Flights and Travel Guide to Maldives

If you have ever imagined a dream island with unspoiled natural beauty and everything in perfect shape, with the white dazzling sand, huge shaded palm trees and a cozy place to live in, then Maldives has it all as it is a dream come true. Maldives is one of the hottest tourist destinations and will absolutely enrapture you for a lifetime.     
The country is beautifully sunlit and the warm blue sea waits to be explored. Maldives is just 4ft above sea level and is one of the smallest islands in the world. Numerous isolated islands added to it are, for sure, an exhilarating experience as you can feel the solitude at one of the most extravagant places on the planet.
Explore the magnificent country and its various islands. The place with more water and less land has a lot many mysteries to reveal. 

Geography

The Maldives lies in two rows of islets in the Indian Ocean across the equator. It is made up of 1,190 coral islands formed around 26 natural ring-like islets; spread over 90,000 square kilometers making Maldives one of the most scattered countries in the world.

Weather/ Best Time to Travel

Maldives has a picture perfect weather with days bathed in sunlight and the nights breezy. The weather hardly changes throughout the year with an average temperature of 30 degrees Celsius.
The country has a dry and a wet season. The dry season runs from January to March and the wet season starts from the mid of May till November. There are rare thunderstorms during the wet season and taking a swim when it’s raining is an extraordinary experience when the sea is additionally warm.
Maldives can be visited anytime during the year as it is best time just anytime.  

Getting in Maldives

Capital/ Airport

The airport for Maldives is a very unique one. It lies in Male’ (Airport Code: MLE), its capital and is known to be as the Hulhule’ Airport. The interesting part is that the runway of the airport runs parallel to the sea and it gives an adrenalin rush when landing as it seems the plane is landing in water.
The airport is well-equipped with the following facilities:

• souvenir and duty-free shops
• restaurants
• medical facilities
• banking services
• postal services

The airport island is accessible to the capital as a ferry runs every few minutes between the two islands.

Flights to/from

Maldivian (IATA: Q2) is the national airline of Maldives and is based in Male’ the capital of the country. It operates international flights and also serves inter-island flights.
Airlines like Emirates (IATA: EK), Air Lanka (IATA: UL) and Singapore Airlines (IATA: SQ) fly daily to Maldives. If you wish to take a direct flight from London to Male’, Maldives, then British Air (IATA: BA), BMI (IATA: BD) and Air Lanka (IATA: UL) would be the best choices.

Visa/ Passport Information

For traveling to Maldives, make sure the passport you carry is six months valid and has two clear pages. As for the visa, you can get a 30 days valid visa on your arrival to the Island.
The fee for documentation of obtaining a visa varies depending on where you are applying from and what is your nationality. There may be a tax on arrival/ departure for a country which may or may not be included in the price of the ticket and could be asked o pay in cash at the airport. It is the sole right of the country to determine who will be allowed to enter the country.

Accommodation

• For budget travelers, Maldives has comfortable guest houses with simple accommodation facilities in its capital Male’.
• Maldives has around 87 resorts ranging from two-star to five-star. You can choose according to your budget and also according to the location of the resort you wish to stay at Hulhule Island Hotel, Holiday Inn, Mookai Hotel and Marble Hotel are famous hotels of Maldives. All hotels are well equipped and are located in the busy capital Male.

You can also book the modern safari vessel and cruise across the country for your holiday. These vessels have all the facilities and some of them can accommodate around 100 people.

