Maafushi Island, Maldives: Ultimate 2024 Travel Guide

Maafushi is one of the 1200 islands that make up the country of Maldives. Located in the South Male Atoll in the Indian Ocean, Maafushi is a small island with just 1.5 kilometres in length and 400 meters in width! It is one of the 200 local islands in the country open to tourists, and one of the most tourist friendly in my opinion, as you’ll see further in this Maafushi Island travel guide.

Despite its small size, Maafushi has a diverse range of accommodation options to suit every budget and preference, and other amenities including spas, restaurants serving delectable cuisine, and thrilling water sports facilities. In short: Maafushi has it ALL and that’s why it’s one island I recommend to anyone who wants to experience the local Maldivian island life and get away from expensive resort islands.

🏝️Visiting Maafushi? Here are a few quick links at a glance:
✈️Book Flights: Skyscanner for cheapest deals
🚤Book Transfers: 12goAsia
🛌Book Hotels: Booking and Expedia for best deals
🤳Best Maafushi Tours: Viator
🩺Global Travel Insurance: SafetyWing
🧴Sunscreen: Thank You Farmer (Reef Safe), Foxtale (SPF 70)

Maafushi vs Other Maldives Local Islands

I went to Maafushi on a family trip with my parents and sister. It was our first family trip in 9 years and this Maafushi Island travel guide will tell you multiple reasons why I chose Maafushi of all the islands in Maldives:

• Maafushi is comparatively cheaper: Getting to Maafushi is cheaper than most islands because it’s much closer to the international airport at Male. There are also several cheaper hotels and eating joints on the island. Our 5-night/ 6-day trip of four adults ended up being just INR 3.25 Lakhs (about 4000 USD) end to end. (More on this in a separate “Maldives on a budget” blog later!)
• Maafushi is closer to Male: Since Maafushi is only 30 minutes from Male by speedboat, it cut a lot of travel time for us, especially since it was a short (5 night) trip.
• Maafushi has great tourist infrastructure: Now this is also the reason why I’ve stayed away from Maafushi myself while going to Maldives independently. But since I was with my family, I wanted an island that had activities other than scuba diving in the Maldives. And Maafushi delivered. A lot of other local islands in the Maldives are slower and don’t cater to other activities apart from scuba diving.
• Maafushi is the only local island with a bar: I’ll expand on this further in this Maafushi Island travel guide. But if you’re someone who likes to drink and don’t want to visit a resort island, Maafushi is your only bet!

And I’m so glad I made the decision I did. It was overall a very successful trip. My parents also got to experience things like snorkelling and kayaking for the first time on this trip, so it will always be special.

Read on to know all that we did on this trip, and how you can make the most of yours through this Maafushi Island travel guide!

How to Reach Maafushi

If you’re arriving internationally, to reach Maafushi, you will first fly into the Velana International Airport in the Maldives and then take a speedboat or a ferry to Maafushi.

Reaching Male

Reaching Male, the capital of the Maldives, is relatively straightforward. Velana International Airport is the only international airport in the country and serves as the primary gateway to the Maldives. It is located on Hulhule Island, part of the Greater Male Region. Read more details further in this Maafushi Island travel guide.

Numerous international airlines operate direct flights to Velana International Airport from major cities around the world. These include Mumbai (India), Dubai (UAE), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Bangkok (Thailand), Doha (Qatar), Muscat (Oman), Moscow (Russia), Istanbul (Turkey), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Beijing (China), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and many others.

Male to Maafushi

To reach Maafushi from Male, the capital of the Maldives, you have several transportation options available:

Speedboat: Any Maafushi Island travel guide will tell you that one of the fastest and most convenient ways to reach Maafushi from Male is by speedboat. There are regular Male to Maafushi speedboat services with multiple departures throughout the day. The journey typically takes around 30 to 45 minutes depending on sea conditions.

Public Ferry: For a more budget-friendly option, you can also take the public ferry from Male to Maafushi. The ferry departs from the MTCC Airport Express Terminal in Male City and takes approximately 90 minutes to reach Maafushi.

A lot of information on the internet says it departs from the Villingili terminal but that is incorrect. We went there and were asked to go to Airport Express on the opposite side of the city instead.

The Male to Maafushi public ferry usually costs $2. Trust this Maafushi Island travel guide to find you the best deals!

