Maldives Travel Guides (Updated September 2026)

Had a great day with Aishath. She is very passionate about her home city and country. It was a hot day, but she took care of the group by finding shade as she described the country's history and the various landmarks. She stopped midway and bought the group cold drinks at a local restaurant. The fish market was very interesting. I would recommend using Secret Paradise Maldives for your time in Male and the Maldives.

Shaffaf was very well informed, friendly, and polite. I was particularly intrigued by the market. He accomodated by introducing me to many new foods.

I liked the overall atmosphere of the hotel, especially the service at the restaurant on the third floor, which was provided by Mr. Rohit, who was very service-minded and attentive.

We took the 4-hour walking tour in Malé and it was absolutely fantastic. Our guide Archie showed us all the main sights in the city and told lots of interesting stories about everyday life in the Maldives. We visited the local market, tasted all kinds of snacks – sweet and salty – and even received a coconut sweet as a small gift. What I loved most was the atmosphere: nobody tried to push us to buy anything, nobody begged for money or followed us around. It felt very relaxed, friendly and respectful, which is very different from what we sometimes experience in other touristy countries. The treats at the market were complimentary, and later Archie even took us to a café where we were invited for juice at no extra cost. It felt more like walking around the city with a local friend than being on a “commercial” tour. Highly recommended – a perfect way to get to know Malé.

The tour was informative and provided good sites to visit in the city. The guide was knowledgeable and friendly.

The Guide was very well informed and interesting to listen too. We covered the major sites in Male at a leisurely pace!

My guide Archie was excellent, that he led me for an excellent walk around the island of Male. During the walking tour, I learned a lot about the island of Male, as well as Maldivian society, history and daily life. The tour included a rest stop at a nice cafe, with free fresh juice and water provided.

My experience with Secret Paradise was overall a 5-star one! I really would like to thank these people for everything & especially highlight:- The kind help from Ruth, who answered all of our questions via e-mail beforehand & was always so helpful and professional. We planned the perfect itinerary together & everything was organised from arriving at the airport, to hotel stay, to transport.- The outstanding performance of Shaffaf during our Malé walking tour - we could literally feel how much he loves history & to tell others about Maldivian culture & traditions. Our visit at the local market was my highlight of the tour. Thank you for letting us try all the delicious local snacks! And of course, thank you for making us laugh SO MUCH :)I can genuinely recommend Secret Paradise to anyone who wants to explore the Maldives in an authentic, mindful and meaningful way. It was the perfect experience for me!

Just wrapping up a 3-week trip to Maldives during which I’ve had two experiences with Secret Paradise. The first was a 10-day conservation expedition with the Maldives Whale Shark Research Program and the second was a half-day walking tour of Malé. I can’t say enough good things about this company. Their guides are excellent and the company walks the talk when it comes to sustainability and responsible tourism. From the pledge on their website to the actions of their guides on the group you can tell that they are deeply dedicated to ensuring that tourism is respectful of both the environment and local culture and traditions. I loved the fact that the guides were not afraid to point out actions and behaviors that are not in keeping with this ethos. It is no surprise that they have been nominated for an international award for sustainable tourism. I highly recommend.

We hoped to learn about the history of the Maldives during our layover before going to our resort. This tour provided just that! Great tour of cultural and historic sites and the markets around the city. Definitely bring a hat, sunblock and bug screen! Ub was a great guide and we highly encourage anyone to book this tour to learn and see the Maldives outside of your resort!

Finding “pier 5”, (the meeting spot) wasn’t at all obvious & Malé is very warm and humid. Expect to get sweaty! However this 4 hour tour tries to stay in the shade as much as possible and the length is necessary to cover all of the sights of the city. The walking is leisurely and on the flat. It was interesting and informative as the guide was a local & very knowledgeable with good English. To go in to the mosques long trousers are or a lungi is necessary to cover the legs. The coffee stop is a welcomed break from the humidity as it’s in an air conditioned cafe which has toilet facilities too. Overall, the tour of this small capital city is fascinating & is well worth doing.

An excellent insight into Maldivian history, culture, traditions and current affairs. We learned so much from Shark, our guide, who is knowledgeable, informed and personable. Absolutely recommend this tour.

While booking our trip to the Maldives, my mom and I knew we wanted to spend at least a bit of time in the capital city instead of booking a boat transfer straight from the airport to our resort as many other travelers seemed to be doing. Rather than wandering the city and wondering to ourselves what exactly it was that we were seeing, we hoped to enlist the help of a local tour guide who could answer our questions. It didn’t take long before I stumbled across Secret Paradise, which impressed me with their environmental advocacy, commitment to sustainable tourism, and active social media presence. Without hesitation, I booked a four-hour walking tour on the day of our arrival and quickly connected with our tour guide Kamey via WhatsApp.My mom and I met Kamey on the afternoon of our arrival for what wound up being a private tour for just the two of us. We appreciated his enthusiasm, patience, and professionalism while introducing us to Male’s architecture, culture, education system, history, languages, politics, religion, and wildlife during our tour. Indeed, we left no stones unturned as we traipsed across one of the world’s most densely populated capital cities, carefully guided by Kamey.I would highly recommend Secret Paradise to travelers of all ages, especially those interested in sustainable tourism for a country disproportionately affected by climate change. Ruth, Kamey, and the rest of the Secret Paradise team are clearly making meaningful contributions to the local community, and it was a pleasure to learn more about our holiday destination before embarking on the rest of our journey.Thank you, Ruth and Kamey!

Very ambitious, knowledgeable and nice guide! It would be easier to understand, for example, the history of the Maldives if the details were removed and the story was given a clear structure. Thanks for an interesting excursion/tour!

It was too hot and humid for this kind of tour, our mistake, but the guide stopped in the shade and always had a space for us to sit down while we listened to his stories and great information, we had a stop In an air conditioned resto for a drink, thank goodness, that stop revived us! Very good all in all

Our guide, Ahmed, was very charming and informative. We enjoyed learning about the history, the culture and the modern day Malé from Ahmed, who shared many personal anecdotes of his life in Malé. We had visited Malé several years ago when we just walked around the town. It is so much better to have a guide that explains his country, filling in the color and texture of the place with things you would never know without his service.