The Maldives
The BEST things to do in the Maldives!​
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You will be able to tick off some of the biggest items off your list, all at once!
Once in a life time activities like swimming with the whale sharks and turtles, snorkelling at a shipwreck, night fishing and seeing the amazing over water bungalows!
Swim with the Whale Sharks
This is one of the best experiences that I have had! The Whale Shark is actually the biggest fish in the world, funnily enough, it lives completely off plantain and is therefore harmless - unless it gobbled you up whole! There are a number of spots located at different locations where you may be lucky enough to find these humongous creatures, some are year round residents to the Maldives and others only pop by seasonally. If you are in the right area you may be able to organise a day trip to try and find them through your resorts, hotel or guesthouse by like any wild animals you can get a guarantee that you will be able to see them so try and base yourself in an area where they are and give yourself enough time to try and get a glimpse of them.
Explore a Sand Bank
The country is scattered with lagoons that are filled both permanent and temporary sand banks. One of the best things to do when visiting the Maldives is to organise a day trip out into the middle of the ocean and have a picnic on one of the isolated oasis’. Most of the time you will be supplied with snorkelling gear and you will get some amazing photos white the white sandy inlets and fluro blue water.
Fishing
There are different types of way that you can go fishing in the Maldives! You can go by reel over the reed in the evening, by rod during that day or if you are an avid adventured you may chose to go deep sea fishing for big game like marlin and swordfish! They will put up a massive fight but if you manage to snag one this can be quite an incredible experience. Either way the locals will bring back the catch and cook it up for lunch or dinner!
Ship Wreck
Due to the large number of lagoons and reefs scattered throughout the island, there a numbers shipwrecks! Some only accessibly when diving, other you can swim out to and climb over! Either way if you get the chance to explore and of these you will be blessed with some phenomenal photo opportunities!
Scuba Diving
The Marine Life here is incredible and there are so may awesome spots to Scuba Dive! You have three options, you can organise diving through the resort that you are staying at which can be extremely expensive at between $100 - $200 USD per dive, organise a dive trip from a centre on local island or the best is to jump on a liveaboard, where you will set sail for some of the best dive spots in the country, but once again this comes at great cost! The visibility is always dependent on weather but is generally exceptional, there is lots of bright coloured coral or plenty of fish, turtles and manta! If you are lucky enough to jump on a live aboard and make it to the far flung outskirts you may even be lucky enough to see whale shark, hammerhead or tiger shark!
Fish Curry
I love seafood and I love curry - so believe it or not, I love Maldivian Fish Curry! I will however give a word of warning that it can be explosively hot!! I do love spicy food, and travelled pretty extensively through India, Sri Lanka and Thailand but I must admit that some of the curries that I ate in the Maldives, blew my socks off! The flavour is delicious and the seafood is fresh as it comes, and always covered in a thick spicy sauce! Make sure you add this to your list when you visit!
Over Water Bungalows
One of the most recognisable symbols of the Maldives are the iconic over water bungalows. These are located on on the resort islands and cannot be accessed without transport and permission from the resort. The entry level Water Bungalows are generally priced between $700 USD - $1,500 USD per night depending on season.
Fun Fact: There are sooo many sharks in the Maldives!!! Does this scare you? It shouldn’t!! Because most of them are harmless and have so much food that they are more scared of you! There are some locations where certain sharks frequent more than others but your best chance of seeing them - both day or night is in the Vaavu Atoll. Where are resort has been throwing out food scarps and feeding them for almost 40 years, so the sharks have now come reliant on the food. Although this is a conflicting opinions regarding the environmental and ethical stigma surrounding the operation, while there is money being made it will be hard to stop!
Snorkelling with Sharks
Maldives Island Hopping
Want to visit the Maldives with a group of young likeminded adventurers?
Join us at Indy Escapes for a week of fun in the sun as we explore this beautiful archipelago! Whale Sharks, Scuba Diving, Night Fishing and Much More!