The Maldives
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The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of economy scheduled return flights London-Malé*, airport taxes, Government Tourist Tax, atoll permits, full board accommodation, boat transport as described, incidental tips and the services of the leader and guide.
The price excludes diving (approx 40 Euros per dive booked in advance), travel insurance, optional tips to local boat crew, drinks and other personal expenses. *For an ex-international flight cost (starting and finishing in Malé), please deduct £ 725 per person from the tour cost. ** A very limited number of cabins are available as singles. Tailor-made Extensions and upgrades If any clients would like to extend their stay with more time in the beautiful Maldives, why not stay on a resort island immediately before or after your whale watching trip? We would be happy to provide a quote. We can also quote for flight upgrades. |
The Maldives is a small island nation in the central Indian Ocean, some 400 miles southwest of the southern tip of India. The country is composed entirely of coral atolls. On the atolls are some 1200 sandy islands. All are small, and most can be walked around in less than an hour. These really are the picture postcard islands of your dreams, with swaying palm trees, white sand beaches and turquoise lagoons. 2012 will be our fourth year of trips. |
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The exquisite islands and coral reefs of the Maldives have become a well-known tourist destination. But it is not widely realised that the Maldives also possess a particularly rich whale and dolphin fauna, with an especially impressive diversity of cetacean species. On our last three trips we have averaged eight species per trip, but they can be different each time: an astonishing 18 species seen from the boat in the last three seasons. Spinner Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Risso's Dolphins and Short-fin Pilot whales are all common, whilst Spotted Dolphins, Striped Dolphins and Dwarf Sperm Whales are all regulars. Scarce Rough-toothed Dolphins and False Killer Whales are also possible. Other recent sightings have included superb views of Sperm Whales, Pygmy Blue Whale and Cuvier's Beaked Whale, and with luck we may see Fraser's Dolphin or Longman's Beaked Whale. This last was long considered the rarest whale in the world, but is now known to occur regularly around the Maldives.
As the Maldives offer some of the very best whale and dolphin watching in the world, this will be the primary focus of this trip. However, there will also be opportunities for birding, to visit islands, to swim, to go snorkeling, and to relax. We cruise through the Maldives to view whales, dolphins and seabirds on board our specially chartered 30m 'live-aboard' safari vessel, M.V. Ari Queen. She has a full-time local crew of 8, including an experienced captain and a dedicated cook who will prepare local cuisine with fresh fish caught from the boat. All cabins are en-suite and air-conditioned. There are 9 double, triple and twin cabins, but we will travel with a maximum of just 15 clients. Ari Queen is not luxurious, but she is comfortable and quite adequate for our needs. Our itinerary will be very flexible, to make the most of cetacean sightings. The outline given below should therefore be considered to be a guideline only, not a rigidly structured programme. We will travel past the atolls, enjoying the beautiful scenery, and taking our time to watch dolphins, whales, turtles, flying fish and seabirds. We will make time for plenty of snorkeling on some of the best reefs in the world, and will also go looking for magnificent manta rays. As is normal practice in the Maldives, we will travel by day, and anchor early each evening in a sheltered atoll lagoon. Depending on our location there should be opportunities for a snorkel or island visit at these times, and after dark, far from city lights, the top deck offers stunning views of the night sky. Our aim on each trip will be to spend time with the delightful and acrobatic spinner dolphins; to see pilot whales, and a good variety of the other whale and dolphin species that occur in the Maldives. There will also be plenty of time for snorkeling on the coral reefs and admiring their magnificent fish life. And if you think snorkeling is not for you, think again! There is plenty of help and advice, and we have so far persuaded everyone to enjoy this amazing experience - even at least one non-swimmer! Each trip will be conducted at a leisurely pace, allowing time to stop and stare, to swim and snorkel, and to visit a variety of islands. Our itinerary will be flexible to make the most of our cetacean sightings, but we hope to have the opportunity to visit uninhabited, fishing and resort islands. The particular highlights of this central atolls trip should include:
The trips will be led by Dr. Charles Anderson, a professional marine biologist who has lived and worked in the Maldives since 1983. He is the foremost authority on both cetaceans and fishes in the Maldives, and the pioneer of whale and dolphin watching there. In addition to numerous scientific papers, he has published a series of six guides to the marine life of the islands. He is an accomplished underwater photographer, and will present a series of evening slide shows on marine life during the course of each trip. On some trips he will be assisted by his wife Susan Anderson, who is a qualified nurse as well as an experienced and enthusiastic whale spotter. Itinerary Day 1 We take an overnight scheduled flight from London to Malé, the capital of the Maldives, arriving on Day 2. Day 2. Arrival in Maldives. Arrive at Malé International Airport transfer to Ari Queen and put to sea. With a little luck we can expect our first cetacean sighting while still in sight of the airport! Tonight, we will anchor in a sheltered location within one of the atolls. This first evening there will be an orientation talk, and on most other evenings there will be a slide show or video. Days 3-7. Whale, dolphin and seabird watching in the central atolls. Some mornings we will start the day with a refreshing early snorkel. We will then head out of the atolls, in search of whales, dolphins and seabirds. Each evening we will anchor in the lagoon of an atoll, and there should be some opportunities to swim, snorkel or visit an island. Day 8. Whale and dolphin watching off Malé Atoll. A final full day of whale and dolphin watching. Ari Queen returns to Malé. Farewell dinner and last night on board. Day 9. Malé. After breakfast, transfer by boat to the international terminal for departure on a scheduled flight returning to London, arriving late on Day 9 (or possibly early on Day 10). Accommodation: We use the M.V. Ari Queen, a 9-cabin motor vessel, with twin/triple en suite cabins. Leader: Dr Charles Anderson. Please note that only one leader will accompany this cruise Numbers: Max. 14 clients |
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