Sailing the Maldives on a Dhoni with G Adventures: A Travel Advisor's Guide

Fair warning: if you've come here for butlers, overwater villas and champagne on arrival, this is not that story. This is a week of salty hair, bare feet and a simple wooden boat, sailing around one of the most beautiful places in the world. It's basic, it's a little bit wild and I loved every minute of it.

The Maldives was always number one on my travel list. Clear water, atoll after atoll, overwater villas. It's also the destination most of us quietly put in the "honeymoon" basket and leave there, because visiting one of the world's most romantic (and expensive) places alone or with a friend doesn't seem to fit the picture.

That changed for me when G Adventures' Maldives dhoni sailing trip started popping up everywhere online. Friends were booking it and posting photos of a week on a traditional wooden boat, snorkelling off the back deck and stopping at local islands. So I booked it too, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

The good news is that the trip is still running, and there are now a few versions to choose from. Here's what I loved, what's changed and how to pick the right departure.

Which G Adventures Maldives sailing trip should you book?

As of October 2026, G Adventures runs three seven-day, Malé-to-Malé sailing trips that cover the same waters I sailed: the South Malé Atoll and Felidhu (Vaavu) Atoll.

• Maldives Dhoni Cruise: The classic trip on a traditional dhoni, with a maximum of eight travellers. Minimum age is 12, so it can work for families with older kids.

• Maldives Dhoni Explorer: The upgraded trip that runs on the Sea Farer, the larger boat I ended up on. G Adventures describes it as a 27-metre dhoni refurbished in 2018, carrying up to 14 travellers.

• Maldives Cruise: Indian Ocean Dhoni Life: A version for 18 to 39 year olds, on a traditional dhoni with up to eight travellers.

All three include six nights on board, all meals, snorkelling gear, an arrival transfer and a snorkelling excursion on day one, plus visits to the local islands of Fulidhoo and Felidhoo and the beaches of Bodu Moro. G Adventures also packages the Maldives with Sri Lanka and India if you'd like a longer trip.

Our boat: a surprise upgrade

Until then, the trip had always run on a traditional dhoni, the wooden boat Maldivians have used for fishing and transport for generations. G Adventures was adding a new vessel to its fleet at the time, and as we pulled up to the wharf trying to guess which boat was ours, we were pointed towards the much larger, three-level Sea Farer. It was a complete surprise, and we were only the second departure on board.

There were only seven of us and five crew, so we had room to spare. We were a lovely international group, from Denmark, Germany, the UK and Australia.

Our cabin had its own en suite bathroom, which isn't something you take for granted on a boat.

Today the Sea Farer has its own dedicated trips: the seven-day Maldives Dhoni Explorer, and the 14-day Sri Lanka and Maldives Adventure, which finishes with a week of sailing. If you like the idea of more space, book one of those rather than hoping for a surprise like ours.

The food (you won't lose weight)

When you prepare for a week on a traditional boat with an adventure company, overeating is the last thing on your mind. We'd joked that we'd come home lighter, swimming all day and living on fish and vegetables. Boy, were we wrong.

Our chef served three meals a day with up to eight dishes each time. Breakfast might be chocolate pancakes, cheese and tomato toasties, tuna sandwiches (surprisingly delicious), omelettes cooked to order and fresh fruit. Lunch and dinner brought fresh tuna, chicken, beef, salads, potatoes, rice and pasta with a homemade sauce that became the group favourite. Every meal started with a conversation about the spread, moved on to seconds and thirds, and finished with a promise to eat less next time. It went on like a broken record for the whole week.

Meals are still fully included on all three trips, though menus will naturally vary by boat and chef.

A typical day on board

Days settle into a happy rhythm of eating, snorkelling, reading, sunbathing and repeat. G Adventures now plans around two snorkel stops a day, and that matched my experience.

A few moments that stay with me:

• Dolphins at breakfast. One morning the boat spent half an hour circling a pod of around 30 dolphins.

• Turtle Reef near Kudhiboli. We swam alongside three hawksbill turtles and plenty of anemone fish ("Nemo", as we called them).

• Anbaraa. We snorkelled along the shoulder of the reef and swam right up to the island through a gap in the coral. Having sand under your feet after 48 hours at sea is a nice feeling.

• Felidhoo shipwreck. A sunken local supply boat that was moved to create a snorkelling site, with spotted eagle rays and some very territorial triggerfish nearby.

• Nurse sharks on the way home. Near the end of the trip we snorkelled beside two-metre nurse sharks, giant trevally and snapper.

Sightings are never guaranteed, but G Adventures lists turtles, reef sharks, stingrays and octopus as regular possibilities.

