Discover exciting things to do in the Maldives. Explore abundant marine life and witness the wonder of Hanifaru Bay. Let the island captivate you with its serene charm and natural treasures. Your Maldives adventure begins here!

Some examples...

Private sandback excursion

Kayaking

Snorkelling

The Manta Trust

The Manta Trust is one of the world's leading manta ray research organisations. Using coordinated global research to aid conservation efforts surrounding manta rays, their relatives and their habitats, the Manta Trust aims to achieve global conservation through Research, Education and Collaboration. InterContinental Maldives partnered with the Manta Trust in 2019 and continues supporting their important research and work.

While their mission is to conduct the much-needed research on these gentle giants to help them understand and protect the species, another element is the education and involvement of guests. The island-based Manta Trust team shares their research and overall manta insights with guests during presentations and workshops. Guests can also support the Manta Trust work through the "Adopt a Manta" initiative, an exciting way to stay in touch with the island team or the perfect gift for friends and family.

The resort's proximity to a juvenile manta ray aggregation spot gives an extra edge to the Manta Trust's research in understanding those gentle ocean giants' mating and nursing behaviour. Just in the lagoon, a few minutes by boat away from the shores of Maamumanagau, we can find the manta ray pups feeding on plankton during the North East monsoon months from January to April. A unique and unforgettable experience for guests to snorkle with these beautiful ocean creatures and observe their feeding and cleaning behaviour.

Besides the Maamunagau Lagoon, we take guests on manta ray excursions within Raa Atoll, knowing the best spots to find and snorkel with them. During the North West Monsoon, excursions also go to the world-famous Hanifaru Bay in Baa Atoll.

Hanifaru Bay

Located 45 minutes away is Maldives' first UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of Baa Atoll. Encompassing 139,700 hectares, the Baa Atoll is teeming with hard and soft corals, reef-associated fish species, turtles, manta rays and whale sharks.

As Baa Atoll is known for its natural beauty and as a home to ocean wonders, the Hanifaru Bay is the world's largest manta ray aggregation spot known to humans. During the North West Monsoon Month from June to November, large aggregations of hundreds of manta rays can be observed here, a true spectacle for all nature lovers.

Also, here, the Manta Trust gets involved and accompanies all trips to the bay, ensuring all guests know the snorkelling etiquette and how to behave around these animals to ensure they are not disturbed or harmed. Naturally, this is also an educational experience as the guides will share insights and fascinating facts about manta rays.

Abundance of nature

Recognizing the unique privilege of occupying an island in such proximity to Baa Atoll’s UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, sustainability & protecting the marine life is non-negotiable. Here at InterContinental® Maldives Maamunagau Resort, we encourage our guests to join in our conservation efforts, to take part in our educational presentations or research as well as excursions to manta sites in our very own lagoon nearby manta spots as well as Hanifaru Bay.

Coral restoration and protection

The mesmerizing house reef at Maamunagau Island is teeming with marine life, and a snorkelling adventure is guaranteed. Guests can grab their complimentary snorkelling gear from the Marine Centre and explore this magical Maldives underwater world.

Guided snorkelling excursions are also available for those not yet confident to explore the reef on their own or want to go on a night snorkelling trip. Aside from snorkelling, educational sessions are available with the island-based marine biologist to learn all about the reef, corals and what we can do to protect this fragile ecosystem.

At Maamunagau, we take marine protection seriously and continuously work on coral protection and propagation with our marine biologist to ensure these exciting creatures remain for many years. Guests can get involved by adopting and planting coral lines while learning all about corals and how they live and propagate.

Environment and sustainability

We love nature and appreciate this beautiful piece of paradise, which is why sustainability and environmental awareness are priorities. We are working with selected third parties and professionals to optimise our eco-footprint and are continuously journeying to a greener future.

On the island, we are actively reducing water and energy consumption and maintaining and optimising waste management systems that help us reduce plastic and overall waste.

Solar power is the beating heart of our initiatives, with 1577 heavy-duty solar panels installed on the roofs of the administrative building. Solar energy covers up to 20% of the resort's energy consumption, allowing us to reduce our CO2 output by 900 tons annually.

Water is one of the essentials for life, and we are committed to safe water where possible. Ultrafiltration and reticulation are key practices within the resort, allowing us to bottle our own drinking water for guest use and use our own recycled water irrigation, bathroom lines and air-conditioned chilled water lines, cooling all back-of-house areas.

For us, sustainability is more than just a one-time initiative, as our efforts are ongoing and ever-evolving.