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Lured in by blinding white sand beaches, impossibly translucent aquamarine oceans, and $90 direct flights from Bangkok we found ourselves in the Maldives. On our way to India, it seemed like the perfect place to relax and rejuvenate before embracing the unrelenting chaos for the foreseeable future. But we’re not necessarily just “lounge on a beach for 2 weeks baking in the sand” kind of people. And we’re definitely not luxury resort people. (Although we gave Kuramathi and LUX* a try in the Maldives and were very surprised by how much we enjoyed it!!) So we hoped, after finding little information online about independent travel to the Maldives that we would be able to entertain ourselves for the duration of our stay. We were hoping for some really cool Maldives excursions.
Our full itinerary can be found here: Island Hopping in the Maldives. Included is the cheapest time to visit the Maldives, a guide to budget-friendly Maldives hotels, and more.
Fortunately, you can visit the Maldives in a more budget-friendly way than the resorts. And there are LOTS more things to do in the Maldives than just beaches. But I’ll be honest, those are pretty spectacular as well.
Here are the best Maldives excursions you can arrange on a lower budget.
Mind you, the Maldives is not a cheap island destination like Koh Kood or Koh Mook, Thailand. It cost us $130 per day for the two of us. These are the “budget-friendly” excursions that we took rather than signing up for the expensive Maldives Vacation Packages or Maldives Tour Packages you find online.
Things to do in the Maldives (Maldives Excursions)
The excursions are the single most expensive part of visiting the Maldives if you’re traveling independently to the inhabited islands. Because there isn’t a way to do them on your own. You have to hire a boat operator to explore this underwater playground. The excursions are also the best of the Maldives and it’s likely you do at least one Maldives boat tour.
Did you know? The major resorts offer many of the same tours as below but for much higher prices. They know that their guests will likely have more money to spend and therefore price-gouge for the same tours. If you want a resort experience, I recommend a visit to Kuramathi. Not only is it locally owned but it has an incredible reef you can snorkel on your own for free! Read about our entire stay here.
These are the excursions we did and the island we did them on.
Full-Day Snorkel Tour (Gulhi) $70 PP
10/10.
Rough Itinerary 9 AM – 4 PM
- Dolphin Watch (Dolphin watching in the Maldives is very popular)
- Snorkel at Fish Tank
- Snorkel at Coral Garden
- Lunch at the Sandbar
- Visit Guraidhoo Island
- Snorkel with Nurse Sharks & String Rays
This excursion was an animal lover’s dream. The entire day was snorkel site after snorkel site. We saw huge pods of dolphins in crystal clear blue water and more tropical fish than you can even imagine. Massive fish. We’ve snorkeled in the Red Sea of Dahab, Hawaii, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand — and never seen such an array of brightly colored fish. Then came the sharks. 10-foot-long Nurse sharks are literally at your fingertips. There were about 8 people on our boat total and none of the snorkel sites were overly crowded except for once when a turtle was spotted.
There are some other excursions and Maldives excursion prices that were offered at our guesthouses and on the islands we visited. This is from Sandy Heaven in Gulhi Island
- PADI DIVE CERIFY GULHI $490
- DIVE $91
Don’t forget your reef-safe sunscreen!
The Maldives has some of the best reefs in the world but they are very delicate. You need SPF 50 for sure and this Australian brand is THE BEST reef-safe sunscreen on the market. We tried 10 different brands and this one worked the best. Now we bring it everywhere.
Whale Shark Excursion (Omadhoo) $130 per person
7/10.
This is one of the unique things to do in the Maldives. Whale Sharks can only be ethically visited in a few countries in the world. This tour is for big animals only. There was very few fish and almost no reef in these areas. It was a lot of sitting in the blazing sun waiting for them to be spotted.
Sample itinerary:
- Manta Ray Snorkel
- Whale Shark Snorkel
- Turtle Snorkel
We recommend that you read this post about whale shark snorkeling to decide if it’s for you. If you do decide to visit you should go from Dhigurah or Fulidhoo rather than Omadhoo.
2024 Update: We have since visited the Maldives several more times and gone searching for whale sharks again from LUX* Resort. This was an excellent experience and we got to see whale sharks for a very long time and up close! Read our full blog post to learn more.
Other Excursions Available in the Maldives…
These are the ones we didn’t get a chance to do that also look appealing.
- Manta Ray Snorkel with migration (Thulisdhoo)
- Shipwreck Snorkel (Fulidhoo)
Excursions were definitely a highlight of our trip to the Maldives. But on many islands, you can see bioluminescent plankton, sharks, rays, and snorkel reefs without the hefty excursion price! So they aren’t totally necessary for a budget Maldives vacation. Check out all our other Maldives blog posts for info on getting around the islands, Gulhi + Omadhoo guides, and a full Maldives itinerary.
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