Maldives Tours in January 2026

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.

The entire cruse was brilliant from day one and I was really sad to leave the Maldives on Sunday; so much so that I shall be booking another trip to go back same time next year. To be honest I was a little apprehensive about the trip as there appeared to be too much downtime on the itinerary however how wrong was I? The pace of the trip was perfect (snorkeling 2 or 3 time per day with downtime in between), the snorkeling was excellent; the food on board fantastic (great chef) and the relaxed experience and uniqueness of the Maldives was just what you needed to get over the cold winter months in the UK. I saw more sea life that I imagined and had a fabulous time aboard the Dhoni. Special thanks to the tour leader (Shan) and the entire boat crew who were great. Some tips: You don’t need an adaptor plug as the plugs on the boat take UK plugs. Wear a bandanna if you are thin-on-top as when snorkeling your head can get burnt. Don’t overload yourself with too many changes of clothes; swimwear, a rash vest, shorts, track-suit trousers (for visiting the islands) and t-shirts are all you need.