Things to Do in Maafushi

Swim and Snorkel at Bikini Beach

Since Maldives is an Islamic country, Bikini Beach in Maafushi (and most other local islands) is the only designated area for tourists to wear bikinis. This is the beach right in front of Arena Hotel, and offers powdery white sands, and crystalline waters.

There are also sunbeds available to rent at $5 indefinitely throughout the day. Some shops even offer them for free if you buy a drink (depending on the time, day of the week, and crowd on the beach).

The beach is flanked by swaying coconut palm trees and is perfect for sunbathing, swimming and snorkelling, making it one of the free things to do in Maafushi.

Maafushi Island travel guide pro tip: To snorkel, your best bet is to swim all the way to the edge of the house reef, where the reef drops into the sea. This is where corals are colourful and thriving, and where the most action is. I saw an eagle ray here, a baby black tip reef shark, schools of fusiliers, triggerfish, unicorn fish, trumpet fish and a lot more.

Try Water Sports at Maafushi Beach

In between the harbour and Bikini Beach is the main beach of the island called Maafushi Public Beach. Here, there are several shacks offering an array of watersports including parasailing, jet skiing, kayaking and more, some of the most popular things to do in Maafushi.

My mother and I opted for a sunset kayaking session which cost us $10 per person for an hour. They have one-person, two-person and three-person kayaks available and they also have life jackets if you need them. I always enjoy kayaking and it was fun for me to watch my mother enjoy the activity a lot too!

Here are some Maafushi Island activities this Maafushi Island travel guide recommends to do:

👉Wakeboard & Water-Ski
👉Water Sports Combo – Jet Ski, Kayak & Tube ride
👉Parasailing Experience
👉Kite Surfing & Wind Surfing
👉Underwater Scooter Rental
👉Gulhi Island Full-Day Tour By Jet-ski

Go Scuba Diving

If you’re in the Maldives and you don’t try scuba diving, did you even visit the Maldives!? I’ve always enjoyed diving in the Maldives and of course, I wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass by too. This time, I roped in my sister to try it for the first time ever while I went on my 30th-something fun dive!

We chose to dive with The Dive Squad, Maafushi because they are a PADI 5-Star Centre.

Trust this Maafushi Island travel guide to tell you that a PADI 5 centre ensures a greater level of instructorship, good safety protocols and good quality equipment. A single Discover Scuba Diving (DSD) try dive with The Dive Squad costs $75 but my sister chose the double DSD so we could be on the boat together!

Scuba diving is one of the best things to do in Maafushi. The Dive Squad took us to the Kuda Giri Shipwreck. This wreck has an air pocket inside meaning for a short time, I was outside water…while being inside water! It was my first time experiencing an air pocket underwater and it was such a thrilling experience!

It was also my sister’s first time ever scuba diving and the instructors at The Dive Squad made it super easy for her. She was very comfortable underwater and saw her first sharks, her first sea turtle, her first eagle ray, her first sting ray and a lot more!

Do the Nurse Shark and Shipwreck Snorkel Tour

There are actually a lot of tours in Maafushi to choose and they make for the best things to do in Maafushi too. I went with iCom Tours Maafushi and recommend them for this Maafushi Island travel guide because they have better prices than most other tour operators on the island for the same tours.

You can look at their catalogue online, send them a WhatsApp text or just book at their (really huge) office right opposite the harbour.

We booked the Sting Ray, Dolphin, Nurse Shark and Keyodhoo Shipwreck Tour because not only was it cost effective (65 USD including gear rental, towels and lunch), but also because it covered a lot of our points of interest.

👉The Nurse Shark and Shipwreck tour is also one of the most popular Maafushi tours.

However, I won’t say I was completely blown away by our Maafushi Island excursion. And I don’t wholeheartedly endorse this Maafushi tour as well. Here is the reason:

Our first stop was Fulhidhoo Island for watching stingrays which apparently come really close to the shore. I was quite fascinated looking at the pictures. But once we reached there, we found out that the reason stingrays come close to the shore and to humans is because the tour operators feed them dead fish for tourists to photograph.

Similarly, the nurse shark snorkelling was also I was eagerly looking forward to. Imagine just being surrounded by 15-20 nurse sharks at all times! But turns out they are always around at this particular spot because they are also fed dead fish by tour operators.

If you want to read in detail why this is a bad practice, check out my detailed Instagram post on this topic here. This Maafushi Island travel guide does not endorse unethical wildlife encounters.

