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What to do in Maafushi, Maldives | Is it worth it?
Maafushi is an island located very close to the country's capital, Malé, and thanks to its proximity it was the first island to develop tourism as alternative lowcost to the luxury tourism that the Maldives used to receive. Being the pioneer, the tourist infrastructure is highly developed and has expands offer of accommodation, activities and restaurants at lower prices on other islands.
If you're interested in having a variety of restaurants along with some nightlife, practicecar Water sports and boat trips are popular choices, so adding Maafushi to your itinerary can be a great option. This guide provides practical information on everything to do in Maafushi, and more. We answer the question of whether visiting Maafushi is worth it or not.
How to get to Maafushi from Malé
Tourists' favorite way to reach Maafushi from Male Airport is by hiring a speedboat (speedboat) with the hotel you are staying at. It takes a few 30 minutes and costs between $25-35 per person. You can contract it online with a local provider on the website 12GOAsia or ask your hotel in Maafushi to arrange it for you.
The most economical and local way It is with the public ferry. The ticket price is around €2 per person and it takes 1 hour and a half. The bad part about public ferries is that they only run once a day and not every day of the week so it is difficult to balance schedules. The ferry lines that connect these two islands are line 306 that passes through Malé at 10 in the morning on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and line 309 that passes at 15 p.m. every day except Monday and Friday.
Things to do in Maafushi
Maafushi is not the typical paradise island with gigantic white sand paradise beaches and palm trees that may come to mind when thinking of Maldives. If you are looking to spend hours on a beautiful beach without leaving the island, Maafushi is not for you. However, it has other things to offer, especially related to excursions and nightlife, I'll tell you.
Take a snorkeling tour
If what you see on the Maldives islands seems beautiful to you, wait until you see what is hidden under the water. Some reefs near Maafushi have enviable snorkeling areas where You will be able to observe all types of tropical fish in quantities that you could never imagine. The marine biodiversity of the Maldives and the crystal clear water is more than enough to make you enjoy yourself for a few hours and forget about the world around you.
These types of excursions can be booked at the tourist agencies spread across the island and Includes transportation, snorkeling equipment and food. During the excursion, several stops are made in different areas with good snorkeling where You can even see turtles and small sharks (harmless). There is also a stop to eat on a sandbank or a small uninhabited island.
The price of these tours ranges from $20 to $30 depending on the company and the season and lasts about 5 hours. I recommend asking the companies what the maximum capacity of their boats is, the experience is much better if you go with 8 people than with 30 people.
Snorkeling from the beach
Our luggage is never missing a snorkel equipment, so of course not only on tour, you can also snorkel from the shore. In Maafushi it is not very good, so if this is one of your priorities I recommend choosing islands like Thoddoo, which has a good coral reef that you can reach by swimming without problem.
Swimming with the whale shark
One of the most offered and popular excursions in Maafushi is to go to swim with the whale shark. The largest fish in the world is usually seen in the South Dari Atoll, where it is also possible to see giant manta rays depending on the season. Due to the distance between atolls the excursion lasts all day and it is the most carThe price offered is around $100.
The price includes transportation to the neighboring atoll, food and snorkeling equipment. We did not do the tour, but unfortunately several people who did, have told us how it tends to be a not entirely respectful activity since when one is sighted, all the boats of the day go there, seeing the animal surrounded in most of sometimes by dozens and dozens of people.
Diving in Maafushi
There are several different dive centers on this island offering dives around the nearby island of Guraidhoo. The price of each dive is around $55 with small variations depending on the school, the dive site and whether you use your own equipment.
For the most interesting diving spots you need to have the Advanced Open Water qualification and preferably have some experience in current diving. Although there are also alternatives for OW and for baptisms.
We dive with Arena Dive Club and the experience was very good. We did a dive in the same area where we had already dived in Guraidhoo, you can read more about our experience and best points in this article.
Practicecar watersports
Next to the bikini beach there are a large number of stalls that offer rental of all kinds of things and if you ask, your hotel will also be happy to offer you these types of activities. You can go jet skiing, rent a paddle surf, a kayak, water ski, kite surf or parasail.
Resort excursion
You've probably seen plenty of photos of celebrities, influencers, or even friends in villas at luxurious Maldives resorts. Imagine what sleeping in these villas is like. carIt's very expensive, and many people wonder how so many people can afford it. The secret behind many of these photos is day trips to luxury resorts.
Consists in buy a ticket to visit a private island for a day. These types of excursions include access to most of the facilities, private beaches, restaurants and depending on the resort also includes unlimited drinks. Although the entrance to these luxurious islands is not cheap, between 100 and 200 euros, it is much cheaper than spending a night there and it is a good way to see first-hand what these types of resorts are like.
Maafushi tourist agencies work with different resorts, not all offer the same and of course the price varies depending on how luxurious they are. If you are interested in this excursion, I recommend asking different agencies to find the resort that exactly fits your interests..
1 day visit to Gulhi
If you don't have enough time to spend a night in Gulhi but you want to see its quiet streets and famous bikini beach You can visit it in 1 day from Maafushi thanks to the public ferry.
