What To Expect

What‘s Included

Reviews

• Sun, sand, snorkelling, scuba and sensational sea life

  234annef,,Jan 8, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  We went as a couple in November 2025. I had contacted Ruth for a suggestion that would give us a sense of both the local life and the wildlife and we ended up on a wonderful island hopping week. We spent our first night on Hulhumale, where we met our guide Kamey. As a marine biologist, he was a wealth of knowledge about Maldivian sea life. He was also a wonderful guide to local culture. Our delightful hotel Hive Beach was right on the beach, which had amazing sunrises and great little snack huts. It was a national holiday, so we we enjoyed watching families frolic on the public beach and in the ocean. The next day we took a very bumpy 2-hour speedboat ride to our first island, Mathiveri, where we stayed 2 nights in a very modest but comfortable guest house, Royal Reef, next to the beach. Kamey took us on two snorkelling trips around the local reefs, where we saw all sorts of amazing fish. We watched a lovey sunset from the tourist beach, which also has a fun little island you can swim to. In the evening we watched a pod of nurse sharks enjoy cast-off fish heads in the harbour, and the sounds of a volleyball tournament down the beach from us. Our next island, Ukulhas, was a short hop by ferry (much less bumpy!). We stayed at Ostrov, a nice guest house with its own section of private beach. More great snorkelling - this time we saw giant manta rays doing cartwheels as they fed - truly amazing. Kamey got some spectacular underwater photos and video for us while we were on the surface. We enjoyed delicious afternoon snacks on the beach, and late evening shopping at local boutiques (they're all open until 10 or 11). Kamey arranged for me to do a scuba trip with a local dive company, Reef Rangers, who were friendly, safe and knowledgeable. Our second day we undertook a somewhat strenuous kayak around the island - less relaxing than I would have liked, but the only blip in an otherwise fun week. Our final island was Rasdhoo, a divers' paradise. Due to a conflicting flight booking on my part, we only had one night here, so all our activities were packed in - including a snorkel, a sunset trip to watch the dolphins play, and a romantic beach dinner under the stars prepared by our guest house, Fins Dive & Adventure. I got in a final dive the next morning with Fins' amazing divemaster - swam right next to manta and eagle rays! - before we headed back to Hulhumale via speedboat for our final night. We stayed at H78, another beach side hotel, where we enjoyed a lovely dinner and a Balinese massage in-room. Secret Paradise is super eco conscious and tries to make sure all aspects of their tours are sustainable and not harmful to wildlife. They provide lots of great info about how to be a responsible tourist in the Maldives We valued staying locally and not in a resort - each island was quite small, very safe, and fun to explore on foot. It was also interesting to have a "dry" vacation (no alcohol is permitted on local islands) - made for very chill evenings! We also valued interacting with the locals and the international hospitality workers from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal. Overall we had an amazing time - great accommodations, delicious food, unique sea life sightings, and an introduction to Maldivian culture. We felt very well taken care of by Kamey, who was responsive to all of our requests. All of the island staff we encountered were friendly and professional. Only wish we could have stayed longer! Many thanks to Ruth, Kamey, and Secret Paradise for helping create the trip of a lifetime!

  

  

  

• Fabulous week in Maldives

  Lorraine L,,Nov 14, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  We were met at the airport by our guide and our carefree week began. We did the North Ari islands (3) tour. Snorkeling everyday, our guide found manta rays everyday to swim with, also turtles, and beautiful reefs, the accommodations were locally owned with breakfast, and away from tourist areas, we even had a surprise anniversary dinner on a beach!❤️, our guide hooked us up with a dolphin watching tour and we saw lots of dolphins, We realized that making reservations on the intraisland ferry was difficult and was so grateful we had our guide to arrange all the connections. My suggestion to “ backpackers” or those on a budget : get a guide from secret paradise , you’ll make the most of your time on the islands and connections and actually save money in the end.

• Home visit

  Road64505996915,,May 28, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  4.00

  Our group leader was very nice and helpful. He was keen to make us feel at home by arranging a home visit so that we could have a dinner with locals. An unforgettable experience indeed.

• Truly unforgettable!