We also didn’t spot any dolphins, unfortunately. But snorkelling around the shipwreck was really great. This shipwreck is also one of the very few where you can simply swim/ snorkel and don’t have to scuba dive to see.

However, there is no denying the Keyodhoo Shipwreck was the highlight of this boat tour. There are very few shipwrecks in the world that are accessible to non swimmers and non scuba divers and that is what makes this special. Located in the Vaavu Atoll, the Maafushi tours to Keyodhoo are popular, but can be accessed from some other islands too.

Other Boat Tours from Maafushi

There are also a bunch of other Maafushi tours you can take by boat for snorkelling and encountering marine animals like manta rays, whale sharks and more things to do in Maafushi.

The top recommendations for Maafushi tours as per this Maafushi Island travel guide include:

👉Whale sharks & manta rays snorkelling with dolphin watching
👉Snorkeling with Manta Rays
👉Snorkelling half day trip (2 sites) + sandbank lunch and dolphin watching
👉Full Day Snorkeling and Island Hopping (+lunch and evening tea)
👉Half Day Sunset Fishing Tour With BBQ Dinner

Visit the Floating Bar

Did you know that the Maldives is a dry nation because it’s an Islamic country? The only place where liquor is legally served is on resort islands. No local islands serve alcohol in the Maldives apart from Maafushi!

The folks at Maafushi brilliantly have come up with a loophole in the system. Since having a bar on the island is not allowed, someone has gone and docked a yacht close to the harbour and turned it into a floating bar for Maafushi alcohol! It is definitely one of the most unique things to do in Maafushi.

The Maafushi Floating Bar is open every day from 4 pm until 12 midnight. There is a free boat service to take you to the Floating Bar (free only if you buy drinks). The bar serves a Garman lager brand for $10 and gin, vodka and whiskey for $8 each. Mixers like Coke, bitter lemon, tonic water etc are $3 and there are also snacks like Pringles etc.

But full discover from this Maafushi Island travel guide: don’t go in expecting a proper bar with chill vibes and a raging Maafushi nightlife. It’s more of a shady business with dim lighting, a disco ball, Y2K pop music blaring and a server who is mostly stoned!

It was a hilarious experience for me but if I went back, I would go around 4 pm for a sundowner and come back as night falls. I think that’s when the vibes would be the best.

Get a Massage

One of the highlights of this Maafushi travel guide and our favourite things to do in Maafushi was get a massage.

We went to the Maafushi Spa by Raajje Spa. It’s a small space with only two beds to accommodate two people at a time. The masseuses are Indonesian and they offer a range of therapies including Balinese Massage, Swedish, Deep Tissue, Sports massages etc.

I got a 60 minute dry massage (I can’t remember which one it was) and it cost $55. I have to say, the best 55 dollars I spent on the entire trip (apart from diving of course!) This should definitely be on your Maafushi Island itinerary!

Take a Day Trip to a Resort Island

While the real charm of Maldives lies in its local islands where you can not only enjoy the Indian Ocean’s azure waters but also get a peek into the local Maldivian way of life, there is no denying that the curiosity about life at resort islands will always be there!

So without having to shell out a bomb spending a night at resort islands, you can simply take a day trip to one of the nearer ones, one of the coolest things to do in Maafushi!

We bought the $100 Bronze package for Adaaran Club Rannalhi Resort. The price included a two way transfer to the resort, an entrance fee, buffet lunch, evening snack and unlimited alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages throughout the day. A pretty sweat deal, as per this Maafushi Island travel guide!

We were actually very excited to live the resort life for 8 hours but we were late by 5 minutes to the harbour and the boat left without us, without even making a phone call to ensure if we were coming. It was quite a bummer, but thankfully we were able to get 3/4 of our money back.

Walk Around the Island

Well, this one is simple, ain’t it!? Most local islands in the Maldives are actually hella small. Maafushi island size is only 1.5 kilometres in length and about 500 meters in width so super walkable, making it the easiest (and free-est) thing on this Maafushi Island travel guide!

It’s fun to just go around, looking at how life plays out in this corner of the world, watching kids spill out of the school in the afternoon, a football game happening in the evening, and the many houses covered with bougainvillaea vines all over.

There’s a lot of beauty in the simplest moments if you just take some time out of your to-do checklist and allow yourself to simply wander, while getting acquainted with the Maafushi island map!