This 1-day visit can be booked at a tourist agency that takes you by speedboat, but I recommend using the public ferry, a more local and economical option. The ferry leaves from Maafushi port every day of the week except Monday and Friday at 07:25 a.m. and returns at 16:15 p.m. The journey time between these islands is 25 minutes. You will be able to spend about 8 hours on the island to visit it with all the calm in the world and have a good time on the beach.
Dogcar in Maafushi
This activity is not the most popular in Maafushi but you can find it offered in a lot of places, possibly also in your accommodation. You leave at sunset and sail to the boat captain's favorite fishing area. Once there, you start to weighcar for about 3 hours until returning to Maafushi where you will have a barbecue to dine on what you have caught.
Best beaches in Maafushi
Bikini beach Maafushi
Although Maldives is a Muslim country with strict cultural norms Many local islands have set up certain areas where you can swim and sunbathe in a swimsuit, the so-called «beach bikini«. In Maafushi there are two separated by a small breakwater.
To be honest, we could categorize both of them as rather ugly beaches. We already warned you at the beginning of the article that if you are looking for an island with beautiful beaches, Maafushi is not that island.
What we liked least about it is that it is right in front of the largest Maafushi hotel, which is quite small for the level of tourism on the island and that the same hotel organizes outdoor dinners, so at sunset the beach It is full of tables and you can't even be calm in it.
Local beach Maafushi
Not far from Bikini Beach, next to a public park with a small pool, is another beach called Sunrise Beach. This beach doesn't have fine sand, but it's a haven of peace and the water is much more beautiful. It's also known for the fact that bioluminescent plankton can be seen on its shores some nights.
And another very cool thing it has is a coral garden they are planting which can be reached by swimming. It is very curious to see the work they do and when we were there in April 2023 there were already many small fish making it their home.
Without a doubt, our favorite beach in Maafushi both for swimming and for walking first thing in the morning and seeing a fisherman.
Remember that it is a local beach so you can't go in a swimsuit. We women wore leggings/shorts and a short-sleeved t-shirt.
Where sacar money or exchange cash in Maafushi
Maafushi is one of the few islands that has a bank officecarAI and ATM, therefore getting cash is not as difficult as on other islands but it is es caror due to commissions. Specifically, the ATM is from Bank of Maldives and charge 100 rufiyaas (between €6 and €7) commission regardless of the amount withdrawn and your card type. If you need tocar I recommend withdrawing money from this ATM using a travel card with no fees, such as N26 so as not to have to pay the commissions for sa as wellcar abroad and exchange currency from your own bank.
If what you need is to change cash to the local currency or dollars, you should know that There is no official exchange house. Although there are some businesses and hotels that provide this service unofficially. The exchange rate they offer is usually very bad, equating the value of the euro to the dollar (€1:$1) and giving a very low Rufiyaa exchange rate.
Although it is normal for them to seek life because it is not official, it is annoying to end up paying a lot more. That's why I recommend you bring American dollars from home using the company's home currency exchange service Exact change. You can also exchange cash when you arrive at Malé airport where there are exchange offices and people who do this at the airport gate.
Where to stay in Maafushi
Once again, the extensive tourist development of Maafushi is an advantage to lower your budget. The accommodations are slightly cheaper than on other islands and the options are quite varied.
Small and simple accommodation but that offers all the services you may need at a very good price. Private bathroom and breakfast is included.
$ $ $ Kaani Palm Beach
A large hotel with modern and well-kept facilities, with an infinity pool with sea views. Very complete continental breakfast.
Where to eat in Maafushi
As it could not be otherwise, fish is the basis of the Maldivian diet, especially tuna, you will see it in all its variants everywhere, and whether you are a fan or not, I recommend you try it! One of the most typical ways to cook it is Mas huni, a typical breakfast dish with tuna, onion and coconut as main ingredients.
But don't worry, especially in Maafushi there are options for all kinds of tastes. So that you can eat well if you visit the island, I recommend two local restaurants that were our favorites.
Ship, a restaurant we went to several times located facing the port. It has a perfect terrace for dining and a carIt's extensive, the waiters were lovely, and the prices are good.
Another place that we really liked was Sunrise Beach Restaurant, overlooking the local beach. It has an interior part and another part in front of the sand with beautiful views. Our favorite dish there was Kottu, a very typical Maldivian recipe.
We also ate fresh fish at a very good price, about €5-€6 to change. And it sounds like a typical phrase, but... Eating it in the shade of a palm tree with the sea breeze is priceless!
Is Maafushi worth visiting?
Our My most sincere opinion is that Maafushi is not worth adding to your Maldives itinerary. There are too many islands, too beautiful and practically as accessible as Maafushi today to visit an island that in our opinion has no charm and that lacks a lot in one of the main attractions of the Maldives, its beaches.
We had read in different places that it was the best island from which to go on excursions and that both the prices for Maafushi excursions and the accommodation and food were cheaper. But the reality is that we found very similar prices in Guraidhoo, and acquaintances who have visited islands in other atolls such as Rasdhoo, have also found similar prices.
The biggest difference, in quotes, are the excursions that normally cost between 5 and 15 euros more, but it is totally worth paying that difference because the boats are also smaller and this may make you enjoy the experience more.
In short, we will tell you what to do in Maafushi and our opinion so that this will help you decide whether or not to include it in your itinerary. We hope it helps you!
Very good article, I will be visiting the island soon and this information has been very helpful in reducing the number of days I spend therecarle