In December, with the planner's pick for each leg; you can switch any leg in the plan.
Delhi → GulhiFlight via Male · 10h 12m · Air India (daily non-stop) · IndiGo via Bengaluru, Mumbai or Kochi to Male, then ferry
Gulhi → MaafushiBoat · 30m · Hired speedboat (arranged by your guesthouse or resort)
Maafushi → FulidhooBoat · 1h 24m · Hired speedboat (arranged by your guesthouse or resort)
Fulidhoo → DelhiFlight via Male · 10h 30m · Ferry to Male, then Air India (daily non-stop) · IndiGo via Bengaluru, Mumbai or Kochi
About this circuit
The Maldives from guesthouses on three local islands south of Malé, linked by speedboat: quiet Gulhi, busy Maafushi with boats out every day to sandbanks, snorkel reefs, dolphins and resort day passes, and tiny Fulidhoo in Vaavu Atoll, where nurse sharks and stingrays gather at the harbour.
Why it matters
Maafushi is the budget Maldives, with some sixty guesthouses; Gulhi is its calm small neighbour with reefs close to shore; and Fulidhoo is near some of the best dive sites in the country, Fotteyo and the Vaavu channels.
Stop by stop
How the 7 days split across the 3 stops, and what each one costs on the ground for two.
A small fishing island just north of Maafushi with a handful of guesthouses, a quiet bikini beach and reefs close to shore: the calm alternative to its busy neighbour, twenty minutes from the airport by speedboat or about an hour from Malé on the public ferry (not Fridays). No airport, no alcohol; dress modestly in the village.
Don't miss: Snorkel off the beach · Quiet bikini beach.
How long: 1 day here; on its own Gulhi is worth 2 — add a day if you can.
Velana International Airport (MLE), 23 km
1 day for two from ₹4,862 · ₹11,470 mid-range — stay, food, local travel and entry; the journey here is extra
The busiest local island, about 27 km south of Malé: some sixty guesthouses, a fenced bikini beach, and boats out every day to sandbanks, snorkel reefs, dolphins and resort day passes. Half an hour by shared speedboat from the airport, or an hour and a half by the public ferry from Malé (not on Fridays). It has no airport. A local island: no alcohol on the island itself (excursion boats to a "floating bar" offshore exist), and cover shoulders and knees away from the bikini beach.
Don't miss: Sandbank picnic trip · Snorkel with turtles and reef fish.
How long: 3 days, which is the recommended stay.
Velana International Airport (MLE), 28 km
3 days for two from ₹30,573 · ₹64,800 mid-range — stay, food, local travel and entry; the journey here is extra
A tiny island in Vaavu Atoll, an hour south of Malé by speedboat, known for the nurse sharks and stingrays that gather at the harbour, sand streets, a few guesthouses and some of the best dive sites in the country (Fotteyo and the Vaavu channels). Speedboats run once a day, Saturday to Thursday; the public ferry takes about three and a half hours, three days a week each way. No airport, no alcohol.
Don't miss: Nurse sharks and stingrays at the jetty · Diving the Vaavu channels.
How long: 3 days, which is the recommended stay.
Velana International Airport (MLE), 60 km
3 days for two from ₹30,573 · ₹61,733 mid-range — stay, food, local travel and entry; the journey here is extra
What it costs
from ₹88,505 a person
The whole 7-day trip as the planner prices it in December, for two sharing at budget stays: flights from India and back, travel between the stops, stays, food, getting around, entry fees and the planner's buffer.
December to April is the season; from May to October the south-west monsoon brings rough seas, and ferries and speedboats are delayed or cancelled on bad days
Entry rules
Visa on arrival for up to 30 days
Within 96 hours before you land, fill in the free IMUGA traveller declaration at imuga.immigration.gov.mv (one per traveller) and save the QR code. Nothing is needed to leave: the departure declaration was dropped in August 2024.
Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.
Make it yours
Opens in the planner with all 3 stops, suggested days and your home city pre-filled, in December. Swap anything.
·Shared speedboats to the outer islands leave the airport once or twice a day, the last around 16:00, and the Fulidhoo boat runs about once a day, Saturday to Thursday: plan round the boats, not your flight
·Public ferries don't run on Fridays on most routes
·Local islands are Muslim communities: swimwear only on the fenced bikini beach, shoulders and knees covered in the village, and no alcohol on the island
·Don't bring alcohol, pork or idols for worship: customs confiscates them at the airport
·Immigration can refuse entry without a booking at a registered place to stay; fill in the free IMUGA declaration within 96 hours before you land
