Whole-boat charters · 4 to 21 guests · Updated 8 November 2026 · By Abdulla Maseeh
Private Liveaboard Charter in the Maldives
A private charter means your group books the whole boat: your dates, your route, your crew and nobody else at the table. We charter four boats whole, sized for groups of 4 to 21: Atoll Villa (four suites, eight guests), NOAH (up to 18, from US$11,147 a week for four with every tax in), MV Explorer (16 guests in proper beds, 20 with bunks) and Ark Noble (37 metres, 10 cabins, up to 21). Divers, surfers, snorkellers and families can all share the same boat.
The four boats at a glance
These are boats sold only, or mainly, as whole-boat charters, so you are not waiting for a scheduled departure with free cabins. Most of the dive liveaboards in our boat directory can also be taken whole by a large group; ask us and we will price that too.
| Boat | Size | Cabins / guests | Best for | Whole-boat price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atoll Villa | 23 m, built 2024 | 4 suites / 8 | Couples and families who want a small yacht with a chef | Quote per night; 4-night minimum is standard |
| NOAH | 23 m, refitted 2026 | 6 cabins / 18 | Budget groups, snorkellers, surfers, families | US$11,147 a week for 4, US$21,782 for 18, all taxes in |
| MV Explorer | 28.9 m, built 2016 | 7 cabins / 16 to 20 | Dive clubs and surf crews | Quote per charter, dated rate sheet |
| Ark Noble | 37 m, built 2014, refit 2024 | 10 cabins / 21 | Large families, celebrations, corporate groups | Quote per charter |
Which boat fits your group?
Enter your group size, the number of nights and what you want to do. The planner shows which of the four boats can take you, how everyone sleeps, and NOAH’s published charter price with all taxes. The others are quoted per charter.
Ark Noble: the 37-metre private yacht
Ark Noble is the largest boat here and the closest to a private yacht. She was built in 2014 with a wooden hull, refitted in 2024, and runs at about 10 knots on a 650 HP Mitsubishi engine. Ten cabins take up to 21 guests, and the whole boat goes to one group at a time. She carries a dhoni for diving and a dinghy for landings, and her published routes run from the central atolls to the northern atolls and down to the deep south, with the itinerary shaped around your group.
What sets her apart is the deck life: a top-deck jacuzzi, sun loungers, an outdoor lounge, Starlink Wi-Fi, a karaoke and games set-up, and meals served à la carte, as a buffet or outdoors. Diving, snorkelling, fishing, surfing, sandbank dinners and local island visits are all on the menu.
- 2 jet skis
- Kayak
- Wakeboard
- Water skis
- Banana boat
- Fun tube
- Inflatable slide
- Inflatable pool
- Floaters
Ark Noble is quoted per charter: the price depends on dates, nights, group size and route. Tell us how many cabins you need and how the group splits between divers and non-divers.
MV Explorer: a working dive and surf boat, all yours
Cabins, deck plan, charter types and 2027 dates are on our full MV Explorer charter page.
MV Explorer, sold under the Maldives Explorer name, is a 28.86-metre motor yacht built in 2016 and chartered only as a whole boat. Her operator is straightforward about what she is: a working liveaboard, not a superyacht. You get seven en-suite cabins, a saloon and bar, a dive dhoni and a dinghy, and a crew who know the central atolls well. Her hull is wood, laminated in fibreglass above the waterline, and she cruises at 10 knots.
The number to understand is the guest count. Sixteen guests all sleep in proper beds. Twenty is possible because the four Standard cabins have upper bunks, which suits a dive club or a surf crew; for a corporate group or older travellers, plan on sixteen.
Dive charters
17 dives across the week, two or three a day plus one night dive (the night dive is one of the 17). 12-litre tanks, an English-speaking dive master and the dive dhoni are included; nitrox, 15-litre tanks, courses and rental gear cost extra. One route per charter: Ari and Vaavu atolls, or Baa Atoll, where Hanifaru Bay draws mantas from May to November.
Surf and cruise charters
Surf charters work Malé Atoll with a surf guide and the tender to the break; a group of eight can take the whole boat with no tour leader, and moving south to Meemu, Dhaalu, Thaa, Laamu or Huvadhoo costs extra. Cruise charters cover North and South Malé, Vaavu and Ari, with snorkelling, a night-fishing trip, an island barbecue and a banana ride.
| Cabins | Type | Beds | Sleeps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | Standard | Twin plus an upper bunk | 3 each |
| 5 | Family | Four single beds | 4 |
| 7 and 8 | Seaview | Double, 5 x 6 ft | 2 each |
| Charter | Smallest group | Middle | Largest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dive | 12 guests + 1 tour leader | 15 + 1 | 18 + 2 |
| Cruise (snorkel, islands) | 12 guests + 1 tour leader | 15 + 1 | 18 + 2 |
| Surf | 8 guests, no tour leader | 12 + 1 | 15 + 1 |
Every MV Explorer charter includes full board, unlimited bottled water, tea and coffee, airport meet and greet, transfers and the dinghy. Not included on any charter: soft drinks and alcohol, Wi-Fi, equipment rental and island entrance fees. Rates are issued as a dated sheet per season.
