Upon arrival at Male International Airport, our representative will greet and escort you to your hotel in Hulhumale Island. Along the way, the representative will give you brief information on your further trip. Most of the time, you have to take a public or private ferry or seaplane to visit from island to island in the Maldives; however, you can visit this island by road. You will see lots of gorgeous luxury hotels and even budget hotels in Hulhumale Island. There are no activities planned for this day. So, why not rent two-wheelers and head out to explore this gorgeous Maldivian island, or visit a stunning beach of the island.

After breakfast, we head towards Hulhumale port from where we will board a local boat for Male city. The local boats at Hulhumale leave every half an hour. We will take one of the local boats and reach Male. Today, you will be visiting the capital of Maldives, accompanied by a guide. We will wander around the beautiful streets of Male, then visit the largest mosque of the city, the Grand Friday Mosque. We will also visit the National Museum and the Artificial Beach.

Grand Friday Mosque

This impressive mosque dominates the skyline of Male and is now one of the grandest landmarks of Male. Built with the aid of the Gulf States, Pakistan, Brunei, and Malaysia, in 1984, this mosque stands out in its plainness with its white marble build and virtually free from decoration. The main prayer hall inside the mosque has superbly carved wooden side panels and doors, a specially woven carpet, and impressive chandeliers and can accommodate up to 5000 worshippers.

Tourists can enter the mosque only between 9 am to 5 pm, and outside of prayer times. The mosque restricts entrance to all non-Muslims 15 minutes before prayers and for the following hour. The best time to visit this mosque is between 2 pm and 3 pm. You have to follow a certain dress code while entering the mosque, so it's not like you can enter casually. If you are interested, then dress suitably; men must wear long trousers and women a long skirt or dress. If you are properly dressed, a staff member, hanging out by the entrance, will welcome you.

National Museum

Maldives' National Museum may seem extremely ugly, but it still has a fine collection of historical artifacts that tells the tale of a unique history of these isolated islands. Unfortunately, doting the protests against former president Nasheed in 2012, the mob of religious extremists broke into the museum and destroyed its most precious items, about thirty ancient Buddhist coral stone carvings from the country's pre-Islamic period.

The display of the museum starts downstairs with galleries of the ancient and medieval periods of Maldivian history. Here, you will see weaponry, religious paraphernalia, and household wares, and magnificently carved Arabic and Thana engraved pieces of wood for the memorial of the conversion of Maldives to Islam in 1153.

Upstairs, you will see displays representing the modern period and some excellent examples of the lacquer-work boxes for which the Maldives is famous for, and some antique technologies like the country's first gramophone, telephone, and a massive computer. The museum also contains minutes of the famous underwater cabinet meeting, and a fascinating marine collection, the major one is the 6m-long skeleton of the very rare Longman's Beaked Whale, which has never been seen alive in the ocean.

Artificial Beach

There is a beach in Male made for locals so that they can swim and enjoy a day on the beach. The beach is a small crescent sand beach built from the breakwater tetrapod. Nearby, there is a wide range of fast food cafes; however, the beach is not as popular no due to the construction of the enormous new China-Maldives Friendship Bridge.

After finishing the sightseeing tour of Male, we head towards the VIllingili Ferry Terminal for our onward journey to Maafushi. We will reach VIllingili fort in the afternoon and take the 3 pm boat that departs for Maafushi. Before the boat, you may have some free time; during this time, you can relax at the VIllingili Beach that is within walking distance from the port.

From VIllingili fort, we reach Maafushi within a couple of hours, and along the way, you will get some stunning views. Maafushi is one of the biggest islands in the Maldives and lies in distance of about 27km from Male.

One of the habited islands of Kaafu Atoll, Maafushi, is gaining huge popularity among tourists, mostly because of its number of hotels and guesthouses. This island has experienced huge changes since the establishment of the first guesthouse in 2010. Now, the island has more than 50hotels and guesthouse and is undoubtedly the Maldives' most cosmopolitan and progressive inhabited island. The island has plenty of beautiful beaches, offers a variety of water activities, and some great foods. Even though it is not the most attractive island and contains only a few good beaches, it is perfect for lots of day trips and contains a huge number of guesthouses, which makes it great for budget travelers. The day is for leisure. We have listed some of the activities you can engage in while on the island.

Explore the beaches

Public Beach, Water Sports Beach, Bikini Beach, and Coral Beach are the four main beaches of the island. Bikini Beach is the only beach where you can wear showy swimwear (bikinis for ladies and topless for men). It is illegal to year flashy clothes on other parts of the island. So the Bikini Beach is very crowded.