  Navigator00064929092,,Apr 14, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Absolutely amazing experience! Archie met us at the airport and explained the itinerary. We were then taken to the hotel in Hulhumalé and had the remainder of the day to settle in and explore on our own. The next day, Archie took us on a fascinating tour of the capital, Malé, to see the sights and explain a bit of the history of the Maldives. Later that day, we took a 2 1/2-hour ferry south to Guraidhoo to begin our island-hopping adventure. We spent two nights on Guraidhoo, two on Maafushi and two on Gulhi. Each island had its own charm and provided a good opportunity to see how the local islands preserve their traditional way of life while also providing areas set aside for visitors. The snorkeling was excellent on all three. I swam with reef sharks and sea turtles just a few feet away, and the variety of tropical fish was far superior to anywhere else I've snorkeled (Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic and Pacific). Throughout the entire week, I was impressed by the services provided by Secret Paradise and their emphasis on the environment. We were instructed on how to avoid damaging the corals with our hands or fins, we picked up several kilos of litter (mainly plastic) from a beach on Gulhi, and we planted our very own coconut palms on Maafushi. Archie was an amazing and knowledgeable guide, and Ruth, the director of Secret Paradise, even came to meet us at our first hotel. I HIGHLY recommend Secret Paradise (and Archie!) for anyone wanting an introduction to a fascinating and gorgeous country! I hope to return to the Maldives someday soon.

  

  

  

  

• We were in two hotels, one of them was clearly unacceptable to so many people

  Carlosdad,,Jan 16, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  4.00

  Overall the Tour was well organized and coordinated. On Rashdoo Island, the hotel was not comfortable. Overall the staff was very attentive and helpful.

• Wonderful ecotour

  Cruiser25922516553,,Dec 17, 2024

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Really a very special experience! We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to explore local islands, and to learn about the rich history and culture of the Maldives and also to have learned about the unique economic opportunities, as well as the ecological challenges related to expanding development and tourism. We were so grateful for the exceptional qualities our guide, UB, brought to our experience. He was extremely knowledgeable, skilled, flexible, attentive to needs and also fun loving. How fortunate we were! We had wonderful experiences fishing, snorkelling, meeting local people and experiencing local food and culture. Our experience of the Maldives was so rich as a result of this trip and the wonderful qualities our guide contributed.

• Great North Ari local island hopping experience!

  E1320PPalh,,Jun 13, 2024

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  The team at Secret Paradise are passionate about showcasing these incredible islands, and providing genuine local experiences. We picked the 7 night North Ari Island hopping which had a great mix of snorkelling / meeting locals over tea / self exploring local islands and beaches / eating / a bit of artwork on the beach / and hanging out! Our guides Shark and Nafsha were fantastic, and the organization and communication from Ruth and the office team prior to the trip was top notch. We feel so lucky that we had this experience, and that we selected Secret Paradise to make this happen. One highlight for us was identifying turtles which we saw snorkelling, and sending the images to the Olive Ridley Project database. We even got to name a turtle! Following the island hopping we stayed 4 days at Reethi Beach Resort which Ruth had suggested, and it was a great place to stay with a nice beachfront villa, and a wide range of food experiences. All the transfers to and from the resort were seamless. We hope our future travels include another Secret Paradise experience!

• SUPERLATIVES

  611mariagiovannam,,Apr 2, 2024

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  No sooner said than done! Promise kept! This year too, for the second time, we chose secretparadise for our tour to the Maldives and this year too we couldn't have chosen better! Kamej, our guide, and Ruth, our "mentor" outdid themselves by choosing islands, beaches, excursions and fabulous hotels for us, making us experience a dream holiday. A thousand thousand thanks for your warmth and professionalism. We'll see you again next year.

  

  

  

  

  

• Great experience

  MadanJ31,,Mar 20, 2024

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  4.00

  The tour was tailored to have interaction with the locals, to visit the island and have water sport activities. Great experience. Thanks Ruth and our guide Archie for the wonderful experience.

• Outstanding experience!!!

  jhobson06,,Dec 12, 2023

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Outstanding, outstanding, outstanding!!! Without ANY reservation, we can wholeheartedly recommend this tour if you are thinking of visiting the Maldives. This was our first trip to the Maldives and we came to celebrate my 35th birthday. In our 21st century age of social media, the Maldives seems to only be known for the resorts and oceanfront villas. While that is a small piece of the equation, and yes we did spend our first night in an ocean villa before starting the tour, there is sooooo much more to see, do and experience. Prior to arriving, our correspondence was with Ruth who is absolutely phenomenal. We are so appreciative of how attentive she was and made sure all of our questions were answered and concerns were addressed. Our tour guide Archie is the best. His quiet, unassuming demeanor was the perfect blend that allowed us to be curious, ask questions and learn as much as we could about the Maldivian culture. It was abundantly clear that Archie takes great pride in his country, and worked very hard to make sure that we had the experience of a lifetime. We can’t say enough good things about our experience and all of the people that we came in contact with. This was the trip and birthday of a lifetime for me!!

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  
• Load more reviews