One week in the Maldives is the perfect getaway to get some sunshine, relax on the beaches, do water activities, and destress from the everyday grind. You can easily fall in love with this beautiful country.
While many people head straight to the all-inclusive resort for the private bungalows and ocean views, this Maldives 1 week itinerary focuses on visiting local islands – Malé, Maafushi, and Fulidhoo.
We technically stayed in the Maldives for 8 days/7 nights but reduced a day in this itinerary to cater to those with limited vacation time.
Our travel style is more budget-friendly and has good value. The local islands check the box with the lower cost than the resorts and have plenty of outdoor activities to keep tourists occupied. Plus, they’re closer to the Male International Airport so the travel time between islands isn’t too long.
Without further ado, continue reading to find out what you can do in the Maldives in 7 days on the local islands. Feel free to switch around the number of days as needed based on your interest and travel schedule.
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Quick Itinerary Breakdown
Don’t have time to read our post fully? Here is a quick snapshot of the itinerary and number of days at each place below.
- Day 0: Travel Day
- Day 1: Malé Arrival
- Day 2-4: Maafushi Arrival & Exploration
- Day 5-6: Fulidhoo Arrival & Exploration
- Day 7: Travel Day
Day 0: Travel Day
Before your trip, we recommend reading our Maldives travel tips post to help with your planning. It’ll cover what we experienced on our trip, budget tips, the best local islands, and more, so you don’t need to repeat our mistakes.
Once your luggage is all packed, you’re ready for your flight to the Maldives. Hope you can get some rest on the flight even though you will be excited about your trip.
As a reminder, please complete the Maldives IMUGA Declaration online at least 96 hours before your flight.
Day 1: Arrival in Malé
You’ve finally arrived at Malé, the capital of the Maldives. Male’s Velana International Airport (airport code: MLE) is the main airport.
After going through Immigration and Customs, you’ll need to figure out what to do next. It’ll depend on the flight’s arrival time.
If you arrive in the morning or afternoon, here are a few options:
Option 1: Take the 10-minute Airport to Male Ferry or take a taxi and explore Male for a few hours. Ferry cost 15 Maldivian Rufiyaa ($1.00) per person. We didn’t take a taxi to Male, but read that it’s only a few dollars to travel around.
While many visitors skip Male, there are a few places to check out such as the foresty Sultan Park. Check out this Male stopover post that we’ve written.
You can either stay overnight in Male or head directly to Maafushi.
Take a stroll along Male’s waterfront
Option 2: Head to Male City using the Airport to Male ferry or taxi transportation as mentioned above. Then go to the next destination, Maafushi Island by public ferry or speedboat.
Take the public government ferry from Henveiru Terminal if the schedule works out. When using the schedule, change the departure island to Male. The ferry takes 1.5 hours.
Taking a speedboat from Maafushi is also another option. (More info below under Option 3). This ride takes 30 to 45 minutes.
Option 3: From the airport, take a direct speedboat to Maafushi Island.
We know of one speedboat company to use, iCom Tours. They’re a well-known company for speedboat rides and snorkeling tours on Maafushi. They have rides from Airport – Male – Maafushi.
NOTE: If going directly to Maafushi, please go directly to the Day 2 part of the itinerary and start your trip there.
If you arrive in the evening, here are two options:
Option 1: Get to Male using the Airport-Male public ferry or taxi and stay overnight in Male City.
There are plenty of accommodations on Male but expect to pay around $100+ for 1 night. The ratings for the accommodations are average, so let low to medium expectations for 1 night.
Check out Male accommodations on Booking.com here.
Click for pricing on Agoda here.
Option 2: Take a speedboat from the Airport to Maafushi. The last departure is at 10:00pm, according to iCom Tours website.
What Did We Do?
We flew from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and then from Kuala Lumpur to Male. Our flight was delayed from KL to Male, so we arrived in Male after 8:20pm.
After going through Immigration, Customs, and taking the ferry from the Airport to Male, we arrived at our accommodations at 9:00pm. We couldn’t wait to get a good night’s sleep and start fresh the next day.
We stayed at Fanfiri Residence Male. It was a 5-minute walk from Henveiru Terminal, the Airport Ferry and the public ferry pick-up port location. The accommodation was more of an Airbnb as we had our own apartment, private bathroom, kitchen, full-size fridge, and washing machine. It was fine for an evening.
