Maldives 8-Day Tours and Trips

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.

We started our Dhoni cruise after spending 5 nights on a resort, as we wanted to experience the “real Maldives” in contrast. We wanted to extend our trip as felt it was a long way to travel for just 6 nights. One of the main highlights of the cruise was our outstanding guide Egan and the crew of Koimala, who all worked so hard together to ensure we were incredibly well looked after and safe. The food was out of this world, three beautiful meals a day, healthy and fresh with plenty of variety. Catering for any allergies well. The crew made us an unforgettable dinner on an uninhabited island one evening which was very special. We enjoyed the visits to two inhabited islands as it was good to stretch our legs and see how Maldivians live on land. Although I would say the time spent on Male was quite underwhelming. Our cabin was basic but clean and comfortable. One small double bed with a single bunk on top and en-suite bathroom You definitely need to enjoy snorkelling to consider this trip, as the dramatic scenery is all under water. Huge reefs with so many colourful fish. We were taken out snorkelling at least twice a day. Highlights included swimming with turtles, dolphins and nurse sharks which were so gentle and serene. Also seeing sting rays. I would also suggest that you need to be reasonably fit to do this trip, as although it’s very relaxing you need to be able to climb into a bunk bed, climb in and out of the dingy and negotiate walking around the boat when it is rocking!

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...

We boarded our boat, Felicity, and set off almost straight away for a lovely trip around the islands of the Maldives. They say it is a romantic place and it is but it is also very suitable for any occasion for friends or even singles. There were 11 of us, 5 singles and 3 couples, mostly British. I would definitely recommend doing the Maldives on a boat, as you get to see different islands and you are not just stuck on one island. There are only 7 double cabins so 14 is maximum.

Fabulous trip with a great guise and crew on the dhoni. Lots of snorkelling and swimming, visits to sandbars and uninhabited islands. Great food coked by the onboard chef. Could not recommend highly enough.

This trip is fab for those that like being at sea, chilling out with like minded people, eating great food and most importantly getting in the water to explore the underwater world. Explore know how to put together a great itinerary which looks after the environment and benefits the local community