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Until a few years back, most travelers considered the Maldives as a honeymoon and wedding destination. It remains a romantic tropical paradise, but it now also attracts a wide range of tourists from across the globe.
Among the new wave of tourists planning trips to the Maldives are families with children and solo backpackers traveling on a budget. The latter can stay in public guesthouses and get a first-hand experience of life on the islands.
Although predominantly unexplored, the Maldives is also a fantastic destination for friends to visit in a group. The idea of “one island, one resort” allows you and your friends to spend more time together.
Furthermore, with plenty of activities to do in the Maldives, there are ample opportunities to strengthen the bonds of fellowship while having a whale of a time in a memorable setting.
If you are planning an island holiday, here are 11 awesome things to do in the Maldives with friends.
Enjoy water sports
Scream, shout, laugh, and get splashed! Water sports is the number one thing to do in the Maldives with friends. What’s more, there is an abundance of options available depending on your interest and thrill-seeking levels.
During your stay on an island, you can go kayaking in the sea, jet ski, take a banana boat ride, paddleboard, snorkel in the house reefs, ride various surfing breaks, go flyboarding, or book a unique attraction like a submarine tour in Malé.
Eat and drink
Food brings people together, and there’s plenty of it to go around in the Maldives. When traveling with friends, breakfast, lunch, and dinner are times when you can sit down and concentrate on your day. Mornings are ideal for planning activities. The afternoon is perfect for relaxing. In the evenings, you can chat and discuss your daily encounters.
Of course, food is itself a hot topic. Whether it is Maldivian cuisine or some of the best dishes in the world, served in gourmet restaurants, food and drink sessions are among the most unforgettable moments of any Maldivian holiday.
Participate in cultural activities
Staying in an international resort does not mean you cannot experience Maldivian culture and tradition. On public islands, it is possible to partake in local festivities, memorable events that give insight into the beliefs and practices of Maldivian people.
On resort islands, the staff organizes cultural activities that guests can enjoy as a group. There are barbeques, traditional music and dance performances, bonfires, themed nights, and the rather exciting crab races to enjoy.
If your friends are gourmands, book a cooking session and learn how to make delicious Maldivian snacks. And if you want everything to be authentic, hop over to a nearby inhabited island for a day and see how the locals live.
Take a boat trip
It doesn’t matter if you are a family with kids in the Maldives, a couple, or a group of friends; boat trips are for everyone. Moreover, you can book a number of different sailing trips through your resort or guesthouse.
Among the famous boat tours are the sunset dhoni cruise, a snorkeling day trip with sandbank picnic, dolphin tour, and swimming with manta rays or shark excursion. If you are a small group of friends, there is the possibility of booking an entire liveaboard. A liveaboard adventure allows you to explore incredible diving and snorkeling sites around the archipelago.
Another novel attraction in the Maldives is booze boats. Since you won’t find any alcohol on public islands, there is the possibility to go offshore to a boat and enjoy a fun night full of drinks and music. Since Maafushi is the most popular inhabited island with travelers presently, there are a couple of well-known boats with bars stationed off its coast.
Or a seaplane flight
To view the splendor of the Maldives in all its shining glory, you must look at it from high above. Many tourists book a seaplane to their resort for this very reason.
But if you are staying close to Malé Airport or didn’t book a flight, it is still possible to take a private seaplane trip in the Maldives. The plane ride lasts about 10 to 20 minutes. Booking an entire seaplane is slightly expensive. However, the best part is that when enjoying it with your friends, the per-person cost is relatively nominal.
Go fish!
A fun activity to do in the Maldives with friends is fishing. Surrounded by the ocean, fishing is not just a sport but a way of life for the residents. Adventurous souls staying on a public island can catch a ride with the local fisherman as he goes out to fish in a dhoni. Otherwise, book a fishing tour along with your mates.
Fishing in the Maldives comes under a couple of different categories. Guesthouses often organize line fishing for their guests, wherein you don’t even have to leave the island. A popular excursion, though, is sunset fishing. Perfect for beginners, the tour ends with a barbeque featuring whatever it is that you catch.
If you and your friends are serious about the sport, book a deep-sea fishing tour in the Maldives. Resorts and some of the bigger inhabited islands have access to offshore fishing boats that can accommodate a small group with ease.
Although fishing is permissible in the Maldives, there are certain restrictions on what and where you can fish. Please check that your tour operator follows sustainable practices before booking a trip.
Play beach games
It’s a sheer wastage of space and opportunity if you don’t make the most of Maldivian tropical weather and its shoreline while staying on the islands. Stretches of soft golden sand, bordering the blue ocean, the best beaches in the Maldives are heavenly locations ideal for sunbathing and perfect for playing games with friends.
Whether it is volleyball, frisbee, toss and catch, or an intense game of tag you want, there is so much to do. If living on an inhabited island, you can even team up with your friends and play a friendly soccer game with the local kids. Football is, after all, the most popular sport in the Maldives.
Get PADI certified
Being on holiday with friends is about experiencing new adventures. Diving is one of the top tourist attractions in the Maldives. Already, several enthusiasts come to the archipelago with their diving buddies to explore the waters brimming with vibrant marine life.
If you and your friends are not licensed divers, worry not. There is the possibility of snorkeling with manta rays and whale sharks. However, if you wish to scuba dive, then team up and get PADI certified. Scuba diving is an exhilarating experience made all the more memorable when shared with friends.
The Maldives has many dive centers that offer PADI courses and completion of certification if you have already started. Prices for the courses depend on the number of days and dives you take.
Book a spa treatment
Who says a spa date is only for couples? It certainly isn’t in the Maldives. The best way to relax after an exciting and activity-filled day at the beach is to get a massage or a spa treatment. And who better to relish it with than your friends.
Resorts in the Maldives have some of the most exclusive health and beauty centers. From getting a rejuvenating treatment at the underwater spa in Huvafen Fushi to a massage on the piano deck of Baros, there are choices aplenty. Moreover, since there are various services on offer, each one of you can get treated as per your preference and body requirement.
Have a photo session
If you go to the Maldives and don’t take stunning photos, did you even go to the Maldives? Moreover, how will you make all your friends, family, and followers jealous unless you post these incredible pictures of Maldives on Instagram and other social media?
Our Maldives photo guide is an excellent resource, full of tips to help you capture the beauty of the islands. But to make sure no one in your group is left out and that you have the very best of photographs, book a professional session.
Because the Maldives is a top honeymoon and wedding destination, most resorts can arrange for a photographer for a private photoshoot. Knowledgeable about the area and the best times to take photos, they can take gorgeous pictures of the entire group posing together.
Plan a resort day
Sometimes it’s difficult for each and every friend in a group to afford a resort stay in the Maldives. That doesn’t mean you have to look for another cheap destination. Thanks to the opening of guesthouses on public islands, even budget travels in the Maldives can enjoy the country’s many wonders.
However, a budget stay does not mean you miss out on all the luxuries of a retreat. A resort day in the Maldives consists of spending 7 to 9 hours on a private island, eating, drinking, swimming, and sunbathing while enjoying top-class hospitality. All of this is at a fraction of the cost you would pay for an overnight stay. A private island day-pass is thus a must-do excursion to book when staying on a public island with friends.