 Getting Around/ Transport:

• For getting to Male’ from the airport you will have to catch a local ferry which will charge you just a dollar or 10 Maldivian Rufiyaas. These ferries leave the airport island after every few minutes and are adorned with peculiar decorations giving you a true essence of the locals.
• Once you are in Male’, traveling around is not a problem at all as anywhere is reachable after a ten minutes walk. The capital is famous for motorbikes as it is considered to be the fastest means to get around. You can also hire a taxi and it will not cost you more than 20 Rufiyaas for each trip no matter where you go.
• As for traveling from island to island (known as island-hopping), you will have to take a scheduled ferry from Male’ that will take you to a series of inhabited islands which are not many though.
• If you have come to a safari cruise, hotel or tourist resort, the hotel staff will come to pick you and you will have a choice of using a seaplane, speedboat or the local ferry called a dhoni. The seaplane will be another experience as it would be a low flight over the islands and the deep blue sea and you are also likely to see dolphins jumping up the horizon. The speedboat is another adventure as you cruise through the water moving against the wind.   

Places to See

• Local Islands are inhabited islands of Maldives and should be visited if you wish to get accustomed with another part of the world. Some of the inhabited islands are modern with gaily painted houses. The people are friendly and warm hearted and it would surely add a wonderful layer to the experience of your holiday in the magical Maldives.  
• Virgin Islands are a big attraction for all tourists. There lay hundreds of virgin islands with not a single human on them and the white sparkling sand and green vegetation being untouched  waiting to be discovered await your arrival.

Things to Do

Maldives is a place with more water and less land. The sea surrounding the country is said to have a clear underwater visibility up to 50meters and that too throughout the year. The marine life in Maldives is unique and has thousands of species of fish and other creatures.

• To come up-close to all these creatures diving is a must. You can dive even if you are the most reluctant diver and enjoy the splendor that will surely captivate you. They have expert divers who will accompany you and will provide you with well-monitored equipment.
• Water sports are very popular in Maldives. Play water polo or choose to parasail, water-ski, kite-surf, jet-ski or kayak, the choice is all yours!
• Experience the Maldivian life style by visiting an inhabited island and mingle with the locals.
• Go fishing! It is said that fishing is in Maldivian blood and there is a celebration when a good catch is caught. You can cook the fish that you catch and experience the satisfaction.
• Go to a spa and soothe yourself with the Maldivian virgin coconut oil massage or take the traditional sand massage which is said to cure muscle and joint pains.

Food and Shopping

You couldn’t have happened to be in a better place on earth than Maldives if you are a food lover especially a seafood lover. Foods range from the crispy baked cookies and creamy cappuccino being offered in most affordable and clean teashops for breakfast to hot steamy Mexican and Italian steaks served in marvelous restaurants for dinner, it is all there.

Other than this there are numerous local dishes made out of fish which you will surely miss once you leave the place and go back home.
The Chaandanee Mugu and the Majeedhee Magu are the main shopping areas in Maldives. You can buy traditional artifacts, ornaments, garments, bags and souvenirs to take back home for the family and friends. The shops are open till 11pm except for the 15minute prayer break.

Festivals

Maldives is a Muslim country and the festivals are religion based. Other than religious festivals, the country has national festivals like:

• National Day (celebrated in the Islamic month of Rabbi ul Awal)
• Independence Day (26 July)
• Republic Day (11 November)

Nightlife

Nightlife in Maldives has its own color and joy. Though there are not many bars and clubs in the country as compared to other destinations of the world, you can still spend the night at one of the few discos dancing away on the popular Jazz music. Male’, the capital, has some of the bars and pub which you can visit too.

Travel Tips

• Make a handy book of common phrases in the local language so as to make communication easier for yourself.
• Ensure you pack up light summer clothes as the weather in Maldives is moist and warm.  
• It is recommended to all visitors that they choose accommodation facilities from the ones registered with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.
• Maldivians are conventional people and you may have to face penalties in case of mishap so make sure you are particular about following the rules and regulations.

 
Is it Safe to Travel to Maldives?

The recent advice of FCO has not changed overall and there are no restrictions to travel to Maldives making it a safe place. However the Maldivian politics has been going through a transition period and in past social unrest has resulted in violence, so beware of gatherings.
It is suggested to take updated information from your consulate prior to your travel plans as situation varies from time to time.