Atoll Villa: four suites for eight guests
Atoll Villa is the small, private-yacht option: a 23-metre, three-deck GRP yacht built in 2024, based in Hulhumalé ten minutes from the airport. She takes eight guests in four suites with a crew of six or seven, including a private chef and a dive guide. The owner’s suite runs the full width of the upper deck with its own terrace and spa jacuzzi; the other three suites have a king or twin beds.
It is the boat for a couple of families, a honeymoon with friends, or a small group who would rather eat at one table of eight than share a big liveaboard. Her 1.8-metre draft lets her anchor in shallow lagoons, and she has Starlink Wi-Fi, a cinema and a massage sala on board.
Charters include full board, soft drinks, Wi-Fi, snorkelling and fishing gear, local island and uninhabited island visits with a beach barbecue, and airport transfers. Scuba diving from the onboard compressor, nitrox, a PADI instructor, motorised water sports, wine and beer are charged as extras.
Atoll Villa is priced per night for the whole yacht, for up to eight guests, on a classic Malé and Vaavu atoll route; other routes, and charters of fewer than four nights, cost more. Photos are on request while we wait for the operator’s image set.
NOAH: the budget charter, with a published price
NOAH is a 23-metre Maldivian safari boat, built in 2004 and refitted in fibreglass in 2026, with six en-suite cabins. She is not a dive boat, so book her for snorkelling, island hopping, fishing or surf. Charters run 3 to 14 nights for up to 18 guests, and NOAH is the one charter boat here that publishes its whole-boat rate, so you can work out the price yourself.
Twelve guests sleep two to a cabin; up to six more use the day beds. At 18 guests a private week costs about US$1,210 each, cheaper than the US$1,661 per person for a shared week. Full details, the route and live dates are on the NOAH boat page.
| Group | Total, 7 nights, all taxes | Per person |
|---|---|---|
| 4 guests | US$11,146.80 | US$2,786.70 |
| 8 guests | US$14,185.50 | US$1,773.19 |
| 12 guests | US$17,224.20 | US$1,435.35 |
| 18 guests | US$21,782.25 | US$1,210.12 |
Whole boat or a block of cabins?
A charter is not automatically the expensive choice. Here is how we work it out for a group.
- 1
Count beds, not cabins
Start with how your group will sleep. Couples and families fill cabins neatly; a group of single friends may need twin cabins or bunks, which changes which boats fit.
Example: 12 friends who will not share a bed fit MV Explorer’s four Standard cabins and the Family cabin, all single beds.
- 2
Price the scheduled boats
On a scheduled liveaboard every guest pays the per-person cabin rate. Princess Maani, for example, is published from about US$2,688 per person for 7 nights before fees, so 14 divers would pay roughly US$37,600 before fees, less any group free places.
Top Class Cruising gives 1 free place per 9 paying guests and 2 per 14; Dune gives 1 per 6, 3 per 15 and 6 per 22.
- 3
Price the charter
Ask for the whole-boat quote on the boats that fit. Charter rates are set per boat, not per person, so the cost per head falls as the group grows.
NOAH: US$2,787 each for 4 guests, US$1,210 each for 18, all taxes in.
- 4
Compare the extras, not just the headline
One price may include nitrox, Wi-Fi or soft drinks and the other not. Line up service charge, TGST, Green Tax, park fees, fuel surcharges and transfers before you decide.
Our liveaboard prices page lists every fee by operator.
How a private charter works
- You pick the datesNo fixed departure day. NOAH takes 3 to 14 nights; Atoll Villa’s rates assume four nights or more. Most boats start and end in Malé or Hulhumalé.
- You shape the routeDiving, surf breaks, sandbanks, villages or manta season in Baa. The captain adjusts for weather and has the final word on safety.
- Mixed groups workDivers go out on the dhoni while the rest snorkel, paddle or stay on board. Few resorts manage that as easily.
- Food to your tableTell us about allergies, vegetarians and children before you sail; the chef shops for your group.
- Drinks from the barTourists cannot bring alcohol into the Maldives. Agree a drinks package or a bar tab with the boat when you book.
- Rules still apply30 metres is the legal diving limit; Hanifaru Bay is snorkel only, with a ticket; Green Tax is US$12 per guest per night.
Groups with very different budgets: if half the group dives every day and half wants a beach, consider a charter for the first part of the trip and a resort for the rest. We book both and handle the transfer between them.
Dive, surf, fishing or family: which boat?
Dive clubs
MV Explorer is built for it, with 17 dives a week, a dive dhoni and a tier for 18 divers plus two tour leaders. Ark Noble suits a club that also brings partners who do not dive. For routes and seasons, read our liveaboard diving guide.
