Maldives island hopping on your own: how it works, how to save

While snorkeling I estimated visibility, water temperature and depth, just as I experienced them on the days I was there. On dives the dive computer measured depth and duration, and values with a named source show what is usual there, not how it was for me.

The trip to Hanifaru Bay in the Maldives cost only half as much from our guesthouse on Maalhos as from our accommodation on Kamadhoo. We found that out when we had written to both places before the trip. On the speedboats we paid more. We booked several through the 12Go website, on average about 10 US dollars more per person than it would have been through the accommodation.

Island hopping in the Maldives works well on your own, without a travel agency and without a package tour. In August 2026 we were on four local islands in three atolls with our eight-year-old son, meaning inhabited islands with guesthouses, and we booked everything ourselves. You save the most by writing to the accommodation directly and asking right away about the speedboat and excursions. Within an atoll, the RTL ferry is the cheap choice where it exists.

At a glance

The most important things in five points:

1. First the destination, then the route. Mantas in Hanifaru Bay are there from May to November, whale sharks off Dhigurah all year round. Atoll and travel time follow from that.
2. Plan atoll changes via Malé. For us there were two, both via the capital.
3. Write to the accommodation directly and book the boats through them. That way speedboats are on average about 10 US dollars per person cheaper than through 12Go.
4. Ask about excursions before the trip. The trip to Hanifaru Bay cost half as much from Maalhos as from Kamadhoo.
5. Don’t put an island change on a Friday. Far fewer boats run then.

Contents

1. At a glance
2. Step 1: Which island hopping itinerary fits what you want to see?
3. Step 2: How do you book local island accommodation for less?
4. Step 3: Speedboat, ferry or seaplane: how do you get from Malé to the atolls?
5. Step 4: Local ferry and RTL: how do you get around within an atoll?
6. Step 5: Why should you ask about excursions beforehand?
7. Step 6: What do you need to watch out for along the way?
8. How much does island hopping in the Maldives cost?
9. My conclusion
10. Frequently asked questions
11. Further reading

Step 1: Which island hopping itinerary fits what you want to see?

First decide what you want to see underwater, and then choose the atoll and travel time. The big encounters are tied to particular places. According to Snorkeling Report, mantas gather in Hanifaru Bay in Baa Atoll from May to December. On our day they moved right beneath me, and I saw their pale undersides. When the most of them come there is covered in the article about the manta season in Hanifaru Bay. Whale sharks live in South Ari Atoll around Dhigurah all year; there is no fixed season there. A paper in Scientific Reports shows this; more on it in the article about the whale shark tour.

Then plan the changes between atolls. If you change atolls, you should expect a detour via Malé.

Our route took us to the whale sharks off Dhigurah and to the mantas in Hanifaru Bay, sixteen nights on four local islands:

• Dhigurah, South Ari, four nights: the whale shark tour
• Kamadhoo, Baa, four nights: house reef right in front of Bikini Beach
• Maalhos, Baa, five nights: most of the trip’s excursions, including Hanifaru Bay
• Rasdhoo, North Ari, three nights: house reef with a reef manta in the morning
• plus one night in Hulhumalé near Malé before the flight home

Step 2: How do you book local island accommodation for less?

Booking.com shows which guesthouses there are on an island. If you then write to the accommodation directly, you can save a lot of money. The same message should also include the questions about the speedboat from Malé and about the excursions covered in steps 3 and 5.

We mostly booked through Booking.com. We stayed in the lower to middle price range. Before the trip we also wrote directly to Kamadhoo and Maalhos and asked about the excursions. On Maalhos we stayed at the Madi Beach Guesthouse, on Rasdhoo at the Summer Vibes Beach Front. We had already stayed there in April 2025.

Step 3: Speedboat, ferry or seaplane: how do you get from Malé to the atolls?

The speedboat between Malé and the atoll is best booked through the accommodation. For planning, the booking site 12Go is still worth it: there you can see the travel times and match ferries and trips to each other.

Besides the speedboat, there is the public ferry of the transport company MTCC from Malé. It is much cheaper, but also much slower. According to the ferry schedule from Rasdhoo Happy, it takes about three hours to Rasdhoo, the speedboat 1 hour 20 minutes. The seaplanes of Trans Maldivian Airways mainly fly to resorts, more than 80 of them. We didn’t need one.

Our trip from Malé to Dhigurah on August 4, 2026, booked through 12Go, cost about 205 US dollars for two adults and one child. The waves were strong the whole time on that first day. We were fine on the trip anyway. Our son even fell asleep.

Step 4: Local ferry and RTL: how do you get around within an atoll?

Within an atoll you travel by local ferry. The cheap option is the RTL fast ferry, which is also run by MTCC. According to Hotelier Maldives, tickets are available through the website and the RTL app.

We took RTL from Kamadhoo to Maalhos in Baa Atoll. For two adults and our son we paid 190 rufiyaa together in August 2026 (about 11 euros). Rufiyaa is the name of the national currency.

But RTL doesn’t run everywhere. According to SunOnline, in April 2026 RTL ran in 15 atolls, but not yet in Kaafu around Malé, in North and South Ari, in Vaavu or in Meemu. The table shows our three atolls and the two near Malé, Kaafu and Vaavu. Below them are the atolls where RTL already runs:

Atoll	Connection
Baa	RTL, 13 islands, including Kamadhoo and Maalhos
South Ari	Ferry Omadhoo – Mahibadhoo – Dhigurah, not on Fridays
North Ari	Ferry Malé – Rasdhoo, not on Fridays
Kaafu	Ferry from Malé via Gulhi and Maafushi to Guraidhoo
Vaavu	Speedboat from Malé to Fulidhoo
Gaafu Alif, Gaafu Dhaalu, Fuvahmulah, Addu	RTL

Sources: Atoll Times (Baa and the south, July 2025), Beyond the Bucket List (Kaafu, South Ari, 2023), Rasdhoo Happy (North Ari, accessed in September 2026) and our island page for Fulidhoo (Vaavu from Malé).

