Joanna James
This is an insider's guide to the Maldives. Learn about the best attractions, hotels and experiences. Learn about when to go and where to go in order to enjoy the best of the tropical archipelago.
The Maldives is an archipelago of over a 1000 little islands formed into clusters of 26 atolls. The islands are mostly private owned by resorts; hence they are free from hawkers, stray animals and other such nuisances. You are treated to the most stunning sun bleached white sand beaches, powdery soft and lapped by the glistening Indian Ocean. Of the roughly 1200 islands 100 belong to resorts and 200 are inhabited; the rest are deserted sanctuaries of rustic beauty. This being said the Maldives is also one of the most cosmopolitan holiday destinations offering the latest water sports and choice of superior accommodation - Maldives luxury resort will be on par with the world's best.
The Maldives has a tropical climate all year round with temperatures ranging between 26C to 30C degrees. If at all you may want to avoid the monsoon season which brings in rains from November to December. The showers though are not huge downfalls and are rather light afternoon showers. High season is from November to April. Christmas and New Year is the most expensive season to plan a visit to the country. April is considered a 'shoulder' month and is best for those seeking low budget holidays to the archipelago. May is the off season due to unpredictable weather patterns.
All international flights land at Male; the airport is predominantly spread across Hulhule Island. Free visitor visas are issued on arrival for a period of 30 days. You need to book transport to your resorts island; choose from chartered flights, boat rides or ferries. Chartered flights and boats can be quite expensive and are not included in your hotel rates; hence you should check on these costs as well when making a booking.
Not many visitors choose to 'travel around' the archipelago as once you are on the resort of your choice you pretty much settle in and enjoy the lures of paradise. The only type of travel to take on would be the special excursions; there are many to choose from such as dolphin spotting tours as offered by COMO Cocoa Island, The Maldives. Many resorts and tour operators also provide sunset cruises, night fishing, island hopping tours and much more.
Exploration cruises are highly recommended for discovering and learning more about the archipelago. Choose from cultural cruises and dive safaris; the former takes you across the Atolls on a journey of discovery where you get to explore ancient mosques, rustic village life on inhabited islands and scour the museums. The dive safaris take you to some of the best dive sites across the globe; on these you will discover a whole new world of wonder below the waves.
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