Maldives 8-Day Tours and Trips

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 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.

MV Felicity is a comfortable old Turkish Gulet. The trip had lots of snorkeling in clear warm water. The reefs have lots of colourful fish, and you get a chance to see the Manta Rays, Reef Sharks, Turtles and if you are lucky the Whale Sharks. The food was amazing, plentiful and the staff were great. Very helpful and friendly. Being a small group, it was the perfect way to spend time both relaxing and visiting small islands. Lots of space on the boat for either sunning yourself or like us keeping out of the sun, which is very strong.

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.

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...

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.