Maldive Dhoni Cruise

Due to weather conditions we missed the island braai. Basin in bathroom very awkward position/ I practical. Was the second time loved it the crew were very efficient.

Beautiful and relaxing holiday. Moosa the Tour guide made it with his knowledge of the Maldives and great snorkelling spots. Staff very friendly and helpful. Couldn’t complain at all.

Great guide. Great captain

Highly recommend the Maldives boat trip. The crew and tour leader were all lovely. The boat was clean and comfortable, despite the cabins being a bit small. The food was plentiful and delicious. And the snorkelling was fabulous! The Maldives are a different world and this is a real "get away from it all" holiday.

Another amazing Maldives cruise friendly guests and great crew, amazing food, 3 meals a day, served from small galley

Great trip and itinerary. Unfortunately the weather meant some parts couldn't be completed but clearly this is outside their control. Our tour gide, Riz, was great to start with but as the weather deteriorated so did his interest and he rather checked ot. The captain was fantastic and took over interacting with the group, despite limited English.

Explore have done it again, with a wonderful trip, led by a most competent tour leader. And the crew of the Dhoni could not do enough for us. Alas, while I appreciate the threat of climate change, the Maldives is rapidly moving to overdevelopment and I would urge anyone thinking of going there to do so sooner rather than later - and to stay as far as possible from Male...

Honestly one of the best holidays I have ever been on, made all the more amazing by our local, super knowledgeable and amazingly awesome guide, Moosa. He ensured the whole group had a fantastic, safe and authentic experience along with the captain and crew. Moosa and our captain used their experience to always find the best snorkelling spots depending on weather and currents which led to us seeing as much underwater wildlife as possible in the best conditions. In addition, we had such a variety of food and very comfortable accommodation. I highly recommend this tour for anyone who loves snorkelling and exploring island life.

Moosa was knowledgeable friendly and very entertaining. Brilliant guide. I would improve nothing. More purple noodles please !

This was hands down the best Explore trip we have been on. The route we took through the Atolls was so well planned. Two snorkels a day - awesome fish, sharks (of the reef variety), Turtles, Rays, Dolphins!! Our guide (Moosa) was excellent as were our onboard crew. The boat was also great - nice cabins and aircon. Lots of time to relax and take in the scenery. Cannot recommend highly enough!!

A fantastic trip which far exceeded my expectations. I was hoping for some good snorkelling but the close (sometimes VERY) close encounters with sting rays, green and hawksbill turtles, and sharks will remain in the memory for a long, long time. Fed like kings (how on earth the chef managed to dish up some sumptuous feasts from a small galley!) with an ever friendly and helpful crew, and one of the best (and enthusiastic) tour leaders.

Starting with the positives: the boat, crew and tour guide were excellent. Accommodation on board was comfortable and the food, produced freshly for each meal from a tiny kitchen, was amazing. However, I think the trip notes should make it clearer that the snorkelling takes place in open ocean on reefs that soar up from the ocean depths and is accessed by rubber dinghy. Perhaps naively, I had expected to be snorkelling around reefs from island beaches. You should be a very confident swimmer and, ideally, not a novice at snorkelling. It is also worth mentioning that alcohol on board the boat is certainly available, but only by the bottle. For budgeting purposes, 1 litre gin was $50, a bottle of wine was $40 and beers were $5 for a small can.

Excellent trip, got to see so much. Hi the guide was the top man, so much knowledge.

Boat needs a makeover and some nice loungers.

Loved the trip, our crew were amazing and our guide Hi went above and beyond to ensure we saw everything and got the most from the experience, he was brilliant. The reason I didn’t give top marks for the accommodation is because the mattress in the cabins are a little thin and it bothered my hips a bit.

It was a lovely holiday. The crew were amazing and the tour guide High (Mohammed) was such a lovely young man and made the trip very special. The food was amazing too.

Amazing trip this is my second time doing it and High is an amazing person and great leader. Would be great to mix up the itinerary a bit to see whale sharks or mantas.

