DEPARTURE ON
April 21 2018
"Maldives?! I asked her. Where on earth is the Maldives?!" My best friend since the 7th grade had gotten married and spent the honeymoon in Maldives. I listened as her eyes lit up while she described the white sands, and the multi-colored marine life. She smiled ear to ear as she talked of the friendly locals and how the Maldives was made up of 1000s of coral islands with blue lagoons and beautiful little villas with glass floors on stilts spread throughout the country. It was then and there, some 8 years ago that I decided I was going to celebrate my 40th birthday in the Maldives.
8 guests per Catamaran. 4 Air-Conditioned cabins – 4 double beds, each Queen size. 2 separate restrooms with heads and shower. Guests will share bed with cabin-mate.
Ammenities to enjoy include a bar, lounge, sundeck, bathing ladder, deck shower and BBQ.
cost $1700 (down from $2200)
Onboard meals will be had family style. We will shop at local markets and prepare the food ourselves. Will will have picnics on uninhabited islands, coffee at local coffee shops and dinner at the restaurants and resorts of our choosing. Seafood, rice, fresh fruits and vegetables will be the staples in our daily diet. *Cost of food is not included.
We arrive at the international airport of Male' by 2pm. We will then take a 20 min boat ride to Hulhumale' lagoon and board our Catamaran. After 30 min. sailing, we will arrive at Banana Reef (North Male' Atoll) a superb snorkeling site where we will certainly see manta rays. We will then set sail towards the Ari Atoll (3 hours) and spend the night at Kohdhipparu lagoon.
After 4hours of sailing we will arrive at Rasdhoo, a local island where we can enjoy the local life style while having tea, coffee or cold drinks at the local coffee shops located in front of the port. After snorkeling in the lagoon and exploring the area we will spend the night in the lagoon of Rasdhoo.
We sail for 2h30mins and arrive at another beautiful snorkeling site named Genburugau. After a 1h45mins sailing lunch, we visit Dhigga, a reef with an abundance of marine life and corals. We sail for another 45mins to spend the night in the beautiful blue Lagoon of Fesdhoo.
We set sail for 2 hours to arrive at the lagoon of Moofushi. After 45mins sailing, we arrive at the uninhabited island Enboodhoo where we will explore the island’s natural beauty by taking a tour around the island. We can snorkel if we choose so, or just relax on the beach. We sail for 45mins to the picnic island Rahddhiggaa where we can enjoy a picnic at the beach or snorkel with colorful fish and marine life in the surrounding lagoon. The night will be spent in the lagoon of Rahddhiggaa.
Sail towards Theluveligaa for 45mins to a beautiful reef with colorful coral reefs and fish. Sail for another hour to arrive at the picnic island Theluveligaa. After lunch we sail for 1hour to arrive at the local island Dhangethi where we will spend the night.
We will sail for 2h30mins and arrive at Maamigili where we will spend night. It is common for whale sharks to be seen in this area and if we are lucky we will spend the day swimming with whale sharks and spend the night in the anchorage of Maamigili.
After 7 hours of sailing we will arrive at Rihiveli Huraa where we can enjoy the sand or swim with manta rays. We then sail for 1h45mins to arrive at a local island named Guraidhoo where we will spend the night.
Embudu Village, with its sparkling waters and natural easy-going atmosphere is a paradise for anyone looking to escape from the world. After 3h30mins of sailing we will arrive at the lagoon of Enboodhoo where beautiful marine life thrives. Afterwards, we will sail for 1 hour towards Hulhumale for Check-Out.
$1700 will cover cost of room & board as well as snorlerling, pickup to and from airport, as well as inter-island travel.
There will be a $240 per person refundable deposit due March 1 from each passenger for incidentals. If in the event you break something, you have to pay for it and pay back the others. If something gets broken or damaged and we don't know how or who broke it, the cost will come out of the incidentals. If nothing is broken, I will venmo or paypal everyone their $240 back the last day of the trip.
Rooms are booked on a first come/ first serve basis. There are no refunds. In the event you cannot make the trip, you can find someone to take your place and can receive a refund based on their payment.
The Maldives is a Muslim country and we must take care to respect the local culture. Alcohol is not allowed outside of the resort. So no trying to smuggle in alcohol or other contraband. I am not visiting you in Prison. lol. Public nudity is not allowed ANYWHERE in the country. Swimwear & public affection are only allowed in tourist areas. Although the women of Maldives are the most emancipated in the Islamic world, we must be mindful of how we dress outside of tourist areas.
You can read more about the culture of Maldives here.