Check availability for Fanfiri Residence on Booking.com here
Check pricing and reviews on Agoda here.
Don’t have time to read below? Read our quick comparison of Maafushi versus Fulidhoo Island.
Day 2-4: Maafushi Island
It’s time to head to Maafushi, a local island south of Male.
The top reasons to visit Maafushi are clean white sandy beaches, clear blue waters, affordable accommodations and restaurants, and plenty of things to do.
It’s a popular and livelier island to stay in for a few days. So, you’ll see more crowds here but not as congested as in Male.
We just got off the public ferry at Maafushi Island, and are now awing at how beautiful this place is!
Take a speedboat or the government ferry from Male’s Henveiru Terminal to Maafushi. We recommend the ferry as it’s very affordable – only 53 Maldivian Rufiyaas ($3.50) per person and takes 1.5 hours. It’s a slow, calm ride.
Check out the ferry schedule here and change the departure island to Male.
Once you arrive at Maafushi, head to your accommodation to drop off luggage and/or check in. There aren’t any taxis or motorbikes to get you to your accommodation. They aren’t needed as the island is small and very walkable.
We recommend staying at Island Ambience. The clean room, friendly owners and workers, and prime location next to the local beach are reasons you don’t want to miss out on this place. The room also has free drinking water in glass bottles.
Now, what should you do? Here is our detailed 3 days in Maafushi itinerary for recommendations.
On the first day, it’s best to walk around leisurely, hang out at Bikini Beach, and inquire with tour agencies if you want to take a snorkeling or diving excursion. The tour agencies usually advertise their tour offerings for the following day on a chalkboard.
Check out the water activities on Maafushi such as driving a sports car on the water!
On the second and third day of Maafushi, you can relax on the island, visit a nearby resort for a day trip, visit Gulhi Island (another local island), or go on snorkeling or diving day trips.
We went on two snorkeling trips and would highly recommend them! We saw beautiful whale sharks and manta rays with Shadowpalm Tours. Read about our whale shark trip here.
The next day we visited a shipwreck, swam with nurse sharks, saw sting rays, and had lunch on a sandbank with iCom Tours. Read about our shipwreck snorkeling here.
Visiting a sandbank is a cool experience during a snorkeling outing
Day 5-6: Fulidhoo Island
Next, we’re heading to another local island, Fulidhoo. It is a super small island, located south of Maafushi. It takes only 5 minutes to walk across the island!
The best reasons to visit Fulidhoo include beautiful waters, white powdery sand, and beachside guesthouses and boutique hotels.
Who wants to go kayaking in the gorgeous Fulidhoo waters?
We highly recommend staying at Luau Beach Inn as you have gorgeous ocean-side views from the hotel room and dining area. The hotel food is pretty good and tastes much better than what we experienced at Maafushi. They also have a water dispenser so you can get free water at any time of the day!
Fulidhoo is the perfect spot to veg out and relax for at least two days. We loved the low-key environment and pace here compared to Male and Maafushi.
But if you don’t want to just relax, read our post on what to do on Fulidhoo here.
Seeing a cluster of gorgeous sting rays by the pier is a top highlight of this island. Snorkeling from Bikini Beach and kayaking are also popular activities to try. Or, taking a day excursion is possible.
The sting rays on Fulidhoo Island are gorgeous!
You can get to this island by taking the public ferry, speedboat, or snorkeling excursion. We have more details in our Maafushi to Fulidhoo post here.
Day 7: Travel Day & Return Home
It’s the last day of the trip and it’s time to head home. It’s hard to say goodbye to the ocean and powdery beaches.
From Fulidhoo, you can take a speedboat directly to the Airport for $40 per person. Or, you can take the public ferry to Male (same ferry that we took from Male to Maafushi) and Airport. Read this Fulidhoo to Airport post for more information.
If you have extra time, you can easily explore Male for the first time or as a second visit. Here is a post of the places that we visited during a short visit to Male.
Have a safe flight back!
Final Thoughts
One week in the Maldives will go by quickly! This itinerary specifically focuses on visiting local islands, but you can be flexible on which islands you want to visit. It’s your vacation, so spend it however you’d like.
Enjoy your time in paradise!
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