Top 10 Things To Do With Family In Maldives

Maldives is indeed heaven on Earth with its clear waters and exotic resorts. The popularity of the already famous Republic of Maldives blew exponentially after the Coronavirus struck the Earth. Every movie star, sporting celebrity and big-names in business were heading to the island destination for some “me-time”. Nobody can blame them though, the lockdown and quarantine have drained all of us so much mentally and physically. Being a luxury leisure destination, Maldives offers a great vacation to whoever seeks it. And of course, it includes families as well. Let us cruise into the dreamland and look at the top 10 things to do with your family in Maldives.

Top 10 things to-do with family in Maldives:

• Snorkelling
• Dolphin Cruise
• Sunset Cruise
• Fishing
• Sandbank trip
• Scuba diving
• Beach-dining
• Whale-shark & Manta Ray watching
• Island exploration
• The Glowing Beach

1. Snorkeling

As already mentioned, Maldives has pristine waters like never seen before. The waters in urban cities are blue in colour. You will realise that blue has so many different shades only after seeing the water in the Maldives. Snorkelling is basically swimming with a mask, a snorkel and swim-fins. Exploring the underwater world with your family will be a liberating experience. Unlike Scuba diving, snorkelling does not require people to have a good medical record. Snorkelling does not necessarily require the knowledge of swimming but it is always safe to be able to swim. And if you want to go a little deeper into the ocean, you need to know how to swim.

2. Dolphin Cruise

Dolphins are wonderful creatures. There are specific operators in Maldives who take families on cruises where you can watch dolphins as they swim beside the boat. A group of dolphins jumping up and into the water as you are cruising in the sea – this will be a memory etched in your minds forever. It is still mysterious why dolphins show their acrobatic skills whenever humans are watching them from a distance. It is not like a circus where a ring-master is forcing animals to do something for the audience. They are in no compulsion to do these stunts but they still do not disappoint tourists. Right from 3 year-olds to senior citizens, this experience is for everyone ! These cute creatures definitely make it to the top 10 things to do with your family in Maldives.

3. Sunset Cruise

Sunset cruises must not be missed in Maldives. The Treasure Island offers a never ending horizon as the sun rises and sets. Following an afternoon snack, one can head out for a Sunset cruise with the family. Some people arrange a candle-light dinner on the cruise too, so if you are interested in that, nobody is stopping you. A 10 year old kid will not know how to express his emotions when he/she is on such a cruise as the waves crash against the boat, in front of a beautiful sunset. As a family, you can reconnect, open-up to one another and talk about the things you don’t usually talk about. A private sunset cruise facilitates this. There are a number of family resorts in Maldives which help you with these kind of services.

4. Fishing

Historically, fishing has been that one activity where a father bonds with his son and shares his life experiences. It is the same here too ! In Maldives, fishing becomes easy to most visitors due to the clear waters. You can find the locals getting ready with their equipment to get their day’s catch. Fishing is a part of Maldivian culture as it fish is their main source of food. Locals use a Dhoni to get to shallow waters and look out for fish. Dhonis are traditional boats used while going for fishing. Tourists are allowed to get in on the action. It will be a new adventure for kids as they can see fish, dolphins, rays and even sharks from up close ! If you are lucky, they might even teach your kid to operate Dhonis.

5. Sandbank trip

As the picture suggests, a sandbank is a place where the sand is higher than the surrounding it in the midst of an ocean. This would be a different experience altogether as these are situated among calm waters away from the resorts and public islands. The Indian Ocean, you and your family, nothing else will be there. Writing this makes me feel so calm, imagine how good it will be in real life.

6. Scuba Diving

Being a well renowned activity throughout the world, Scuba diving needs no introduction. The main difference from snorkelling is that greater depths can be reached when you dive. Glide through the ocean floor along with turtles, fish and rays. A word of caution here is that not all children are allowed to dive. A minimum age of around 12 years is generally accepted for diving. There will be a lot of PADI certified instructors in Maldives to teach you and guide you. PADI stands for Professional Association of Diving Instructors. Ari Atoll, Baa Atoll, Vaavu Atoll, and Male Atoll are some of the best places to dive in Maldives. Baa Atoll is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Here you will be able to dive with masses of whale-sharks and manta rays side-by-side.

7. Beach dining

Maldivian resorts offer candle-lit and thematic dinners in the beach side. Families can relish an A-la-carte dinner by the ocean. Beaches are typically places where people come to tan their body, to swim, and to play games. You can do all of those things in Maldives and arrange for a beach dining as well. This experience will be different from a crowded restaurant vibe, mainly because of the seclusion and the view you get. Beachside barbeque’s are also famous in these parts as the whole island comes to life at night.

8. Whale-shark & Manta Ray watching

Whale-sharks are a specific type of whales found in the Maldives. The probability of encountering these enormous whales is high only in some parts. LUX South Ari Atoll, Sun Island Resort & Spa, Dusit Thani and Drift Thelu Veliga Retreat are some resorts where there the occurrence of whale-sharks is high. These are slow moving creatures which do not harm humans. If you are lucky, you might even be able to feed a whale-shark with small fish and plankton. Manta rays on the other hand are more in number and can be found easily when you scuba dive. While sting rays are often digging the sand on the sea-floor, manta rays keep gliding through the ocean and that makes it easier to spot them.

9. Island exploration

Thousands of islands together form the Republic of Maldives but only around 200 of those are inhabited by humans. These islands are either Government land or Privately owned islands. For example, Maafushi is a public island, and Coco Bodu Hithi is a private island. All these inhabited islands are similar yet different in their own way. Each island has a history and exploring the geography of an island with local guides is a learning experience. The resort staff/local guides will know the islands at the back of their head and will be able to take you to the most secluded places. While going around the island, you will chance upon the local culture and tradition in the form of food, music and art.

10. The Glowing Beach

Vaadhoo island is one of the most popular glowing beaches in the world. Some even term it as the ‘Sparkling Beach of Maldives’. It takes around 15 minutes to reach Vaadhoo from Male City. The main reason why people flock to this island is the bioluminescent plankton. Planktons are micro-organisms which settle near the shore. When the waves start to push these planktons up and down the sea with some force, they illuminate the shoreline and that is a view to behold. Children will be excited to see this phenomenon for the first time, and needless to say, you will also become child-like seeing this phenomenon for the first time. That is why the glowing beach is one of the top 10 things to do with your family in Maldives.

One similarity in all of these things in the to-do list is water. Endless, beautiful water. That is what makes Maldives what it is today – heaven on Earth.

Most of all, a Maldives trip is for reconnecting with the family. Things left unsaid, apologies not offered, and the conversations avoided, focus on you and your family alone. Family, after all that’s the most important thing in the world right ?

If you are someone like me whose travel nerves pop out after reading about a destination, reach out to Pickyourtrail. We will be able to help you with your next vacation with our family package to Maldives.