Maldives Island Travel
Maldives Overview
The Maldives are an archipelago of over 1000 islands in the Indian Ocean. The country is southwest of India and is considered to be part of South Asia. The country’s climate is tropical with plenty of sunshine and an average temperature of 30°C throughout the whole year. However, the monsoon season can be a hindrance to travellers so it’s best to avoid planning a vacation to the Maldives during April to October monsoon season, particularly June to August.
Maldives Main Attractions
Considering that most of the islands serve as resorts, the must see attraction in Maldives is the capital city of Male. It’s the best place for travellers to get a clear view of the country’s culture and history. Interesting sights to visit include the Grand Friday Mosque, the Presidential Palace, the National Museum in the Sultan Park and the Singapore Bazaar.
There are over 87 resort islands in Maldives which offer a variety of water sport facilities like snorkelling, jet skiing and more. Each island is pretty much the site for an idyllic holiday. If you’re into scuba diving, go on an exploration of the Banana Reef, Fish Head, Wreck of the Maldives Victory and many more such interesting underwater sites.
Maldives Activities
The primary activity that you can do on the Maldives is scuba diving. The atolls are all coral reefs far away from big landmasses meaning that the clarity of the water is excellent. It’s fairly common to encounter several manta rays, sharks and even ship wrecks on your dive. The one downside to doing this though is that diving in the Maldives is considerably more expensive by Asian standards.
Maldives Accommodation & Dining
Aside from the capital city Male, there are no hotels in the Maldives, only resorts. Most resorts actually cover their own island. There’s a broad range of the types of resorts that you can find in the country but it can generally be broken into 3 categories: dive resorts, holiday resorts or luxury resorts. Each resort features at least one restaurant, which generally serves food aimed at guests, meaning modern European or generic Asian cuisine. The only other place to find good food is in Male via small restaurants or cafes.
Maldives Shopping & Nightlife
Most hotels also have their own shops but these places usually only sell diving products or holiday essentials. Some excursions can take you to local islands where handicrafts are sold but they are typically made outside of the country and are sold at huge mark-ups. If you’re looking for a party, don’t expect to find any alcohol. The Maldives are fairly strong Muslim, meaning alcohol is banned for the locals. While resorts are licensed to serve it, expect it to be expensive. Honestly, there’s really not much to do outside of the resorts.
Getting To & Around the Maldives
If you want to travel to the Maldives, it should be fairly easy as everybody can get a free 30-day visa upon arrival, given that you have the proper documents. Almost all visitors arrive at the Male International Airport. There are direct flights from India, Sri Lanka, Dubai and most of South East Asia. There are also an increasing number of charters from Europe. Gan Airport on the southern atoll of Addu serves direct flights from Milan.
Disclaimer: We've tried to make the information on this web site as accurate as possible, but it is provided 'as is' and we accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by anyone resulting from this information. You should verify critical information (like visas, health and safety, customs and transportation) with the relevant authorities before you travel.
