Description
The Four Seasons Explorer cruises between the Four Seasons properties at Kuda Huraa, a private island paradise of lush tropical gardens and remarkable surf, and Landaa Giraavaru, a pristine hideaway in the Baa Atoll.
Guests can select three-, four- and seven-day island cruises or private, customised charters. Each includes visits to numerous sites, pre-selected for their unique diving, snorkelling, surfing or on-shore recreation potential.
Along the journey, guests can dive in secluded, virgin sites – snorkel or play in turquoise waters teeming with neon-coloured sealife; enjoy amazing lunch breaks or dinner celebrations on private, white-sand beaches; relax like Robinson Crusoe in the shade of a coconut palm; or indulge in an on- or off-board massage – daily, if you wish.
Accommodation
Choose from 10 spacious State Rooms and the palatial Explorer Suite, all of which are bright and airy and include the luxury and style you expect from Four Seasons Explorer. All cabins are air-conditioned, with an ensuite bathroom that features a bathtub/shower. Curl up on your sofa, select something from the refrigerated private bar or enjoy a movie on the flat screen LCD TV, all in the comfort of your State Room or Explorer Suite. Awake to a new vista each morning, as large windows frame ever-changing views of the azure ocean and sky, emerald-topped islands edged in turquoise waters and brilliant white sand.
| State Room | Unwind in your air-conditioned room with one king bed or two twin beds, a comfortable couch, a writing desk, a DVD/CD player, an MP3 cable connection, a refrigerated private bar, a telephone and an in-cabin safe. Bathed in natural light from large port windows, your room boasts contemporary teak furnishings and Indian fabrics in calming tones. |
| Explorer Suite | Enjoy spectacular scenery from the expansive panoramic windows of your elegant Explorer Suite. Showered in sunlight from expansive windows, your suite boasts contemporary teak furnishings and cool, subdued fabrics. Take advantage of a refrigerated private bar, along with a DVD/CD player, MP3 cable connection, telephone and in-cabin safe. Enjoy your ensuite bathroom with a full bathtub, separate shower, WC and vanity. It is connected to a walk-in wardrobe. |
Facilities
Facilities onboard the Four Seasons Explorer include:
- Dining room
-
Bar and lounge
-
Alfresco dining deck with bar
-
Sundeck with massage area
-
Dive and water sports deck
On-board diving facilities:
- Multilingual dive staff and experienced crew, including a marine biologist (maximum 6:1 guest to dive-guide ratio, with those of similar experience levels grouped together where possible)
-
Separate nitrox and air compressor systems
-
Diving conducted from a modern 16.7-metre (55-foot) support vessel, Aseykara II, a custom-designed dive dhoni with full safety and navigation equipment
-
Full equipment for all on-board guests, including SCUBAPRO BCDs and regulators, Suunto computers and Cressi fins
-
Surface marker buoy and Sea Marshall personal locator radio beacon for all divers
-
Hot and cold showers on two sea-level platforms
-
Dedicated fresh-water rinse tank for camera equipment
-
Coffee- and tea-making facilities and post-dive refreshments
-
Underwater photography and videography services available (fees apply)
Activities
Diving:
Four Seasons Explorer gives divers access to a wide variety of secluded hot spots, including exciting channel dives with sharks and rays, vibrant thilas, cleaning stations, wrecks, and coral overhangs.
Snorkelling:
During daily snorkelling excursions, guests can venture out with the marine biologist, take the plunge off the back of the vessel or snorkel off the beach at any of the numerous island stop offs.
Water sports:
Take to the waves with waterskiing, wakeboarding, windsurfing, fun tubes and kayaking. Smaller waves between January and March offer optimal conditions for wakeboarding and waterskiing.
Fishing:
Venture out by dhoni for some bottom-line fishing, fish from the back of Four Seasons Explorer each night or indulge in handline fishing off the vessel at sunset. Trawling by tender is available on request.
Excursions:
Savour gourmet Four Seasons cuisine on uninhabited islands, embark on an adventure with our marine biologist, cast yourself away on a secluded sandbank or visit remote villages for cultural experiences and souvenir shopping – even enjoy a game of football or rugby on a sandy beach.
Spa:
Four Seasons Explorer’s resident spa therapist offers natural therapies inspired by Asia’s ancient healing principles. Retreat to the private treatment area on the upper deck – curtained for privacy yet open to the refreshing sea air – or indulge in a massage at one of the secluded beaches visited during the cruise.
When to travel
The Maldives has a tropical climate distinguished by two seasons, or monsoons: the dry northeast monsoon from December to March, and the wet southwestern monsoon from May to November, with more strong winds and rain. April is a transitional period noted for clear water and heat. The temperature remains remarkably consistent at around 30°C.
The Maldives scuba diving season runs all year round. April, May and June are the hottest months of the year and, due to plankton blooming, see manta rays and whale sharks. These months are popular with divers seeking the large pelagics. December to March normally enjoys the best visibility. The Maldive Islands have a wet season between May and August, which reduces visibility and may restrict the number of accessible dive sites due to poorer surface conditions. This is less of a concern for liveaboards that can vary their itineraries to cover only those sites enjoying the best dive conditions.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Best time to visit
Good time to visit
Average time to visit
Not applicable
Location and directions
Maldives, Indian Ocean
Kuda Huraa is the point of embarkation for Four Seasons Explorer three- and seven-night cruises. For four-night cruises, Four Seasons Explorer embarks from Landaa Giraavaru. These sister properties, which share renowned Four Seasons service and attention to detail, offer a unique opportunity to explore the secluded and stunning archipelago of the Maldives. Choose to stay at one or both of the resorts, linked by a multi-day cruise aboard the luxurious Explorer.
How to get there
10-hour 30-minute flight to Male International Airport, on Hulhule Island. Guests are greeted by Four Seasons representatives and escorted to either a waiting speedboat for the 25-minute ride to Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa, a spectacularly beautiful traditional island hideaway, or Four Seasons seaplane lounge prior to the 35 to 45-minute flight to Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru, a pristine and exotic wilderness refuge.