Surf groups
MV Explorer takes eight surfers with no tour leader; NOAH runs surf weeks with the dinghy shuttling to the line-up. Our surf charter and liveaboard guide covers breaks and swell season.
Anglers
For serious game fishing, start with our fishing liveaboard packages, which pair a mother boat with a fast fishing tender. On the boats here fishing is casual: hand lines at sunset, a night-fishing trip, or a big-game boat added to an Atoll Villa charter at extra cost.
Families and celebrations
Atoll Villa for up to eight, Ark Noble for large families and birthdays, NOAH if the budget matters most. For day trips, sunset cruises or resort yachts, see our yacht charter guide instead.
Private charter questions
How much does it cost to charter a whole liveaboard in the Maldives?
The only whole-boat rate published in full by the boats on this page is NOAH’s: US$1,200 a night for up to four guests plus US$75 per extra adult, before a 10 percent service charge, 17 percent tourism GST and Green Tax. With every tax in, a week costs US$11,146.80 for four guests or US$21,782.25 for eighteen, about US$1,210 each. Ark Noble, MV Explorer and Atoll Villa quote per charter, by season, route and group size; we send a written quote with every tax and fee listed.
Is a private charter cheaper than booking cabins?
It can be, once the group is large enough. On NOAH a full group of 18 pays about US$1,210 each for a private week against US$1,661 each on a shared week. On bigger dive boats, a group that fills the boat also earns free places (on Top Class Cruising boats 9 paying guests get a 10th place free and 14 get two), so ask us to price both ways.
What is the smallest group that can charter a boat?
Any group can book Atoll Villa, which is priced for up to eight guests, and NOAH, whose rate starts at four. MV Explorer takes surf groups from eight guests; its dive and cruise charters start at twelve guests plus a tour leader. Ark Noble is quoted for groups of any size up to 21.
Can we choose our own route?
Yes, within reason. The captain builds the route around your interests, the season and the sea state, and has the final say on safety. Some boats price a home route and add a charge for longer ones: MV Explorer’s surf charters stay in Malé Atoll unless you pay to relocate, and Atoll Villa’s classic route covers Malé and Vaavu atolls with other routes priced separately.
Can non-divers and divers share a charter?
Yes, and it is one of the best reasons to charter. On Ark Noble and Atoll Villa the divers go out on the tender while everyone else snorkels, paddles or heads to a sandbank. On MV Explorer pick a dive charter (17 dives a week included); non-divers snorkel from the dhoni. NOAH carries no scuba equipment at all. More options for snorkellers are on our snorkelling liveaboard page.
What is not included in a charter price?
It depends on the boat, so check the quote line by line. Commonly extra: alcohol and often soft drinks, Wi-Fi on MV Explorer, scuba diving and motorised water sports on Atoll Villa, nitrox, equipment rental, island entrance fees, the Hanifaru Bay ticket, park fees, fuel surcharges for longer routes, crew tips and domestic flights. Tourists cannot bring alcohol into the Maldives, so drinks come from the bar on board.
How far ahead should we book?
Six to twelve months for Christmas, New Year, Easter and the February to April dive peak, when the best boats are often taken by repeat groups. Outside those weeks, two to three months is usually enough. A private charter has no fixed departure day, so the first question is always whether the boat is free for your exact dates.
How do deposits and cancellations work?
Terms vary by boat. As a guide, NOAH takes a 30 percent deposit with the balance 60 days before departure, and other charter yachts work on similar lines: a non-refundable deposit, the balance six to nine weeks out, and charges that rise to the full charter price inside 30 days. Travel insurance with cancellation cover matters more for a charter than for a cabin booking.
Why charter with HolidayVibe
- Trusted brandHolidayVibe is a trusted brand in the Maldives travel industry, licensed by the Ministry of Tourism (MOT.O1.RS.TA.25.RD9933) and based in Malé.
- We know the boatsWe work directly with the operators, hold their cabin-by-cabin availability and have walked the decks. No call centre in another time zone.
- Full-cost quotesEvery quote lists the cruise, service fee, Green Tax, park fees, nitrox, gear and transfers, so the price you see is the price you pay.
- Often better value than booking sitesOperators give local agents their best rates. We pass that on and still answer on WhatsApp within the hour.
- Fishing, surf and dive on one deskNeed a fishing charter before the dive week, or a resort night after? One team books all of it.
Keep planning
- All Maldives liveaboardsFinder, routes and how booking works
- Boat directoryEvery boat we book in one table
- Every departureShared-cabin dates on the scheduled boats
- Liveaboard pricesReal costs and a calculator
- NOAH safari boatThe charter with a published price
- Yacht charter in the MaldivesDay trips, sunset cruises and resort yachts
Written by Abdulla Maseeh, HolidayVibe Maldives, Malé. Facts from the Ark Noble media kit, the Maldives Explorer 2026-27 brochure, the Atoll Villa website and the NOAH fact sheet of October 2026, checked 8 November 2026. Photos: Ark Noble, Maldives Explorer and NOAH Safari Boat.