Things to do · Maldives
18 best things to do in Maldives
18 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Alexey Potov - Noblige, CC BY-SA 2.5
Quick answer
The essential sights in Maldives are Hanifaru Bay manta rays, Whale sharks in South Ari Atoll and Seaplane flight over the atolls. Of the 18 picks below, 3 are free, 1 work on a rainy day and 4 suit children. Allow about 7 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Hanifaru Bay manta rays
- Free sights
- 3
- Good on a rainy day
- National Museum and Sultan Park
- Time to see the highlights
- 7 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanifaru Bay manta rays | Baa Atoll | Half a day | Expensive |
| Whale sharks in South Ari Atoll | Ari Atoll | Half a day | Expensive |
| Seaplane flight over the atolls | Velana International Airport | 20–60 minutes | Expensive |
| Banana Reef | North Malé Atoll | 2–3 hours | Expensive |
| Maaya Thila and Fish Head | Ari Atoll | Half a day | Expensive |
| Lankan Manta Point | North Malé Atoll | 2–3 hours | Expensive |
| Old Friday Mosque (Hukuru Miskiy) | Malé | 30 minutes | Free |
| National Museum and Sultan Park | Malé | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Malé fish market | Malé | 45 minutes | Free |
| Artificial Beach, Malé | Malé | 1 hour | Free |
| Sunset dolphin cruise | All atolls | 1.5–2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Sandbank picnic and snorkel | All atolls | Half a day | Mid-priced |
| Ithaa Undersea Restaurant | Ari Atoll | 1.5–2 hours | Expensive |
| Thulusdhoo surf breaks | North Malé Atoll | Full day | Mid-priced |
| Addu Atoll and the British Loyalty wreck | Addu Atoll | Full day | Low cost |
| Fuvahmulah tiger sharks | Fuvahmulah | Full day | Expensive |
| Thoddoo farms and beach | Ari Atoll | Full day | Low cost |
| Liveaboard dive safari | Central atolls | 7 nights or more | Expensive |
The 18 best things to do
Nature · Baa Atoll
1.Hanifaru Bay manta rays
When monsoon currents trap plankton in this small, shallow bay, dozens and sometimes more than a hundred manta rays gather to feed, along with occasional whale sharks. It is a core zone of the Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve: diving is banned and snorkellers enter with registered guides for limited time slots.
Stay at a Baa Atoll resort or guesthouse that runs regular trips, as sightings depend on tide and plankton and are not predictable days ahead.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Iconic
- Nature
- Active
Nature · Ari Atoll
2.Whale sharks in South Ari Atoll
The outer reef of South Ari, between Dhigurah and Maamigili, is one of the few places in the world where whale sharks are seen year-round, mainly juvenile males. It lies within the South Ari Marine Protected Area, where boat and swimmer codes of conduct apply.
Go with an operator that follows the code of conduct: keep at least a few metres away, never touch the shark and limit swimmers in the water.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Iconic
- Nature
- Active
- Photo spot
Experience · Velana International Airport
3.Seaplane flight over the atolls
Twin Otter seaplanes fly low over lagoons, sandbanks and ring-shaped reefs on transfers from the seaplane terminal beside Velana airport to resorts across the central atolls. Flights take roughly 20–60 minutes, and the pilots often fly barefoot.
Ask for a window seat on the right or left depending on the route, and pack a small day bag, as luggage limits on seaplanes are strict.
- Time needed
- 20–60 minutes
- Cost
- Expensive
- Iconic
- Views
- Photo spot
- Kids
Nature · North Malé Atoll
4.Banana Reef
Named for its curved shape, Banana Reef was among the first dive sites opened in the Maldives and still offers caves, overhangs, coral walls and schools of snappers and jacks. Its shallow sections suit snorkellers on calm days.
Ask for a morning dive when currents are usually gentler and visibility better.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Active
- Nature
Nature · Ari Atoll
5.Maaya Thila and Fish Head
Two of North Ari's best-known protected dive sites: Maaya Thila, a small underwater pinnacle circled by whitetip reef sharks and famed for night dives, and Fish Head (Mushimasmingili Thila), with grey reef sharks and dense fish schools. Both suit divers with some experience because of currents.
Book the Maaya Thila night dive only once you are comfortable with currents and torches; it is busy but memorable.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Active
- Nature
- After dark
Nature · North Malé Atoll
6.Lankan Manta Point
A cleaning station where manta rays come to be groomed by small cleaner fish, best known during the north-east monsoon months. It is one of the closest manta sites to the airport and reached easily from many North Malé resorts.
Stay low and still on the sand near the cleaning station; mantas approach calm divers more closely.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Nature
- Active
Religious site · Malé
7.Old Friday Mosque (Hukuru Miskiy)
Built in 1658, this mosque is made from blocks of coral stone carved with intricate Arabic calligraphy and patterns, a rare surviving example of Maldivian coral architecture. Its cemetery holds ornate coral tombstones, and a white minaret stands beside it.
Dress modestly and ask the caretaker or a guide whether you may look inside; visits are not possible during prayer times.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Architecture
Museum · Malé
8.National Museum and Sultan Park
The National Museum, in a modern building inside Sultan Park on the site of the former royal palace, displays royal regalia, coral-stone carvings, lacquerware and artefacts from the islands' pre-Islamic past. The park itself is a shady green space in the crowded capital.
