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What to do in Maldives in 7 days | Free and cheap itinerary
Plan a route and decide What to do in the Maldives in 7 days It can be a real challenge, as it's made up of no fewer than 1192 islands. So, it's completely normal to feel overwhelmed when trying to select which ones to visit.
In this article, we suggest a 7-day Maldives itinerary that we consider a perfect and affordable option. During this trip, you'll be able to enjoy picture-perfect beaches, see the famous Maldives coral reefs with your own eyes, stay in affordable hotels, eat local food, and navigate through waters of impossible turquoise.
In addition we leave you the information on how to get to each of these islands So you don't have to worry about transportation. Moving between islands is one of the most complicated aspects of planning.car a route through the Maldives.
WHAT TO DO IN THE MALDIVES 7 DAYS
Maldives route preparations
Before getting into the matter, I'll start by leaving you information from other articles that I think will be very useful for you to prepare your entire trip to the Maldives.
I also take this opportunity to comment that the suggested route through the Maldives visit only 2 islands Because I consider it a relaxing destination where it's better to spend quality time in one place than hopping around trying to explore more islands. However, in the article, I'll suggest nearby islands that you could add to your itinerary if you'd like or have more time.
Day 1 – Arrival in Malé and transfer to Rasdhoo
All international flights arrive in Malé, the country's capital. Although it's the most developed island, there's not much to see, so after landing, it's best to head to the first island I recommend visiting, Rasdhoo.
Rasdhoo is a beautiful island located 60 kilometers east of Malé and both islands are connected by public ferry service and speed boats. The most used and easiest way to get there is by speed boat. known as speed boats which cost about €40 per person. They leave twice a day at 10:35 a.m. and 16:05 p.m. and I recommend buying it with in advance to secure your place.
If you happen to arrive early on a Monday or Thursday, you can save quite a bit of money by taking ferry line 303, which departs at 9 a.m. from the Hulhumale Ferry Terminal. The journey takes 3 hours (twice as long as the speedboat) and costs about $5 per person. To go to this terminal you have to take the ferry that goes from the airport to the city or a shuttle bus that leaves in front of the Burger King at the airport. Here you can consult the schedules from the ferry line.
Recommended Accommodation in Rasdhoo: Holiday Home Rasdhoo
This beautiful hotel offers modern, spacious rooms and with a complete private bathroom, and some of the rooms have a private terrace. He continental breakfast It is very complete and is included
Day 2 – Rasdhoo
On this 7-day Maldives route I suggest you spend 2 full days in Rasdhoo, one of them can be a relaxing day and another more active day taking a boat tour or diving. Choose according to what you feel most like at the moment!
If you're starting with the more relaxed option, I suggest spending the morning at Bikini Beach. It's a wide, wild white sand beach that also stands out for having a reef that can be reached by swimming with very good snorkelingIf you like snorkeling, don't forget to add some glasses in your luggage for the Maldives or ask your accommodation in advance if they could lend them to you.
Water makes you hungry so I recommend you go to try a typical fish dish at the Lemon Drop restaurant. If you are not into fish I suggest you order kottu chicken or vegetable, very delicious too.
In the afternoon you can take a walk to book the activities you are going to do the next day, watch the sunset, take a dozen photos of the palm trees... you know, all these things that are done on a tiny tropical island.
Although we recommend visiting fewer islands to enjoy them well and reduce your transfer budget as well. you can add a day in Thoddoo or Ukulhas to your trip, two beautiful islands very close to Rasdhoo. If you have more than a week on your Maldives itinerary, don't hesitate to add them!
Day 3 – Rasdhoo
Rasdhoo is famous for being one of the best islands in Maldives for diving, If you like diving or want to try it for the first time, you are in the right place. The price of the dives is around $60-$70. You can see beautiful coral gardens, rays, sharks, giant manta rays, turtles and countless tropical fish swimming around Rasdhoo, it is difficult to describe how incredible diving in the Maldives is.
The other option for the day is to take an excursion, for example visiting Nearby islands and sandbars with stops for snorkeling on coral reefs. You can also rent a kayak to go to a sandbar that is quite close.
In the evening the plan is the same as always in the Maldives, watch the sunset and walk along the shore in search of rays and hermits in the sand while you make time to sit down and have a delicious dinner with the sea breeze.
Day 4 -Transfer to Guraidhoo
It's time to leave Rasdhoo to change atolls and continue the route through the Maldives, visiting Guraidhoo. This island is located south of Male and there is no direct transport from Rasdhoo so you have to go through the capital. Again the most comfortable and fastest option is with a speedboat to Malé and from there another speedboat to Guraidhoo.