Local islands and a dinner in the sand

What sets this trip apart from a resort holiday is time on inhabited islands. On Felidhoo, a community of a few hundred people, our guide walked us through town and we joined the locals in their "lazy chairs" by the harbour to watch the sun go down. I sat beside a little girl who, between my very basic Dhivehi and her bits of English, told me her name and that she was six.

On Fulidhoo we wandered the streets in the rain, browsed the handful of small shops and watched a local man and his children fishing from the wharf, scooping bait from the thousands of tiny fish around the shore. That evening the men of the island put on a show for us. The current itinerary includes a Bodu Beru drumming performance on Fulidhoo, so this is still part of the trip.

The highlight came at Bodu Moro. After a few hours of secretive trips back and forth to the island, the crew loaded us into the dinghy at 7.30pm. They had dug a table and bench seats out of the sand and set up dinner by the water. Afterwards we spent an hour kicking at the shoreline, watching the plankton glow every time the waves splashed.

Drinks, evenings and the vibe

The Maldives is a Muslim country. You can't bring alcohol in and there's no duty-free alcohol to pick up on arrival, and local islands are dry. On board, beer, wine and soft drinks are sold and settled at the end of the trip in US dollars or euros (cards attract a surcharge), and drinking water is provided.

Most afternoons on our trip involved a cold drink on the roof at sunset, but the atmosphere was relaxed and peaceful rather than a party boat. If you've done a sailing week in Croatia or Turkey, expect something much calmer. Once the rain cleared we spent nights on the top deck stargazing, swapping constellation names with our European shipmates and spotting the Southern Cross sitting at an odd angle down near the horizon. Falling asleep to the sound of waves against the hull was one of my favourite parts of the week.

There's no wifi on board. I loved that.

Getting there and timing your flights

The trip starts at Velana International Airport in Malé, so you don't need to stay in the city first. G Adventures asks you to land by 10am on day one to join the included snorkelling excursion, and by 2pm at the latest for the final transfer to the boat. On day seven, book flights out no earlier than midday.

We arrived a day early and stayed in Malé. It was interesting to see the busy capital (a short ferry or drive across the bridge from the airport), but accommodation was basic. Unless you're quite adventurous, I'd suggest your pre- or post-trip nights at a resort or a guesthouse on one of the closer islands.

Best time to go and what to pack

The Maldives is warm year-round. The drier season generally runs from around December to April, while mid-May to November brings the southwest monsoon, with more wind, rain and rougher seas. We sailed in early May, right at the changeover into the wetter season. We had rain on and off for the first couple of days, but the water stayed calm and flat for the whole week and no one in our group was seasick. Conditions vary from year to year, so if calm water matters to you, the drier months are the safer bet.

Pack light and soft: a duffel or backpack is far easier to store than a hard suitcase. Bring reef-safe high-SPF sunscreen, a hat, a dry bag, motion sickness tablets, a sarong and modest clothes for the local islands (shoulders and knees covered). There's no laundry, and no ATMs outside Malé, so carry enough US dollars in good-condition notes.

Who this trip suits

It's ideal for solo travellers, friends and couples who want the Maldives' water and marine life without resort prices, and who are happy to share a small cabin and facilities. Comfort is basic: small shared cabins, simple facilities and a boat that moves with the sea. It isn't the right fit if you want a private villa, plenty of space or a polished resort experience. The beauty is that you don't have to choose. I've since booked this trip a number of times for honeymoon couples: a barefoot week on the boat to start, then a few nights of luxury at a resort to finish. It's one of my favourite ways to do the Maldives.

FAQs

Does G Adventures still run Maldives sailing trips?

Yes. As of October 2026 it runs three seven-day trips from Malé: the Maldives Dhoni Cruise, the Maldives Dhoni Explorer on the Sea Farer, and an 18 to 39s version called Indian Ocean Dhoni Life.

Is the Maldives dhoni cruise good for solo travellers?

Yes. You'll share a small cabin with a fellow traveller (a private room can be added on some departures), and the small group makes it easy to settle in.

Will I get seasick on a dhoni in the Maldives?

Most of the sailing is short hops inside sheltered atolls. On our early May trip the water was calm and flat all week and no one in our group was seasick, but swell can pick up, especially in the wetter months. If you're prone to seasickness, bring tablets.

Can you drink alcohol on the boat?

Yes. Beer, wine and soft drinks can be bought on board, but you can't bring alcohol into the Maldives and local islands are dry.

You walk away from a week sailing the Maldives feeling refreshed and renewed, and with a long list of reasons to go back. If you'd like help choosing the right departure, timing your flights or adding a few resort nights at the end, the team at Prestige Travel & Events would love to help you plan it.