The Maldives is an island archipelago 466 miles (750 km) south of Asia’s mainland. The stunning island nation boasts gorgeous scenes of crystal blue oceans, sandy white beaches, lagoons, and thousands of coral reefs and colorful fish.
The Maldives is also known as “the tropical paradise.” Every year, travelers from all corners of the world make their way to this idyllic tropical haven for the best luxury vacation in the Maldives.
When going on a Maldives vacation, you can expect a sea of all-inclusive resorts, luxury tours, and fun water activities like snorkeling, surfing, parasailing, and diving.
In this guide, you’ll find the top-recommended luxury tours and excursions in the Maldives.
Best Maldives Tours
Maldives luxury tours provide you with great comfort while sightseeing and exploring the islands. The Maldives boasts plenty of 5-7 day tours on deluxe cruises, private island hopping, and swimming with marine life.
These tours will give an authentic Maldivian experience, from picturesque views on sandbanks to small fishing villages. The Maldives also has several luxury hotels and resorts suitable for all kinds of travelers.
Go Ocean does not organize tours for travelers. You can book these with the assistance of a hotel concierge as part of your all-inclusive resort package. Below you’ll find a list of the top-recommended luxury tours in the Maldives.
Have a look at the 15 best luxury tours in the Maldives.
Maldives Dhoni Cruise
Go on this 7-day luxury cruise in the Maldives. The starting and endpoint can vary according to your request. This guided cruise sails through the South Male Atoll and Felidhu Atholhu, giving you access to uncover isolated beaches, swim, and snorkel in the coral reefs.
Plus, you’ll get to savor local cuisine in fishing villages scattered across the archipelago. The cruise is suitable for a small group and includes accommodation, meals, transportation, snorkeling gear, and more.
Another highly recommended activity is cruising on a luxury yacht. These private charters are uniquely offered by resorts with their own yachting boats. On the cruise, you’ll enjoy water activities like luxury fly fishing exclusive to the COMO Maalifushi resort, and other adventures like sports fishing and diving.
Marine Wildlife of the Maldives
A favorite among tourists, the Marine Wildlife of the Maldives tour is a 7-day trip on a gulet. This tour also starts and ends in Male but will take you through Khudarah, Guraidhoo, South Male Atoll, and four other prime locations in the Maldives. You’ll discover picturesque atolls and pristine beaches while exploring the private islands and snorkeling with sea turtles and whale sharks.
Maldives Culture & Beaches Private Island Hopping
Go on an 8-day adventure island hopping in the breathtaking South Male Atoll. Also, starting in Male, this guided tour takes you through Hulhumale and Maafushi in the Maldives. The trip also encourages intimate interactions with local families, with all basic amenities included. You may join them for dinner and fully immerse yourself in Maldivian culture.
Maldives Active Adventure
The Maldives may be a vacation spot, but that does not mean you have to spend your days lounging and sunbathing. The Maldives Active Adventure is an 8-day dynamic tour around Male.
On the first day of the trip, the tour crew will transport you from the airport to the accommodation. The adventure begins on day two with kayaking, snorkeling, and a delicious picnic for lunch. You’ll be on land, exploring Gan Island via Jeep on day three.
You’ll spend the rest of the trip exploring more of the island’s hidden gems on a bicycle and doing other water activities like scuba diving and paddleboarding.
Maldives Sailing Safari
If you’re looking for a special private tour, consider the Maldives Sailing Safari. This 8-day tour offers a fully guided sailing cruise, yachting, and unique activities like night fishing and beach barbeques.
The tour goes through Guraidhoo in Male’s south atoll, where you can go swimming, sightseeing, and exploring the Maldivian capital. After that, you’ll sail to Vaavu Atoll, enjoying some traditional Hedika (local snacks and tea) and fishing with the local fishermen.
This sailing safari is available for private booking by groups of 2-14 people. Depending on the group size, they offer a wide range of boats, from deluxe catamarans to bigger gulet-style Turkish sailing boats.
Parasailing Experience
See the Maldives from a bird’s eye view on this parasailing tour. This exhilarating 15-minute ride is perfect for experiencing the incredible island archipelago from above. After safely landing, take a few hours to explore the island’s colorful buildings, sandbanks, and turquoise blue oceans.
This parasailing experience and all other watersports activities are offered in many luxury resort packages. Go Ocean can help you find the resort most suitable for your requirements.
Sunset Fishing Trip
Experience some of the best sunsets in the world on this fishing tour. If you have never gone fishing, there’s no need to panic, the tour guide will teach you fishing techniques, and provide you with all the fishing gear.
