Are you visiting this tourist destination and need some advice on where to start? Here’s your most complete Maldives travel guide. Everyone dreams of visiting the Maldives. So, picture yourself visiting these stunning islands in the Indian Ocean. They are as gorgeous as claimed. Contact us for more details!
Can you visit the Maldives with the kids?
Sure thing. There are special clubs for children on several islands. Little children and anyone without much swimming experience will love the serene seas around the islands and atolls. Additionally, you will see that a few of the islands have a permanent resident doctor.
What is the ideal time to visit the Maldives?
Let’s start our Maldives travel guide with the basics. The months of November through April are ideal for a trip to the Maldives. Highs range from 29 to 31 degrees Celsius all year round, while lows never drop below 24 degrees Celsius; the weather is warm and tropical.
The resorts are busiest from January to April since it is the driest time of year with little rainfall and low humidity. From May through December, temperatures remain comfortably mild, although precipitation is more common and storms are possible. But even at this time, lengthy periods of sunny weather are common. This is still a popular time to go because of the affordable pricing and deals.
November and October in the Maldives
There will be plenty of sunshine and warm temperatures like in previous months. That being said, there will also be more rain and storms. Whale sharks and manta rays come to feed on plankton in October and November, so it’s a favorable time to observe them. The best time to come is around this time of year since there are so many amazing deals to choose from.
Maldives travel guide: Where to stay in the Maldives?
The question of whether local islands or five-star resorts are superior is an ongoing topic of discussion. Your ideal vacation in the Maldives will determine this. Each of the Maldives’ resorts is located on a separate island within the archipelago of more than a thousand coral islands. The local islands provide a more genuine Maldivian experience. Guesthouses on these nearby islands are also a lot more budget-friendly. Beaches in the Maldives are fairly traditional since the nation is mostly Muslim.
Even though there are beaches exclusively for tourists, you are free to dress however you please. The lack of booze, meanwhile, makes you feel restricted.
How to get a visa to visit the Maldives
We cannot complete this Maldives travel guide without the visa requirement details. Travelers intending to visit the Maldives for touristic purposes are exempt from the visa requirement. There is no need for a visa to enter this country, making it unique among nations that do so. Upon your arrival, the Maldives will offer a 30-day free visa.
The minimum validity period for a passport is one month, and it must be valid with Machine Readable Zone. Evidence of your return ticket, hotel stay, and/or next destination may be required by the authorities.
Travel Declaration Form
You don’t need a visa to enter or leave the country, but you do have to fill out a trip statement form. As long as you do it within 96 hours of your flight time, you may finish the Maldives immigration process. You may find a straightforward form to complete on the immigration website.
Maldives Currency
Popular in the Maldives is the closed currency known as the Rufiyaa (MVR). But the vast majority accept the US dollar. You may also pay with a credit card or Visa card.
Maldives travel guide: what to see and do?
1. Take a scuba diving and snorkeling trip
You can easily get to a house reef from the beach at many resorts. Most also offer diving trips where a boat and tour guide take you to even more colorful reefs around the island. Scuba diving excursions are available to both novices and experts at the dive centers found at most resorts and on many inhabited islands. Drift dives from boats are the norm in the Maldives due to the generally strong to medium currents.
2. Maldives travel guide: Swim with whale sharks and manta rays
The remarkable variety of marine life in the area prompted the establishment of the Baa Atoll UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, the gem of which is Hanifaru Bay. The manta ray population in Hanifaru is such that it has become a famous snorkeling spot. During the southern monsoon (May to November), the horseshoe-shaped bay traps countless zooplankton, forming a soup of zooplankton. This soup then draws in incredible numbers of “megafauna” that love zooplankton.
There may be a hundred mantas and, at the height of the season, even a few whale sharks feeding in the area. Among the few locations on Earth, Hanifaru has an unprecedented concentration of manta and whale sharks.
