Visiting Maafushi as a solo traveller

When I visited the Maldives for the first time, I travelled there all by myself. When preparing for the trip, I was not sure if going to a destination known for luxurious honeymoons is the perfect choice for a female solo traveller on a budget like me. Nonetheless, I had some time left after a trip to Sri Lanka, and I just could not miss out on my chance to visit the Maldives. I decided to spend my first trip as a solo traveller visiting the island of Maafushi.

Maafushi Island, Kaafu Atoll

Aabaadhee Hingun Road, Maafushi, Malediven

All you need for your solo adventure

Travelling to the Maldives alone is a whole new adventure, but with some preparation, it can become one of the best experiences of your life. To save money and indulge in the local culture, I recommend staying on a local island, inhabited by Maldivians. There are plenty of different islands, I opted for Maafushi because it is only 45 minutes from the international airport by speedboat and provides the biggest variety of touristic offers such as restaurants, hotels and activities.

Feel safe throughout the whole trip

Maafushi offers all kinds of accommodation from cheap and basic guesthouses to 4-star hotels. The staff and all Maldivians on the island are generally very friendly and reserved, so no need to feel uncomfortable neither in the day nor in the night when you are out alone. The Maldives is a very safe country. Also eating out solo was never a problem for me, you will always be accommodated courteously.

Meet fellow travellers on Bikini Beach

Most of the guesthouses are close to Bikini Beach, the only place in Maafushi where tourists are allowed to wear short swimwear. Therefore, all visitors to the island are gathering here, making it easy to find some new friends and maybe some other solo travellers. The Maldives is a particular destination, and tourists from everywhere in the world come here to spend a unique vacation in this delightful spot. It is not uncommon to speak to people from Serbia, China, Italy, Russia or literally any other country in one day.  

Spend a day exploring the Maldives

A great opportunity to explore the Maldives but also to make new friends is booking activities like a diving course, a day trip to a resort or a snorkelling excursion. There are various tour providers in Maafushi, all offering similar trips like fishing, swimming with whale sharks or general snorkelling tours including lunch on a sandbank. Most trips are suitable for 10-20 people, so you will not be alone for long on these trips, and you will have a lot of unique new memories to talk about afterwards.

A trip you will never forget

The small size of Maafushi but the big variety of touristic offer on this island makes it the perfect choice for a safe trip to paradise for solo travellers. Spend a relaxed day on Bikini Beach or book an excursion of your choice – you will always be surrounded by other curious travellers from around the world. Visiting Maafushi alone means making new friends from everywhere in the world and experiencing a trip you will never be able to forget.