A local fish BBQ will be available at the end of the tour. This may come at an additional cost, so better to check with the hotel.
Maldives Submarine Tour From Male
Once you’ve explored the Maldives from land and sky, you can complete the trio by seeing its islands underwater. Explore the banks of Male in a German-built passenger submarine for 45-minutes and discover colorful fish and coral reefs.
Full-Day Male Walking Tour
Get to know more about the Maldives on a full-day walking tour of Male. On the tour, you’ll stop at notable sights such as the local fish market, the Friday Mosque, the President’s Palace, and Sultan Park. You’ll have access to a tour guide, so don’t worry about missing any landmarks. The tour includes a lunch break at a waterside restaurant; note that this may be out-of-pocket.
Whale Sharks & Manta Rays Snorkeling With Dolphin Watching
If you love animals and thrilling activities, consider going on this shark and dolphin-watching tour. Knowing where to see the Maldives’ marine life may be challenging without the proper insight. On this guided tour, you’ll go to the natural habitat of manta rays and whale sharks.
Go snorkeling and get a closer look at these animals; you may also catch a dolphin sighting. After the tour, you’ll enjoy a picnic on the sandbanks before heading back to the resort.
It’s worth noting that this unique excursion is seasonal and only available from a handful of luxury locations. Luckily, Go Ocean can help you find a resort that can organize it depending on the season.
Maldives Local Food Tour
Explore Maldivian cuisine by going on a local food tour. This tour exposes you to the traditional and South-West Asian-inspired dishes like steam or flavored rice, such as biryani, and a hand-rolled, soft, flatbread called ‘roshi’. You’ll learn about the nation as each spice is connected to the Maldives’ history one way or another.
Maafushi: Kite Surfing & Wind Surfing
Another way to see the nation from above is through kite and wind surfing. Take a tour to Maafushi island and experience the beauty of the Maldives for an uninterrupted 45 minutes. This tour typically offers a lesson and try-out package for beginners, while expert surfers can pick only the try-out.
Villimalé Eco Walking Tour
Located just 15 minutes from Male, Villimalé Eco is a hidden gem that most tourists miss. The 4-hour guided tour will show you the ins and outs of the small island, from meeting the locals to learning about environmental conservation efforts in the area.
Then you can end the trip with a full hedika experience. The hedika is a Maldivian cuisine consisting of teatime snacks made of a mixture of sweet and savory delicacies, which are often deep-fried in oil.
Scuba Diving in the Maldives
If you love snorkeling, consider taking it a step further and see the Maldives’ deep ocean and marine life by going on a scuba diving tour. The island nation has 560 miles (900 km) of coast. You’ll see everything from old shipwrecks, and coral reefs, to multiple fish species, and other marine life like whale sharks and manta rays.
Water Sports Combo – Jet Ski, Kayak & Tube ride
If you love fun and adrenaline-pumping activities, this water sports combo tour is for you. The tour included three water activities: jet skiing, kayaking, and rube riding. The tour happens around the shallow seawater of the island and takes about an hour and a half.
This water sports combo tour is available in predominantly all oceanfront luxury hotels and Go Ocean can help with recommendations.
Travel Packages Maldives
As mentioned above, resort packages seldom include travel costs in their offerings. Thus, you may have to pay for your travel expenses out-of-pocket. To estimate how much the Maldives trip will cost, you’ll first need to know how long it takes to get there.
Maldives travel packages will typically include 3-5 night stays at an all-inclusive resort, daily meals, sightseeing tours, excursions, return tickets, and transportation around the island.
The price of these packages will vary depending on the resort’s location, star rating, and amenities. These packages are suitable for family getaways, or couples’ trips to the Maldives.
Maldives Excursions & Tours – Final Thoughts
Although many people visit the Maldives island archipelago for the tropical paradise it is, they often get overwhelmed when trying to tackle the island’s many tourist attractions and activities.
After spending a long flight traveling to the Maldives, take some time to uncover some of the best things you should see or do on the local, inhabited islands.
Take a Male’ City guided tour and discover many picturesque views around the capital. You’ll be provided with a well-informed instructor who speaks the language of your choice, whether it’s English, Spanish, French, or Italian.
Then visit the most popular tourist hub, the Male Fish Market, and see skilled fishermen’s angling and prepping process. Alternatively, you can catch your own fish at the Maafushi sunset fishing tour, where you’ll later enjoy a local Maldivian barbeque dinner.
The Maldives is full of luxury tours and attractions, to find and experience the best ones, ensure to liaise with your hotel or resort concierge staff.
