Open Up The Secret Paradise Of The Maldives

For a long time, the Maldives has been considered a destination out of reach for those on a budget, limited to honeymooners looking for luxury resorts. But now, the natural beauty and experiences of this paradise are being opened up with local island tourism. Whether you’re travelling through South East Asia or are an expat in Australia, you can discover the true Maldives with Secret Paradise.

The Maldives is pretty picture-perfect. Blue waters, white sands and little green islands – it’s jewel-like. However, there’s more to the Maldives than just beaches and ocean. There’s culture, local community, activities and traditions that are deserving of attention and provide ultimate travel experiences for those that aren’t seeking sunny, beach-type holidays. These can all be found on Secret Paradise tours, offering locally-owned, locally-guided guesthouse packages with activities that are synonymous with the Maldives, including diving, snorkelling, sunset safaris and relaxing on the beach, with cultural aspects such as meeting locals, having dinner in their home and learning to cook Maldivian style.

Each tour is specific to an area, offering something that another cannot, such as the seven-night Cooking & Culture on Fuvahmulah at AUD$3216pp based on two adults sharing, which has a strong agricultural side as a unique one-island atoll. The guesthouses employ people who have worked at resorts, and have now moved back to the island to work and be near family, and as a result have a skill set that is higher due to resort training. Another example is the seven-night Multi Activity Package at AUD$2186pp based on two people sharing, which is based on the island of Gan due to the different types of water sports on offer. On this tour, the guesthouse works directly with a dive operator. There’s also the Backpacker Break based on the island of Guraidhoo over three days. Providing a tour of the Maldives for those that formerly couldn’t afford it, the Backpacker Break also provides a base for first-time travellers to come, experience it and then fend for themselves. With cheap flights from Asia, India and Sri Lanka, and local island tourism, the thriftiest of travellers can now discover the Maldives.

As a provider of local tourism, Secret Paradise offer a flexible, tailor-made availability to their tours. All guides are local and accompany guests from arrival to departure. They are also qualified PADI divers, so even accompany you in the water on snorkelling trips. When it comes to minimum number of guests, Cooking & Culture and Multi Activity Package require just two, while all other tours can be done solo or as a private group, with some requiring a single supplement. Also, as well as a local tour company, Secret Paradise act as a hub of information for travel to the Maldives, providing welcome information packs and responsible travel leaflets on what to expect, including currency, weather, clothing, island backgrounds and culture.

So, why is local island tourism of the Maldives so important? From an economy point of view, 80% of resort finance leaves the country, as they’re internationally-owned, so no profit goes back into the local community besides wages paid to local staff. In contrast, local island tourism is about supporting the local economy, ensuring that cultural traditions remain and tourism doesn’t effect that negatively or overtake local population on islands where only 500 people take residence.

If you want to experience the Maldives the local way, visit secretparadisemaldives.com.