Water activities – Snorkeling and Diving

The waters in the Maldives is heaven for marine life. If you want to experience the underwater world in Maafushi, you can book snorkeling and diving tours at the local diving centers. The main snorkeling points of the region are Maavelaathu, Banana Reef, Vilivaru Corner, Maafushi Corner. There are also three diving centers on Maafushi, which charges about 35USD per dive. You can also enjoy other watersports like parasailing, jet ski, or embark on a fascinating kayak trip.

Sandbank

You can visit the sandbank right in the middle of the crystalline turquoise water and enjoy the gorgeous views of the sea while lying on the beautiful white sand.

Dolphin Safari

Dolphin Safari is a must-do activity in Maafushi. It is a beautiful sight to see dolphins gracefully playing in the waters. It is a matter of chance to spot dolphins, but if you spot them, it can be an unforgettable experience.

Souvenir Shopping

Weaving is a famous local custom of the island, and they use various fabrics to make a fabulous piece of cloth with methods passed down through various generations. The souvenirs on this island are also relatively cheaper than in other islands of the Maldives.

This morning, we board on a speed boat and head towards Fihalhohi. The last island of South Male is the place where you will find overwater bungalows that the Maldives is so famous for. The place offers a charming view of the Indian Ocean and is truly a tropical paradise. The beach resorts with palm-thatched roofs, and a private terrace overlooking the island's terrain is equally beautiful. This is the best place to unwind and leave all the worries behind. You can also indulge in a spa treatment.

Today, we head back to Maafushi from Fihalhohi. You can spend the day exploring more of the island and engaging in activities you were not able to do before. Some of the other activities you can do here are riding underwater scooters, dive with sharks, floating bars, and kayaking, among many more.

Ride Underwater Scooters

If you wish to experience the underwater world without straining yourself with activities like snorkeling and scuba diving, you have to choose the underwater scooter. While riding the underwater scooter, you can cruise while enjoying the beautiful underwater sceneries.

Go Diving with Sharks

You can book this trip with the shark diving schools in Maafushi. They will provide you trained drivers who will lead you to the journey of an up-close dive next to sharks, including the shortfin mako shark and the thresher sharks, which are ample in this region.

Floating Bars

At Maafushi, the consumption of alcohol is prohibited for the local Muslim population. However, if you want to have a drink at the end of the adventurous day, you can head to a Floating Bar that has liquor licenses and enjoy some drinks with gorgeous views.

Kayaking

Maafushi also offers kayak training along with other courses like sailing. Then, you can rent a kayak and paddle around the reef.

Fulidhoo, another island paradise of the Maldives, which is just 675 meters by 200 meters. Today, we will be taking a public ferry from Maafushi to Fulidhoo. The public ferries run from Male to Fulidhoo, stopping at Maafushi in between. Fulidhoo does not have any cars, and most of the inhabitants here stroll barefoot. This is quite different than other islands in the Maldives; you will not have luxury amenities or piña coladas, just traditional net hammocks and daily fishermen's catch. The main beach of the island is stunning. The island also offers activities like snorkeling, diving, and kayaking. The island also has lots of guest houses for accommodation. The beach of the island does not have any restaurants or bars—just a local teahouse set back in the trees. The island also contains a bikini beach at the far end of the island with powdery sand and clear warm water. You can simply roam around this small island to explore the place. The island has a few grocery stores, restaurants, and dive centers. You can choose to go for a snorkeling day trip or see Bodu Beru's performance.

From Fulidhoo, we will take a public ferry and head to Male, the capital city of the Maldives. You can properly understand the culture of the country by exploring this city. The day is free; you can explore other parts of the city that you have not explored before. You can visit the Old Friday Mosque, China-Maldives Friendship Bridge, Rasrani Bageecha, and many more.

Old Friday Mosque

The old Friday Mosque is the oldest mosque of the Maldives. This mosque is made from coral stone into which intricate decoration and Quranic script have been chiseled. If you are a non-muslim and want to visit the mosque, you have to get permission from an official of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs. Most of the staff are the officials of the ministry, so if you are conservatively dressed, and you are visiting outside prayer times, there is a high probability of getting permission to enter on the spot.

China-Maldives Friendship 

This massive structure connects Male to the airport island of Hulhule; however, unlike other causeways connecting islands elsewhere in the country, this structure goes over the open sea, which means huge concrete supports have been planted in the seabed.

Rasrani Bageecha

Formerly known as Sultan's Park, this park was once part of the grounds of the now-demolished sultan's palace; however, now it is redeveloped and renamed Rasrani Bageecha in 2017. Instead of being a meditative and shady public space, it is now a Dubai style entertainment zone with various playgrounds.