The Maldives
Whale and Dolphin Watching
Wednesday 5 March - Friday 14 March 2008 (10 days)
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.
M/V Fathima in the Maldives
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 possesses a particularly rich whale and dolphin fauna. Especially exciting is the great diversity of species found here. In the last two seasons we have seen an astonishing 18 different species. Spinner dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, Rissos dolphins and short-fin pilot whales are all common. Spotted dolphins, striped dolphins and dwarf sperm whales are all regulars. Recent highlights have included superb views of sperm whales, blue whales and Brydes whales, and also beaked whales including Cuviers, Blainvilles and Longmans. This last was long considered the rarest whale in the world, but is now know to occur regularly around the Maldives.
The Maldives offers some of the very best whale and dolphin watching in the world, and 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.
This trip 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 this trip we will cruise through the Maldives to view whales, dolphins and seabirds on board our specially chartered 30m live-aboard safari vessel, M.V. Fathima. She has a full-time local crew of 8, including an experienced captain and a dedicated cook. All cabins are en-suite and air-conditioned. There are 8 double, triple and twin cabins, but we will travel with a maximum of just 11 clients and our leader. Fathima is not luxurious, but she is comfortable and quite adequate for our needs.
Price : £ 2, 495
Deposit : £ 400 per person
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, road and boat transport as described, incidental tips and the services of the leader and local guides.
The price excludes travel insurance, optional tips to local guides, drivers and boat crew, drinks and other personal expenses.
*For an ex-international flight cost (starting and finishing in Malé), please deduct £ 595 per person from the tour cost.
Tailor-made extensions
If any clients would like to extend their stay with a 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.
Leaders: Dr Charles Anderson and Neil Arnold
Our aims on this 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.
This 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:
- Encounters with delightful spinner dolphins
- Encounters with stately pilot whales
- Encounters with several other whale and dolphin species
- Chance to swim with magnificent reef fishes
- Beautiful islands and coral reefs of the central Maldives
In summary, this is a superb trip that promises great cetacean sightings, a delightful tropical cruise, coral reefs, paradise islands, and friendly local people.
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 Fathima and put to sea. Depart. With a little luck we can expect our first cetacean sighting while still in sight of the airport! Tonight, and every night, we will anchor in a sheltered location within one of the atolls. Depending on anchoring time there may be time for a swim, snorkel or island visit. This first evening there will be an orientation talk, and 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 pilot whales, other 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. Fathima moves to Malé. Farewell dinner and last night on board.
Day 9. Malé. After breakfast transfer to international terminal for departure. We depart on an overnight scheduled flight returning to London, arriving on Day 10
Accommodation: On the Maldives cruise we use the M.V. Fathima, an 8-cabin motor vessel, with twin/triple en suite cabins.
Numbers: Max. 11 clients