3. Take a trip to the sandy beaches
The beach is the main attraction for many tourists visiting the Maldives, and rightfully so. The picture-perfect setting for a beach holiday is this island’s sugar-white beaches and breathtaking blue sea. The purity of these beaches is unparalleled in the Caribbean. There is a beach with salas or lounge chairs on every resort island. Another amenity offered by most is a “house reef,” where guests may relax and take in the aquatic life. All in all, visiting the beaches deserves a spot in this complete Maldives travel guide.
4. Enjoy water sports in the Maldives
Seeing the vibrant underwater world under the surface or diving into the pristine waters of the Indian Ocean are must-do activities on any vacation to the Maldives. Because the Maldives are officially 99% ocean and 1% land, visiting only the islands will be like touching the surface of a giant map.
In the Maldives, snorkeling and scuba diving are the most popular pastimes. Divers may choose from a wide variety of sites, including reef walls, wrecks, pinnacles, and channels. In Fulidhoo, you can swim with a school of nurse sharks. Then in Maamigili, you can see whale sharks. In Fuvahmulah, you can see tiger sharks. If you’re interested in shipwrecks, you should check out Kuda Giri and the others. The abundance of water activities in the Maldives ensures that visitors will never be bored.
5. Maldives travel guide: Learn about the culture
For over two millennia, the Maldives have been a cultural crossroads for people from all over the world. This includes merchants, sailors, and explorers from India, Sri Lanka, the Middle East, Africa, Malaysia, and Indonesia, among many others. In the years leading up to their formal adoption of Islam in 1153 CE, the Maldives practiced Buddhism and Hinduism. Several genuine cultural encounters will show you the Maldives’ intriguing history.
6. Visit the banana reef
Divers and snorkelers go to this North Malé Atoll spot because it is so lively. The name of the reef originates from its curved curvature, which can be seen from above. There is a lot of different marine life to see, like Napoleon wrasse, moray eels, barracudas, snapper, groupers, reef sharks, and maybe even mantas if you’re lucky and it’s the right time of year.
Divers who have been there lately have gushed over the clear water and diverse marine life. And snorkelers have praised the site’s shallowest areas, which are just around 4 feet deep, for making the reef visible.
7. Take a trip to the breathtaking man-made island of Hulhumalé
The man-made island of Hulhumalé sits atop a small lagoon close to Malé. From its initial 1.5-square-mile plot, the island has been quickly growing in size since construction started in 1997. Hulhumalé is still mostly a residential island, and its primary aim was to accommodate the capital city’s population boom. But the hundreds of guesthouses in Hulhumalé are another reason the town is popular with tourists. Along with its own Central Park, there are several places for watersports and scuba diving, as well as a skate park. A wide selection of cafés and restaurants are also available, serving anything from foreign fare like Korean Food Zone to traditional Maldivian fare like The Maldive Kitchen.
The proximity to the airport is the primary attraction for tourists staying in Hulhumalé. Since seaplanes only fly during the day, many people choose Hulhumalé as a stopover if they arrive in the Maldives at night, which prevents them from taking the aircraft.
8. Huura Island
Visitors to the island of Huraa come for the guesthouses, snorkeling, and surfing options, but they also find a tranquil, welcoming, and sparsely populated community. Although there are many nearby surf spots, the only breaks in the Maldives are coral. So, the waves are only suitable for surfers with intermediate to advanced skills.
The island’s white sand beaches and the rare glimpses into Maldivian life are the main attractions. However, you will find a football field, souvenir shops, cafés, little grocery stores, two diving centers, and more. Island guesthouses can also arrange for sandbank tours and fishing expeditions, among other day trips and activities.
Maldives travel guide: What is the food like in the Maldives?
The Maldives is a group of interconnected islands and atolls that, because to its proximity to some of the world’s finest seafood, combine flavors from India, Sri Lanka, and the Middle East. As a result, the cuisine of the Maldives places a premium on unusual, locally sourced products.
Always remember to apply sunscreen!
Sunscreen is an absolute need for anyone visiting this tropical destination. On the other hand, be careful to use reef-safe sunscreen, since the chemicals in regular sunscreens might damage the beautiful and protected marine life and coral. Also, stay away from buying sunscreen in the Maldives because it can be rather expensive there.
Photo credits go to the respective owners.