The schedule for the public ferries is published by MTCC. If you travel far from Malé, it’s best to arrange transport through the guesthouse, according to Visit Maldives.

Step 5: Why should you ask about excursions beforehand?

Before the trip, ask every accommodation which excursions it offers and what they cost. For whale sharks, Hanifaru Bay and the reefs out in the atoll you need a boat. Prices for boat trips vary a lot from island to island.

Kamadhoo and Maalhos are both in Baa Atoll, and both accommodations offer the trip to Hanifaru Bay. According to its price list, our accommodation on Kamadhoo charged 144 US dollars per person, the Madi Beach Guesthouse on Maalhos 70. That is half. From Maalhos we set off in the afternoon, and we had barely left the harbor when it started to rain. After about 20 minutes we reached the bay. Rangers monitor it. The government’s management plan allows at most 80 snorkelers in the water at the same time. Our boat went in very slowly so as not to injure any animals.

We only booked the whale shark tour from Dhigurah once we were there, after a whale shark had been sighted one day.

Step 6: What do you need to watch out for along the way?

Friday. Far fewer boats run then. According to the Rasdhoo Happy ferry schedule, the public ferry from Malé to Rasdhoo doesn’t run at all; the speedboats do, one of them earlier than usual. The Inselnauten advise avoiding arrival and departure on a Friday altogether if you depend on public transport. So don’t put an island change on a Friday. If it can’t be avoided, sort out the change with the accommodation beforehand.

The weather. Keep an eye on the warnings. With a yellow, orange or red warning, small boats up to nine meters long may not carry passengers, according to a report from Edition.mv. On our whole trip, not a single boat was canceled because of the weather.

The mosquitoes. Pack mosquito protection, a spray against bites and something for afterwards. Don’t sit under trees; that’s where the mosquitoes gather. Even a few meters of distance help.

Our son had lots of mosquito bites and scratched them open. In the salt water they then stung so much that several times he couldn’t go in the water. That’s also why he stayed in the boat in Hanifaru Bay. Children may go into the water with the mantas if they swim confidently or wear a vest.

Seasickness. Take precautions before the boat leaves. Sit in the middle of the boat, close to the waterline; that’s where it’s calmest. Fresh air and looking at the horizon help prevent it. If you get seasick quickly, take tablets before departure, because once the symptoms have started they work less well, according to the MSD Manual.

For us, the trip from Malé to Kamadhoo was very choppy and unpleasant. Our son slept through all of it. He had already fallen asleep on the trip to Dhigurah.

How much does island hopping in the Maldives cost?

What flights, accommodation, excursions and the Green Tax cost is covered in the article Maldives cost. The table lists only the boats; what we paid ourselves is noted.

What	Price
Speedboat Malé → Dhigurah via 12Go	about 205 USD for two adults and one child (our ticket from August 4, 2026)
Shared speedboat from the airport	from 30 USD plus taxes up to 195 USD per adult and way
Speedboat airport → Rasdhoo	40 USD per person and way
Public ferry Malé → Rasdhoo	about 8 euros each way
Public ferry within the atoll	usually under 10 USD per trip
RTL Kamadhoo → Maalhos	190 rufiyaa (about 11 euros) for two adults and one child — paid by us

Sources: Atoll Transfer (shared speedboat, as of May 2026), Rasdhoo Happy (Rasdhoo, accessed in September 2026) and Visit Maldives (ferry within the atoll, 2022).

My conclusion

Kamadhoo and Maalhos were very different. Kamadhoo is neat and tidy, everything is well organized. Maalhos is a local island with family-style care at our guesthouse. The staff there were always rushing back and forth, very nice and friendly. Both islands are in the same atoll. We experienced them on one trip, connected by an RTL ride.

Frequently asked questions

Do you have to go back to Malé for every change of atoll? Often yes; for us, both changes went via Malé.

Can you book ferries and speedboats online in advance? According to Beyond the Bucket List, you pay for the public ferries at the ferry terminal in Malé, and on board on the other islands. In 2023 there was no online system for this. RTL tickets are available through the website and the app. Speedboats are booked through portals like 12Go or through the accommodation.

Do the boats run during Ramadan? Yes, but partly on a different schedule. During Ramadan 2026, MTCC changed the ferry and bus schedules around Malé; according to MMTV, the ferry from Hulhumalé to Malé only ran until 3 p.m.

How to snorkel from the beach on our four local islands is something I tell in the island comparison.

Information as of September 2026; the sources are linked in the text. Older are the reports on the whale shark season and the weather rule (2021), RTL tickets (2022) and the manta season (2024).

Further reading

• Local islands for snorkeling: the island comparison, how to snorkel from the beach on our four islands
• Dhigurah: the first stop, with the whale shark tour
• Kamadhoo: the house reef right in front of Bikini Beach
• Maalhos: the island with the most excursions, close to Hanifaru Bay
• Sharks at the house reef of Rasdhoo: the first encounter at the house reef, in April 2025
• Rasdhoo: the house reef where a reef manta passed by in the morning
• Fulidhoo: how to get to Vaavu Atoll
• Maldives overview: all four islands with their reefs