Excursions and attractions

Imagine booking a week at a spa hotel and spending every day sitting in your room.

It is the same in the Maldives. Except that the Maldives' spa is the OCEAN!

And I can assure you it offers far more attractions than anyone could fit into one holiday.

I often hear people who have stayed at resorts say they became bored after a few days. I have always struggled to understand how that is possible in the Maldives. We probably just have different ideas of a holiday. :)

How should you combine excursions?

It matters not just which excursions you choose, but how you combine them.

They are like courses at a good restaurant: starters, mains and desserts. If everything arrives at once, or you start with dessert, the enjoyment is not the same. :)

It is not a good idea to cram lots of similar activities into one day, especially ones involving swimming. Alternate different experiences and leave time to enjoy them.

I have explained why in more detail, with specific examples, in the post How and why should we combine excursions?. I recommend reading it before planning your excursions.

Before setting off on an excursion, bear in mind that conditions out on the ocean may be very different from those on the island. The decision of experienced guides and the captain about whether to go out matters more than your original plan. Tanya has explained in detail why excursion safety should not be underestimated.

Underwater!

Snorkelling is the most accessible activity in the Maldives, and also one of the most interesting.

If you have chosen an island with a good, easily accessible reef, this excursion is practically part of your all-inclusive package. Put on your mask and fins, and enter a world where you can spend hours without noticing the time.

However wonderful one reef is, remember that you should see another too 😊

Yes, reefs differ. A reef does not even have to have an island: some of the most beautiful ones I have swum over have no island above them at all — just underwater mountains hidden beneath the ocean's surface.

The underwater world is so full of life that describing it all would produce more than anyone could possibly read.

Many of its inhabitants offer opportunities for special encounters.

On each return visit, my first excursion is usually to say “hello” to the magnificent mantas. It is one of the most impressive experiences the Maldives offers.

Imagine an enormous bird flying underwater, sometimes with a wingspan of several metres. It moves so smoothly and elegantly that it seems almost motionless. Until you try to follow it. Then you discover how quickly it can “fly” away. :)

Mantas are magnificent, but that experience has some serious competition.

Swimming with turtles, sharks, whale sharks, rays, octopuses and shoals of hundreds of different fish will keep you wondering which you like best.

I will let you in on one of the secrets you can find in the posts: the fish-feeding excursion. Near Rasdhoo, there is a huge, isolated coral formation that is home to hundreds of little fish. Those fish will make your eyes pop. And I mean literally: they swim so close around you that you cannot see your hands held in front of your mask.

And when you have had enough of being wet, dry land is waiting to amaze you.

Sandbank — a tiny patch of sand surrounded by ocean. The locals leave you there with an umbrella, loungers, drinks and something to eat.

First, you marvel at the view. Then you take five million identical photos showing how completely alone you are in the middle of the ocean. Then another 3, just in case.

And finally, you start scanning the horizon and wondering: “Hang on, they aren't going to forget us here, are they?” :)

There are trips to uninhabited islands too, where you can spend a few hours swimming, walking around and having a picnic.

Did I forget to mention dolphins? Even if I did, they will not forget you — they are bound to find you while you are out on an excursion.

And of course — fishing!

Night fishing, morning fishing, daytime fishing, trolling, jigging… For anglers, the Maldives is a universe of its own.

But even if you have never held a fishing rod, you can try night fishing. Board the boat at sunset, head out into the ocean and fish with the simplest equipment imaginable.

And if your catch is then barbecued under the palms, the evening may become one of the most memorable of the whole holiday.

I have devoted a separate article to fishing, because the subject is… extensive, to put it mildly. :)

And it is not all boats and ocean

Some of the most interesting experiences happen on the island itself.

When we asked our host how Maldivian breakfast is made, he said his wife prepares it early in the morning. Could we watch? He asked his wife, of course, and the next day we had a unique masterclass — now we can make it ourselves. It became an “excursion” we took friends on in later years too.

Oh, how I love the Maldives!

And after all these years, I am still discovering new places, new reefs and new experiences.

Because even a day when you have planned nothing special can turn into an adventure there.