11 unforgettable experiences to try in the Maldives in 2024

Sara Darling

Sara Darling

If you're heading to the Indian Ocean*, you can expect breathtaking beaches, tempting warm sea and almost guaranteed wonderful weather.

Find memorable experiences in the Maldives
Find memorable experiences in the Maldives © s4svisuals - Adobe Stock Image

Although the atolls that make up the Maldives* are glorious at all times of the year, the best month to visit is February, which boasts up to 10 hours of sunshine per day, dipping only by a few degrees at night.

What's more, there's an abundance of resorts for couples and families, each offering out-of-this-world experiences to tempt you to their shores and provide an unforgettable escape.

Getting to the Maldives: check out the latest offers on flights, hotels and holidays to the Maldives* with experts at Travebag.

Leap for the new skydiving dropzone

With its private airport, Ifuru Island is an ultra-exclusive resort for the adventurous traveller; it also boasts the Maldives' first permanent skydiving dropzone.

Designed in collaboration with World Champion skydiver Will Penny, Skydive Maldives offers lessons which culminate in a skydive with a spectacular view, falling from the air to the sugar-soft sands of the private beach.

Embrace your inner artist

If you're not just travelling for sun and sand, Amari Raaya Maldives has a programme aimed at supporting your physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing.

With sunrise yoga and two-hour massages at the traditional Maai Spa, the island is also based around the story of Seb, a shipwrecked artist, so expect an art workshop where you can unleash your inner Picasso.

Learn to surf

City dwellers are going gaga for the new surf school at Kuda Villingili Resort, which has partnered with UK-based charity The Wave Project to set up a new surf therapy programme for families, where you can learn to ride the waves during your stay.

Venture beyond the reefs to find great surfing
Venture beyond the reefs to find great surfing © Lila Koan - Adobe Stock Image

Help the coral

Travellers with a conscience can give back to the environment at the Fairmont Maldives*. Along with the resort's sustainability pledge, guests can now assist the hotel's marine biologists in regenerating coral reefs; it also has workshops on turning plastic waste into souvenirs to take home and produce products for local schools.

Sleep with sealife

Boasting a world-first, The Muraka at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island is a villa with a difference. The undersea residence is a two-level structure consisting of a luxurious first floor and an undersea suite designed for sleeping under the ocean's surface.

Sleep with the fish at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
Sleep with the fish at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island - photo courtesy of Conrad Hotels & Resorts

The undersea bedroom level sits five metres below sea level, providing uninterrupted views of the surrounding marine environment and hosts nine guests.

Dance on ice

To break up the potential monotony of daily lounging in the heat, the OZEN Reserve Bolifushi* has installed the Maldives' first eco-friendly ice rink, using Glice (synthetic ice) from Switzerland.

You could be taking a dip in the crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean one minute and gliding across the ice against a beautiful, if surreal, tropical backdrop the next.

Cutting-edge culture

Focussing on the well-being of the planet as well as those who live on it, Patina Maldives practises what it preaches all year round with collaborations and installations from like-minded creatives.

The recent launch of STAMPD x Patina Maldives features a capsule streetwear collection using recycled materials, a cruelty-free perfume, 'Cosmopolitan Ocean' by Margate-based skincare company Haeckels and an ocean plastics art installation by its resident Artist in Nature, Pam Longobardi.

Explore two islets in one resort

Find twice as much fun at Jawakara Islands Maldives* as the resort is spread across two sand blots: Mabin and Dheru, connected by an over-sea walkway.

Mabin, the largest, is home to the Jawa Kids' Club where little ones can enjoy child-friendly spa treatments, sushi-making classes and mocktail mixology as well as sustainability workshops.

Jawakara offers guided diving and snorkelling trips along with paddleboarding, kayaking, jet skiing, waterskiing, wakeboarding, sofa-rides, windsurfing and catamaran sailing.

Embrace your inner merperson

Siyam World Maldives* is unapologetically quirky, offering an ever-expanding array of experiences from the Indian Ocean's biggest floating water park, to the Maldives' first resort horse ranch. Now you can strap on the world's first underwater jet pack, Cudajet, which is set to revolutionise snorkelling!

Indulge in a massage below the surface

The underwater Huvafen Spa at Huvafen Fushi Madlives certainly aims to set the bar for unusual massage experiences, with two therapy rooms situated below sea level offering windows to the aquatic world.

Book your stay at Havafen Fushi
Book your stay at Havafen Fushi - photo courtesy of Universal Resorts Maldives

Enjoy an indulgent facial or wellness treatment in the world's first underwater spa. Offering a range of facials designed by celebrity skincare guru Teresa Tarmey, you can also pick from a variety of relaxing, rejuvenating and cutting-edge treatments amid a kaleidoscope of marine life.

Flash the fishes from your private tub

If you've never fancied skinny dipping, the Six Senses Laamu resort may be able to tempt you with the next best thing. Book your very own glass-bottom bathtub in one of the water villas and you'll be able to watch the sea life as you soap up without the fear of being nibbled.

Climate in the Maldives

  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Maximum daytime temperature °F
Hours of sunshine (daily)
Days with some rainfall
Sea temperature °F

The above guide shows the climate in Malé. Find out more about conditions across the islands in our complete guide to the climate in the Maldives.

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More about the Maldives

Maldives by month

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Sara Darling

Sara Darling

Posted on Wednesday 3rd January 2024 in: Excursions Indian Ocean Nature

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