I recomend you spend the morning at Rasdhoo, you can go to the beach to have a coconut or do another dive. You could also rent a kayak for a few hours to go to that nearby sand spit that I mentioned on day 3. At 13:XNUMX p.m. from Rasdhoo the speedboat and that arrives in Malé at 15 p.m.. Then another speedboat leaves from Male to Guraidhoo at 16 p.m. and takes 40 minutes.
La cheaper option is to use the public ferry 303 to go from Rasdhoo to Malé (only Sundays and Wednesdays at 11am) and then the 309 or 311 to go from Malé to Guraidhoo. The total trip costs only about $9.
The bad thing is that only this route can be done 2 days a week and that the scheduled arrival in Malé is at 14:10 p.m. and the departure to Guraidhoo is at 14:30 p.m. with the 311 and at 15:00 p.m. with the 309, so the margin for unforeseen events is small. However, it should not be difficult to hire a speedboat from Malé to Guraidhoo if you cannot take the ferry (there are always more than can be booked online).
To make cheaper but go without tension you could make the first ferry trip, spend some time in Malé and take the speedboat from 16 p.m. This combination would cost you about $45.
Day 5 – Guraidhoo
This is one of our favorite islands in the Maldives to which we have dedicated a complete guide. There you will find all the necessary information to enjoy the island.
The plan in Guraidhoo is similar to that of Rasdhoo and any other island in the Maldives, relax and enjoy life, yours and the marina, because what spectacular seabeds it has. Go to the bikini beach, get a good hammock (they are free to use) and take a swim in one of the most turquoise waters we have ever seen or go swimming to a nearby sandbar at low tide.
In Guraidhoo I recommend the Hiraeth Island Home restaurant Located next to the port and specializing in local food.
At night there is also a lot of “atmosphere” in Guraidhoo. Although being a local Muslim island you will not find where to have a beer but you will find many places with sea views where you can have a juice or a non-alcoholic cocktail. Besides, At night all the locals go out to take in the fresh air. and chat in the chairs/hammocks that are around the island.
I also recommend taking a good walk along the shore, we did it every night and we always saw small rays and baby reef sharks, the Maldives is wonderful.
Recommended accommodation in Guraidhoo: Moodhumaa Inns
An guesthouse on the main street with spacious rooms and clean with private bathroom and good air conditioning. He breakfast included It is quite complete, it is served on the terrace and the owner adapts to the schedules if you notify him in advance.
Day 6 – Guraidhoo
This island is also famous for its impressive diving, so it is another very good opportunity to do some diving or get started in this sport. Us We dived with Manta Divers and the price of each dive was about $55We saw lots of sharks, turtles, rays and tropical fish of all kinds. I can say almost with complete certainty that it is one of the best places we have ever dived.
But it not only has good diving, but also nearby coral reefs where you can snorkel with a lot of marine life and probably some turtles or sharks.
To go to the reefs You will have to hire a tour and the price will depend on the type of excursion but they usually start in a few $35- $ 40 for half a day and includes snorkeling equipment, food, transportation and a guide who goes into the water with you so he will surely point out something that you would miss.
You can ask about the tours at your own accommodation or at a business very close to the port called Bubbles, they offer all kinds of tours and transfers. When we were there a Spanish girl worked.
Day 7 – Last swim and transfer to the airport
The 7-day route through the Maldives is coming to an end and it's time to head to Malé International Airport. The plan for this last day will depend on the schedule of your flight, if it is late you can speed up your stay in Guraidhoo by hiring the latest speedboat which leaves for the airport at 17:30 p.m. and arrives at 18:15 p.m. If it is in the morning you can take the ferry at 7am.
We took the last speed boat and took the opportunity to do a morning dive. It also gives you time to take a half-day tour or choose a good lounger and spend the morning completely relaxing.
El hotel can store your luggage And they'll probably have somewhere for you to shower before you leave. That's probably not a problem either, so you can make the most of your last day.
BUDGET 7 DAYS TOUR IN THE MALDIVES
Have we convinced you with this route through the Maldives? If you have already decided to travel to the Maldives but you still don't know how much you could spend, we have an article that It will help you calculate how much the trip will cost you.
In it we give detailed prices for flights, restaurants, accommodations, excursions and transportation between islands. We also show what we spent on a 7-day itinerary through the Maldives traveling lowcost.
Up to this point our proposed itinerary for 7 days in the Maldives We hope it has been very helpful to you!
If you still have details to finalize, you can do so by reading our other articles on Maldives And don't hesitate to ask us anything.
Guys, I loved your blog! But I have a question from rasdhoo or guraidhoo, can we do excursions to see dolphins or whale sharks? Or is it better to go to Maafushi for it?
Hello Jessica 🙂
Yes, Guraidhoo and Rasdhoo also offer these types of activities, so if you are not scheduled to visit Maafushi it is not a problem.
Enjoy the trip!