Visit in the heat of the day when the air-conditioned galleries offer a break from Malé's sun.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Art
Market · Malé
1.Malé fish market
On Boduthakurufaanu Magu facing the harbour, fishermen unload skipjack and yellowfin tuna from their dhonis and cut them on tiled counters in the afternoon. Next door, the local market sells coconuts, chillies, betel and Maldive fish.
Go in the late afternoon when the fishing boats return; it is a working market, so stay out of the way of the cutters.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Food
- Photo spot
Beach · Malé
2.Artificial Beach, Malé
Malé's man-made swimming beach on the east side of the island is where locals swim, play football and gather in the evenings. It is a good place to watch everyday Maldivian life; swimming here is in modest clothing.
Come at sunset when families arrive, and grab tea and hedhikaa from a nearby café.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- After dark
Experience · All atolls
3.Sunset dolphin cruise
Spinner dolphins are common in channels and lagoons across the central atolls, and most resorts and guesthouses run evening boat trips on traditional dhonis to see them leaping as the sun sets.
Sit near the bow for the best views as dolphins ride the boat's bow wave.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Couples
- Nature
Beach · All atolls
4.Sandbank picnic and snorkel
Boats drop visitors on tiny bare sandbanks in the middle of a lagoon for swimming, snorkelling and a picnic lunch, then collect them hours later. Local-island guesthouses offer them as half-day trips; resorts arrange private versions.
Take shade, reef-safe sunscreen and plenty of water; there is no shelter on a sandbank.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Couples
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
Experience · Ari Atoll
5.Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
Opened in 2005 at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, Ithaa is a small restaurant in an acrylic tunnel about five metres below the surface, surrounded by reef fish. It seats only a few people at a time.
Lunch is usually less expensive than dinner and has better natural light for seeing the reef.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Seats are very limited; book well ahead, ideally when you book your stay.
- Couples
- Food
Beach · North Malé Atoll
6.Thulusdhoo surf breaks
The local island of Thulusdhoo, home to a Coca-Cola bottling plant that uses desalinated seawater, sits beside two of the country's best-known reef breaks, Cokes and Chickens. Surf camps and guesthouses cater to surfers, and there is a bikini beach for non-surfers.
Visit between about March and October for the most consistent swell, and bring reef booties for the shallow reef.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Active
- Outdoors
- Off the beaten path
Historic site · Addu Atoll
7.Addu Atoll and the British Loyalty wreck
In the far south, Addu's islands are linked by causeways and the Link Road, and the former RAF base on Gan has relics from the Second World War and Cold War. Divers visit the British Loyalty, a tanker torpedoed in 1944 and later scuttled in the lagoon, now covered in coral.
Rent a bicycle to ride the causeways between Gan, Feydhoo, Maradhoo and Hithadhoo.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Off the beaten path
- Active
Nature · Fuvahmulah
8.Fuvahmulah tiger sharks
Fuvahmulah, a single-island atoll south of the equator with its own small airport, is known among divers for regular encounters with tiger sharks, as well as thresher and hammerhead sharks in season. The open-ocean conditions suit experienced divers only.
Dive with an established local centre that runs thorough briefings, and log some recent current dives before you go.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Active
- Nature
- Off the beaten path
Island · Ari Atoll
9.Thoddoo farms and beach
Thoddoo, a single-island local community at the northern end of Alif Alif (North Ari) administrative atoll, is known for its farms growing watermelons, papayas and bananas, unusual in a country that imports most of its food. Guesthouses, a long bikini beach and a house reef make it a relaxed local-island stay.
Ask your guesthouse for a farm walk and buy fresh fruit straight from the growers.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Off the beaten path
- Food
- Outdoors
Experience · Central atolls
10.Liveaboard dive safari
Liveaboard boats spend a week or more cruising between atolls, typically Malé, Ari, Vaavu and Felidhoo, with two or three dives a day at channels, thilas and manta points out of reach of resort day trips. Many also serve alcohol, unlike local islands.
Pick an itinerary that matches the season: eastern atolls are usually better in the north-east monsoon and western ones in the south-west monsoon.
- Time needed
- 7 nights or more
- Cost
- Expensive
- Active
- Nature
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | National Museum and Sultan Park |
| History | Old Friday Mosque (Hukuru Miskiy), National Museum and Sultan Park and Addu Atoll and the British Loyalty wreck |
| Views | Seaplane flight over the atolls |
| Outdoors and nature | Hanifaru Bay manta rays, Whale sharks in South Ari Atoll, Banana Reef and Maaya Thila and Fish Head |
| Food and markets | Malé fish market, Ithaa Undersea Restaurant and Thoddoo farms and beach |
| After dark | Maaya Thila and Fish Head and Artificial Beach, Malé |
| With children | Artificial Beach, Malé, Seaplane flight over the atolls, Sunset dolphin cruise and Sandbank picnic and snorkel |
| On a rainy day | National Museum and Sultan Park |
What to book ahead
- Ithaa Undersea Restaurant: Seats are very limited; book well ahead, ideally when you book your stay.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Maldives?
Hanifaru Bay manta rays. When monsoon currents trap plankton in this small, shallow bay, dozens and sometimes more than a hundred manta rays gather to feed, along with occasional whale sharks.
+What can you do for free in Maldives?
Old Friday Mosque (Hukuru Miskiy), Malé fish market and Artificial Beach, Malé. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Maldives when it rains?
Head indoors to National Museum and Sultan Park.
+What is there to do in Maldives at night?
Maaya Thila and Fish Head and Artificial Beach, Malé are best after dark.