The Maldives - Cetacean & Seabird Cruise 2026

08 Nov 2026 - 19 Nov 2026 (12 days)

From USD4,990 SPACES AVAILABLE

(**Prices can vary depending upon the cabin of choice and time of booking**)

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Tour Leader: Expedition Leader

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Tour Price (Per person): USD4,990 (GBP3,773 * EUR4,314 * AUD7,210)

Pricing notes : Does not include: government green tax (US$12 pp per night, payable on board) or use of Wifi on board (currently US$3 per day). Upper deck surcharge: US$400 per cabin Itinerary is subject to change.

The Maldives - Cetacean & Seabird Cruise 2027

21 Oct 2027 - 03 Nov 2027 (14 days)

From USD5,390 SPACES AVAILABLE

(**Prices can vary depending upon the cabin of choice and time of booking**)

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Tour Leader: Expedition Leader

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Tour Price (Per person): USD5,390 (GBP4,075 * EUR4,660 * AUD7,788)

Single Supplement: USD2,690 (GBP2,034 * EUR2,326 * AUD3,887)

Pricing notes : Does not include: government green tax (US$12 pp per night, payable on board) or use of Wifi on board (currently US$3 per day). Upper deck surcharge: US$400 per cabin Itinerary is subject to change.

The Maldives - Cetacean & Seabird Cruise 2028

19 Oct 2028 - 01 Nov 2028 (14 days)

From USD5,700 SPACES AVAILABLE

(**Prices can vary depending upon the cabin of choice and time of booking**)

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Tour Leader: Expedition Leader

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Tour Price (Per person): USD5,700 (GBP4,309 * EUR4,928 * AUD8,236)

Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated, and dates may change* Does not include: government green tax (US$12 pp per night, payable on board) or use of Wifi on board (currently US$3 per day). Upper deck surcharge: US$400 per cabin Itinerary is subject to change.

Our 11-day birding and wildlife tour in the fabulous Maldives will be spent on a comfortable, live-aboard safari cruise vessel. She has a full-time crew of 6 Maldivians, including an experienced captain and a dedicated cook. All cabins are en suite and air-conditioned and although not luxurious, are perfect for our requirements on this birding and wildlife cruise. On your days with us you can expect some of the finest cetacean viewing on the planet; in the last two seasons our lead guide, Dr Charles Anderson, a long time Maldivian resident and well-known authority on cetaceans, has seen an astounding 18 different species! While tropicbirds sail overhead we will scan the waters for such delights as Spinner and Risso’s Dolphins, Sperm Whale, Indo-pacific Beaked Whale and the gargantuan Blue Whale, the largest animal ever to have lived on our planet! On most trips, 10 to 12 species are observed and more often than not these aren’t just distant glimpses; many species bowride and can be seen in their entirety at close range! We expect 50 and 90 separate cetacean sightings on our trip, totalling a staggering 2-3000 animals!

This wealth of cetaceans is well complimented by tropical pelagic birds and we will spend our days on the deck scanning for Black-naped Tern, Bulwer’s and Jouanin’s Petrel, Flesh-footed Shearwater and White-bellied Storm Petrel to name just a few. Only 180 species have been recorded from the islands and, as the area is under-birded, many more species (particularly migrants) undoubtedly await discovery. As this tour takes place during the northern spring, Palaearctic migrants are still around so there is a real possibility of getting a first record for the islands!

These prices are subject to foreign exchange fluctuations.

2022 Prices are an estimate, dates are not confirmed and may change.

Top Birds

Black-naped, White-cheeked, Roseate, Bridled, Saunders's & Sooty Tern, Streaked & Tropical Shearwater, Lesser Frigatebird, Lesser & Brown Noddy, White-breasted Waterhen

Top Mammals

Dolphins: Spinner, Bottlenose, Indo-pacific Bottlenose, Risso’s, Spotted, Striped, Fraser's, Rough-toothed Whales: Blue, Bryde's, Sperm, False Killer, Pygmy Killer, Killer, Melon-headed, Shortfin Pilot, Dense-beaked, Longman's beaked, Dwarf Sperm, Cuvier’s Beaked.

Habitats Covered

tropical oceanic waters, lagoons, sandy beaches and shorelines, forest

Expected Climate

warm to hot

Max Group Size

10 with 1 Expedition leader

Tour Pace & Walking

very relaxed pace, little walking, optional snorkeling

Accommodation

comfortable, live-aboard safari vessel

Ease of Birding

easy

Other Attractions

paradise islands, incredible coral reef snorkeling, Manta Rays, star-gazing

Photographic Opportunities

excellent

What our clients say about us

Dušan Brinkhuizen
JR, Jamaica - Island Endemics I 2026

I was very pleased with the birding. I saw all 29 endemics and a total of 42 life birds. The leaders are great at finding, luring in and identifying birds. I appreciated that the focus was very much on the birding. The food and accommodations were excellent and appropriate. I wonder if we should have spent our last night near the coast but am not sure how that would have affected our birding success.

Robert Williams
RE, Guyana - Birds & Wildlife (Relaxed) 2026

An excellent trip. Good list of birds even though it was the relaxed itinerary. Rob’s recounting some of his excellent adventures was an added bonus.

Stuart Elsom
CS, Madagascar - Budget Birding 2025

Stu is a personable, helpful, and organized guide and was a pleasure to travel with. He was ready to help not only with finding and identifying birds, but also with little problems that popped up during our trip, as they so often do. Our local guide was likewise consistently friendly and helpful. My main concern is that on this trip, as on past Rockjumper trips, there doesn't seem to be any effort to vet the physical ability of potential group members, and as a result those of us who are prepared for the experience are held back by those who are physically not ready for it. I know that trips are rated on the website in regards to the level of exertion required, but this does not seem to help -- I have been on multiple tours with people who are not physically capable of maintaining a steady level of exertion while birding. This is not fair to those of us who are.

Stephan Lorenz
MN, China - Southeast in Winter 2026

SEChina in winter was sensational thanks to Stephan Lorenz who is a superb birder and guide, as well as being quite personable. He got us such quality birds and some that were quite unexpected. He answers questions and gives information freely. Most importantly If a bird was possible he got it for us. We were all elated with the tour. Jason the local guide was also excellent. I would think this tour will become very popular or should be.

André Bernon
DE, Thailand - Asian Birding at its Best II 2025

Note that some of the comments I made regarding the Thailand extension apply to the main Thailand tour. I liked the sequence of sites visited; it ensured the Spoonbill Sandpiper was seen early on and then designed to minimize travel. Staying multiple nights at one site is always appreciated and seemed to be done as much as possible. The guides made special efforts to see bird species sought by the group; we saw more bird species than I expected. The drivers were excellent and also one of them, Jaime, was a good birder who helped the guides track down some species; it was an asset to have internet while in the vehicles. The drivers also produced an excellent video of the trip - a nice touch; they also did an excellent job with mid-morning breaks. I especially enjoyed visiting a hide all morning early on in the trip - it gave us a chance to see some elusive species but also several species very well. One morning was spent looking for a rare duck; I would have rather spent the time looking for a variety of Thai species. Quite a bit of birding was done along roads - it might have been better to bird trails etc. if they are available and afford good views of birds pointed out. Food was excellent (Uthai selected great dishes for the group) and accomodations were good. It was an enjoyable trip with rewarding looks at many of the bird species seen.

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