The Maldives has been called many things: paradise on earth, a honeymoon utopia, and a scuba diver’s dreamscape. With over one thousand islands scattered across twenty-six atolls in the middle of the Indian Ocean, it’s not hard to see why.
The country has close to two hundred resort islands and around a hundred and fifty tourist boats cruising the seas. The remaining islands are either home to locals, or are completely deserted.
I’ve been fortunate enough to visit the country a handful of times, three times visiting resorts in the South Male Atoll and once on a charter boat following the surf in the Southern Male Atolls. Every time I visit the Maldives, I am blown away by how beautiful the islands are, how delicious the food is, and how friendly the locals are.
When you aren’t relaxing on the beach or having a dip in the Indian Ocean, here are twelve things I recommend doing while in the Maldives:
Visit the Male Local Market
Before you jet off to your resort paradise, take some time to explore Male, the capital city of the Maldives. You’ll likely arrive at Velena International Airport on Hulhumale Island, which is connected to Male by a bridge crossing. Driving from the airport to the capital takes under 20 minutes. The B1 bus makes this journey every ten to fifteen minutes between 5:45 am to 2:30 pm daily.
The Male Local Market and Fish Market are located on the island’s northern coast, which means you will need to walk through or around the island to get there from the B1 Bus stops. Since the entire island is just 3.2 square miles, the walk is short and will give you an idea of life in the capital.
The Local Market is a relatively small marketplace teeming with fresh bananas, mangoes, coconuts, and other colorful fruits and vegetables grown on nearby islands like Thoddoo. Almost every stall has bananas hanging from the ceiling, and you can buy three bananas for around 65 cents.
Learn About Maldivian Culture at the National Museum
Now, I haven’t visited the National Museum myself, but I have been told it’s a great place to gain a better understanding of Maldivian culture and the history of the islands. It’s located in Sultan Park in Male, showcasing a collection of natural history exhibits and artifacts like Islamic manuscripts and maps spanning centuries of history on the islands.
The museum is open from 10 am to 4 pm, Sundays through Thursdays, and costs around $7 to enter.
Snorkel Over a Tropical Reef
Snorkeling is not a new idea for a trip to the Maldives, but the reefs are so spectacular here that it’s always worth mentioning. Any resort or hotel you stay at will have access to snorkeling equipment (flippers, snorkel, and a mask) and will usually have an outdoor center with a guide willing to show you which reefs to explore.
House reefs are easy to access from an island shore, while offshore reefs require a boat to get to. The cost of a snorkeling boat trip depends on the island resort you are staying on.
There is an entire world of activity and color under the surface of the Indian Ocean, and the Maldives is home to some of the world’s most exquisite coral reefs. If you’re lucky, you could spot a turtle, anemones, moray eels, and even black-tip sharks.
Pro Tip: Wear a protective second skin to prevent sunburn, use reef-safe sunscreen, and never touch the reef with your feet or your hands. Get the feel of floating at the water’s surface before venturing over shallow reefs.
Get your Scuba Certification at Banana Reef
Banana Reef, located in the North Male Atoll, just a short 15-minute boat trip from the airport island, is known as one of the best places to get a diving certification. It was one of the first dive sites discovered in the country and is home to an incredible ecosystem of schooling fish and moray eels reaching a maximum depth of 30 meters.
You can get your PADI Open Water Diver certificate here – one of the world’s most recognized diving courses. The course lasts three to four days, includes three training dives and four open-water dives, and costs $615 per person.
Most resorts offer private certification experiences that are registered with PADI, too.
Visit a Tidal Sandbank Island
When low tide rolls in, a series of uninhabited sandbanks pop up across the Maldivian atolls. While there isn’t much to see here besides white sand and crystal clear water, visiting these islands is an experience you won’t want to miss.
Pro Tip: If you’re staying at a resort, you might be able to book a private dining experience, picnic, or outing to a sandbank at low tide. It’s pretty special walking along an island that only exists for a few hours of the day.
Surf at an Outer Reef Break
The Maldives is a world-class surfing destination. Many islands have incredible waves that break on the island, called house breaks, while other waves break on shallow reefs along the edge of the atolls. Jumping off a boat and surfing these outer reef breaks is an incredible experience. Just make sure you’re a competent surfer.
Many resorts and hotels offer surf boat trips in the morning and evening, depending on the conditions. If you are a surfer, you might have to pay an additional fee to surf on an island, which is typically limited to a small number of surfers at any given time to avoid crowds.
Pro Tip: Outer reef breaks are not controlled by resorts and can sometimes be very crowded with surf charters and surfers from other islands. Make sure you are confident enough to surf these waves, which often break on shallow, sharp reefs.
Join a Yoga Class
There is no better way to start the day than with some stretches overlooking the Indian Ocean. Resorts usually offer yoga sessions on overwater pavilions, decks, or even on the beach. Depending on your resort, you could pay between $30 and $45 per yoga class.
Swim with Manta Rays at Hanifaru Bay
Located in the Baa Atoll, Hanifaru Bay is known for being a nursing reef for sharks and manta rays. If it’s your dream to see one of these majestic giants within its natural habitat, this is the place to do it.
Manta ray season runs from May to November. To snorkel here, you’ll need to buy a token for between $20 and $30 from your resort or liveaboard boat.
Spend a Day at Maafushi Island
Maafushi Island in the Kaafu Atoll is a local island that welcomes visitors to its shores. Here, you can explore the streets of the town and experience authentic Maldivian culture in action. Here, you can dine at a Maldivian restaurant with your feet in the sand, go snorkeling or diving, and meet and interact with local Maldivians going about their daily lives.
Pro Tip: Regardless of which resort you stay in, I really recommend making the time to visit a nearby island. There are plenty, and most resorts offer transfers to local harbors and even guided tours.
Adopt a Piece of Coral
With warming waters bleaching and killing coral across the Maldivian Atolls, many resorts offer coral adoption programs as a part of their marine conservation efforts. By adopting a piece of coral, you will contribute to restoring and preserving a tropical reef ecosystem.
The experience is hands-on and allows you to tag a piece of man-made coral with your name and place it underwater to (hopefully) grow into a thriving reef some day.
Spend a Night in an Overwater Villa
The Maldives made overwater villas famous, so staying in a villa above the water is a quintessential luxurious Maldivian experience. Many resorts have overwater villas with private swimming pools, hammocks hanging over the reefs, and ladders leading into the ocean.
These rooms are always the most expensive option at any resort, but are totally worth the price.
Master a New Skill with a Maldivian Cooking Lesson
The first time I visited the Maldives, I signed up for a cooking course at the resort I was staying at. During the course, I was taught how to prepare and cook a selection of authentic Maldivian dishes using local ingredients like coconut, fresh fish, and bananas.
I was taken on a tour of the island’s herb and vegetable garden and told how the resort sources its fresh ingredients. After cooking up a storm, I was able to eat my creations against the backdrop of the Indian Ocean. As a price point, a private class at the Como Cocoa Islands costs $95 per person or $75 per person for a group class.