This tour is a great way to experience the Maldives. We were lucky with fantastic weather and the benefit of a live aboard is you get to experience more different atolls and reefs than being based on one island. Saw so much sea life and corals both from the boat and in the water. Food was plentiful and delicious. The accommodation is basic but as described. If you want to relax and love the water this is the trip for you

A truly unforgettable experience - would highly recommend!!! Our week was a glorious mix of snorkelling, eating, relaxing, swimming at sunrise….so many happy memories. The snorkelling was incredible, like nothing I’ve ever done before. Saw a new tropical fish every minute I think! And at the shipwreck the fish ate out of your hands. Swimming with turtles and nurse sharks was (another) highlight for me. One massive plus was being able to sleep on deck - no mosquitoes, and instead you could see the whole Milky Way as you drifted off….truly epic. And the food! The chef was a magician making all that on the boat for us! With a little help from us with the fish we caught - another first for me. Our tour guide Hai was the cherry on top of the excellent itinerary - so knowledgable and fun, nothing was too much trouble. So a massive thank you to him and the whole crew. Overall it was a MUCH better way of seeing the Maldives than a resort, and I would happily do this tour again and again.

The tour was a very enjoyable and relaxing way to end 2024 (7-15 December). Our tour leader Mohamed Hailami (High) and the crew of Gulfaam were excellent - nothing was too much trouble and they worked hard to make it a memorable holiday. The food on the dhoni was very good - plentiful and varied. The snorkelling catered to all abilities and covered a variety of environments - particular highlights were the sunken boat and swimming with nurse sharks and cuttlefish. Through coaching and feedback from High and the captain I learned how to duck dive, make better use of my GoPro and fish with a line. The latter was with limited success but considerable pleasure - failing to catch any fish while sitting in the tender in the middle of the sea under the stars is one of my favourite memories of the week. Thanks to High and the crew for a great trip.

Absolutely loved my Dhoni snorkelling adventure in the Maldives. Magic! The sealife was sublime - the hawksbill turtles, dolphins, tropical fish and sharks were phenomenal. Unfortunately the coral was extensively bleached but trying to rejuvenate. Our guide Teddie was exceptional, skilled at positioning our small group in the best snorkelling spots and capturing it/ us on camera. The crew worked tirelessly - Chef Asitha and Waiter Libee produced delicious banquets for every meal, .Captain Anees took us where we needed to go and Rahul kept a watchful eye whilst we were snorkelling and kept things ship-shape. As expected, the accommodation was very basic, but met all our needs. Tips: 1. Follow Explore!’s recommendation and bring a smallish soft bag - the drawers under the bunks are roomy and you actually need very little ; 2. Ignore Explore!’s recommendations and allow more for tips than the 25sterling recommended. The team work tirelessly to provide outstanding experiences. 3. Bring sunscreen and shirts for sun-protection. I did this trip as an extension to a Sri Lankan tour and it was a fabulous combo: its going to be hard to beat and especially hard to beat the value.

This holiday was absolutely brilliant. The Maldives was not a destination that appealed particularly but seeing so much of it on the boat was perfect rather than just being on one island. The snorkeling was spectacular particularly on the wreck. We could not have had a more helpful crew and the support they provided, especially the captain was excellent. At all times you felt in very safe hands and well looked after. Nothing was too much trouble. Our guide, Hi had a wealth of local knowledge and he was great fun. Swimming with sharks was an amazing experience and one that I will always remember. The level of service and food provided was great. Thank you Explore.

This has been one of the best trips. A perfect balance of relaxing and snorkeling. The sealife was just beautiful. The boat cabins were comfortable, note the draw which your luggage can go in just about fits a hand luggage sized bag, I wouldn't bring much bigger and make sure its a soft case not a hard one. The rest of the boat was spacious with lots of places to sit and a sun deck up top to sunbathe in. Our tour leader Teddie was amazing, keep us informed of any changes due to the weather and extremely patience with repeating himself a couple of times as our brains all began to switch off into holiday mode. He took pictures of us while snorkeling which was such a lovely thing to do. The crew Shante, Asitha, Libee and Rahul, were amazing. Friendly and accommodating, yet discreet. Nothing was too much trouble. An extra shout out to Asitha the chef, every single meal was simply outstanding. A thing to note: make sure the dollar notes you bring are not damaged, a few of our notes were refused in shops/hotels because there were tears in them.

I would do this trip again and again. The food on the Dhoni is fresh and delicious. The cabins are all you need, and comfortable. But the highlight was definitely all the different underwater wildlife we saw. Dolphins, black and white tip sharks, puffer fish, eels, rays, turtles and a bunch of colourful fish!

A holiday full of once in a lifetime experiences. Lovely traditional boat, crew and tour leader worked very hard to make it a great holiday. Food was great and the twice daily snorkelling trips were amazing

Great trip, very relaxing with informative snorkelling in-between tasty meals