Island Hopping in Maldives

Planning an island hopping trip around the Maldives?

Island Hopping in the Maldives is always a good idea. There are around 1200 islands in the Maldives scattered along the Indian Ocean. Many are surrounded by stunning lagoons. You’ll find the bluest waters known to man in the Maldives.

Most of the luxury resorts in the Maldives take over a single island. When people visit the Maldives they tend to stay in one resort for the duration of their trip. As the Maldives is all about luxury and relaxation this is understandable. If you’d like to see more and extend your trip a little longer, then island hopping in the Maldives is the way forward.

People don’t tend to associate the Maldives with island hopping, as you would in say Greece or the Florida Keys. Most of the islands are uninhabited. There aren’t so many attractions to explore as you venture from island to island. That being said, there is a lot of diversity in the Maldives. You could visit one island with a resort that boasts an amazing house reef, and then another with a wide array of water sport activities.

Combining multiple island also allows you to stay in more than one resort. You can stay in a hotel that’s more lively and then move onto a more remote and exotic location. The different atolls have different characteristics as well.

You can can take a trip to an island near your hotel and see Maldivian culture in action. This can include viewing or participating in traditional ceremonies. You can even take a trip to an uninhabited island and experience Robinson Crusoe seclusion, safe in the knowledge that you can make it home – he was stuck on an island for 28 years!

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The Maldives is home to extraordinary biodiversity. You can swim with manta rays and tropical fish. A local marine biologist can be on hand to guide you. The Maldives has some of the largest reefs in the world. You’ll be exploring the heart of the Indian Ocean. As responsible travel becomes more important, destinations like the Maldives have so much to offer. There’s no heavy industry in the Maldives which is why the waters are so blue and pure. The islands are very small so most of the mammalian life in the Maldives can be found in the sea. Island hopping in the Maldives is a great way to see the full range of the biodiversity on offer. You can even visit the rare pink hydrozoan corals.

Best island resorts to pair in the Maldives

Combining two islands in the Maldives is a popular choice for many visitors who now choose to stay in more than one resort. After all, when you’re going that far why not experience more than one property or island?

• OZEN by Atmosphere & Hurawalhi
  Great for All Inclusive
• Waldorf Astoria & Reethi Rah
  Best for luxury and close to Male
• Constance Moofushi
  Only a 30-minute boat ride between both islands
• Milaidhoo and The Nautilus
  Set in Baa Atoll with incredible UNESCO diving sites
• Fairmont Maldives and Hideaway Beach Resort
  Best for diving on their stunning house reefs
• Anantara Kihavah and Vakkaru
  With an underwater restaurant and great for snorkelling
• Six Senses Laamu and Gili Lankanfushi
  Visit two different atolls

Staying at two islands allows you to try both a seaplane and a speedboat in the Maldives in some instances or just experience different types of islands or even room types. It’s very popular to stay in a beach bungalow for some of your trip and then move to an overwater villa for the rest of it to experience both. Read more: Beach Bungalow or Overwater villa in the Maldives?.

Tourism is the key sector in the Maldivian economy. Many of the luxury resorts are heavily involved in conservation, especially of ocean corals and marine life. Outside of tourism you can take a trip to a local fishing village and get a more intimate feel for Maldivian life beyond the resorts. If you’d like an adrenalin rush then you can try your hand at surfing or waterskiing. Naturally, the Maldives is a pretty unbeatable destination for surfing. You can take a day trip to a surf destination, such as Dhonveli Island.

There aren’t many cruises around the Maldives, but one of our favourites is on a luxurious floating spa that stops at the Maldives’ best diving sites. You can enjoy the spa and all the luxuries on board and then get a bit more active when you put your snorkelling gear on.

A trip to the Maldives will always be built around the resort you stay in. Island hopping in the Maldives is an added bonus to any trip. Get in contact with us if you’d like to find out more about our favourite island-hopping itineraries. Read More: Maldives – The Out Of Office Collection.