recommend to book through them to have a great experience and forget about all problems! We arrived in Malè airport and Mashir was there waiting for us, super friendly maldivian guy! He carried my heavy luggage up to the office and then brough us around Malè. The walking tour in Malè increased our overall experience of maldives and I highly suggest it to everyone. Then we had the trip to Dighurah and the Whale Shark tour which was amazing! One afternoon we got the tour on the island by a local young guy, very interesting. We loved our stay! Digurah is such a nice island and is long enough to allow trekking! after this tour we went for some days to a resort, but going back in time I would have made my full vacation in the local island!LinaEE
July 2019
We went on this tour and were absolutely not disappointed. The snorkeling trips were stunning. We saw eels, plenty of colorful fish, turtles, manta rays and dolphins! The sand bank was breath taking with white sand. The water was clear as crystal. We saw a peace of heaven for a reasonable price. ...
We went on this tour and were absolutely not disappointed. The snorkeling trips were stunning. We saw eels, plenty of colorful fish, turtles, manta rays and dolphins! The sand bank was breath taking with white sand. The water was clear as crystal. We saw a peace of heaven for a reasonable price. This trip was worth every penny and my husband and I will be coming back! By the way, our tour guide, Marsh, was a sweetheart and the best guide we’ve ever had! He went above and beyond to help us out with everything!!!! E.g when we found out our luggage had missed the plane, he organized everything to get our luggage back. Marsh, thank you for everything. We had a great time with you and the tour! You guys made my husband‘s 40th birthday unforgettable! Cheers Minh und LinaCarlG1246
July 2019
A very wonderful experience in Maldives... we are currently here.. in one of the local islands in Dhigurah. We have a private guide Ub from Secret Paradise with us who is making our dream come true.. leading us to the best places and activities around the island, giving us tips and help whenever ...
A very wonderful experience in Maldives... we are currently here.. in one of the local islands in Dhigurah. We have a private guide Ub from Secret Paradise with us who is making our dream come true.. leading us to the best places and activities around the island, giving us tips and help whenever we need. He even takes pictures of us and is really nice to be with. Those of you who would like to come to a local island, be not afraid ..since you find serenity and friendly people. You also find anything you need with well equipped guesthouses and food for international cultures (not just traditional food). Thumbs up Ub !!AmsterdamselTours
April 2019
I was looking for a way to avoid the isolating resort-style vacation in the Maldives before my diving live-aboard, and Secret Paradise served as a great outlet into real island life and food, which I was afraid I would not get on the exorbitant resort compounds. Ruth is in charge, and was able to...
I was looking for a way to avoid the isolating resort-style vacation in the Maldives before my diving live-aboard, and Secret Paradise served as a great outlet into real island life and food, which I was afraid I would not get on the exorbitant resort compounds. Ruth is in charge, and was able to add me very last minute to an existing four day trip to Guraidhoo, where we stayed in a basic hotel owned by a native retired tuna fisherman. The package enabled my meeting him and his family, eating at their home twice. That was most wonderful and I'll never forget the tuna curry for breakfast with dahl and other delights like coconut sembal. I could eat their food everyday and not get bored. Activities included snorkelling mainly and a tour of Male capital city and the island we stayed on. They have boats and excursions already set up, so it's the convenience and attention that warrants the pricing you see. Maldives is an expensive place, no matter what you do. Guides were super attentive and friendly; they were Maldivians who share their culture, history, and fun facts really well. They are service oriented -- they wouldn't even leave my side at the airport until they saw I'd safely stowed my luggage in storage and knew exactly where I was going. They need to be stricter with novice snorkelers who had no idea about protecting the fragile coral, oblivious to the ancient life they were destroying with their fins. Please when you go to the Maldives or anywhere with marine life, don't be that silly person.KenishaC3
December 2018
I reached out to Ruth (Secret Paradise Maldives) a week before my trip to the Maldives. This trip was a last minute decision to swing by the Maldives after attending a wedding in Mumbai, India. The Maldives was very last minute trip and I wanted to make the best out of the short time there. Ruth ...
I reached out to Ruth (Secret Paradise Maldives) a week before my trip to the Maldives. This trip was a last minute decision to swing by the Maldives after attending a wedding in Mumbai, India. The Maldives was very last minute trip and I wanted to make the best out of the short time there. Ruth responded right away via email, via phone, and also via Facebook! We had several exchanges before Ruth came up with an itinerary that included everything I’d asked for. Fast forward to the actually trip and both Ruth and my travel companion greeted me at the airport. Everything went as planned and my travel companion Kamey was able to further customize my experience on the go if I was too tired to complete all the activities. It was well worth every penny. I had a peace and was able to go on auto pilot knowing that my travel companion, Kamey, would ensure we covered the full itinerary. Kamey knows everything about everything. His wealth of knowledge is far beyond any guide I’ve interacted with. Kamey was able to tell me how my body works when swimming leading me to snorkel without a life vest for hours! There were many firsts on this trip including the night fishing where I got to eat my catch. I couldn’t imagine a better trip to the Maldives. Thank you Secret Paradise.