Go Souvenir Shopping

Some souvenir shopping is definitely one of the best things to do in Maafushi. The lane next to Kaani Hotel, close to Bikini Beach is where there are 5-7 souvenir shops one after the other. The Arena souvenir shop is one of the biggest and has the best collection.

You can find locally handcrafted wooden objects, hand painted marine life fridge magnets, keychains and a lot more. If you want to treat yourself to some beautiful swimwear made out of recycled ocean plastic, head to the My Crazy Ibiza shop!

Where to Stay in Maafushi

There are several hotels to suit all budget levels in Maafushi. From Maafushi island resorts to Maafushi island hotels, you’ll find everything here (one of the biggest reasons why I chose this island was for its affordable accommodation).

Here are the top picks from this Maafushi Island travel guide on where to stay in Maafushi:

Maafushi View: This is where we stayed. It was a $50 room with AC, about 300 meters from the beach and this was one of the cheapest hotels in Maafushi. We had a pretty decent stay. The staff was helpful and accommodating.

Nala Island Village was my other option which was $60 including breakfast and about 150 meters from the beach. But unfortunately, they only had one room left by the time I finalized my bookings so I had to let go of this option.

Kaani Grand Sea View and Arena Beach Hotel are both located right on Bikini Beach and are the place to be if you are ready to spend some big bucks for luxury. These Maafushi island resorts have oceanfront rooms, infinity pools on the roof and a lot of fancy amenities. Rates start at $115 a night and go up to $150 (which I know is still cheap for a lot of people).

Where to Eat in Maafushi

The food in Maafushi (like most other Maldivian local islands) was sort of disappointing. Seeing so much tourist infrastructure, I thought we’d indulge in some great food but it was average at best at most places we went to. So I’ve gone ahead and sifted through the best ones from our foodie adventures for this Maafushi Island travel guide.

Here’s the list of the best places to eat in Maafushi:

Salmonia Seafood: Salmonia is the best place for seafood in Maafushi according to this Maafushi Island travel guide. Their salmon steak was so good my sister went in for another one! I also really enjoyed their grilled prawns, and they have decent sandwiches for a quick snack!

Beach Club: Beach Club is the best out of the two gelato places in Maafushi. They have a cute corner shop which also sells some *real* coffee unlike anywhere else on the island. We went here every night after dinner for gelato!

Maladiwa Melon: Maladiwa was great for some Indonesian cuisine. I had different types of nasi goreng and mi goreng here and liked all of them. In fact, they also do some pretty good pasta!

Palm Cafe: Palm Cafe is a cute shack by the beach selling coconut water, fruit juices, smoothies, milkshakes as well as coffee. But it’s just instant coffee, not the real deal like Beach Club! It’s a great spot for some evening hangs.

Habibi: This one place is super obscure and we chanced on it because the Bangladeshi guy dealing out beach beds on Bikini Beach told us about it. Habibi doesn’t exist on Google Maps or anywhere on the Internet for that matter. You gotta reach Maladiwa and head straight down the road, past Beach Club. It’s great for some real deal thing crust pizzas like Napolitana and Parma ham. Their chicken zingers are also really good and succulent, better than your regular KFC! I fully recommend it for this Maafushi Island travel guide.

Best Time to Visit Maafushi

The best time to visit Maafushi is honestly, year round. However, the peak season is during the dry months of November through March. The prices are lowest during the monsoon months of June through September. Flights to Male operate even in monsoons. However, the ferries and speedboats might get rescheduled if the seas are too choppy.

Maafushi Island Travel Guide: FAQs

How many days are enough for Maafushi Island?

I think a 4 to 5 days Maafushi tour is enough to explore this island properly and do all key Maafushi excursions. However, you can always carry on to other islands afterwards like Maafushi to Guraidhoo.

How do you get around Maafushi Island?

Walking! Maafushi size is super small (1.5km in length) and you don’t need transport here. However, some Maafushi resorts and Maafushi hotels offer bicycles to get around.

Why is Maafushi so popular?

This island is so popular because of its range of Maafushi activities and excursions, cheap hotels, Maafushi alcohol bar and proximity to Male! It’s got everything right!

Can you drink alcohol in Maafushi?

Yes! Maafushi is one of the only local islands in Maldives where you can drink alcohol legally. The Floating Bar takes away all your Maafushi alcohol worries!

How far is Maafushi from Male?

Male to Maafushi takes about 30 minutes via speedboat and 90 minutes via public ferry.

Enjoyed this Maldives Maafushi island travel guide?