THE MALDIVES - Info & Facts
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- Info & facts |
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Getting there: Air:
All international flights arrive into Male and from there you would take either a seaplane or speed boat transfer depending on which resort you are staying at. The best flight options from Australia to the Maldives are with either Singapore Airlines or Malaysian Airlines and would involve a short transfer in either Singapore or Kuala Lumpur en-route to Male. For resorts reached by light aircraft you would need to overnight in Male if you arrive on an evening flight from Australia.
Getting around:
With so many islands, spread across different atolls, it is not that easy to move around the Maldives on impulse. It is possible to charter seaplanes and speedboats for exclusive use, but this is naturally extremely expensive. Multi island holidays are certainly a possibility and popular for those planning on staying more than a week, however it is usually a case of heading back to Male and travelling out to the next resort from there. Most resorts offer day trips to local islands by speedboat or Dhoni – the Maldivian version of a wooden sailboat.
Climate:
The Maldives has a tropical climate with warm temperatures year round and a great deal of sunshine. The weather is determined largely by the monsoons; the Southwest monsoon from May to November which brings with it heavy rain and the Northeast monsoon from December to April which brings clear skies, lower humidity and very little rain. On average the hottest is April and the coolest December, with November to April being the driest months.
For the best diving and snorkelling the weather is a slightly different. From May to November the swells are bigger and winds stronger, which makes diving on exposed reefs more difficult (although the many protected dive sites within the atolls are still a good option). It also brings large schools of open water fish (such as sharks, eagle rays and tuna) to the western side of the atolls, and also the possibility of diving with mantas on their eastern side. The best underwater visibility is between Dec-April.
Geography:
Situated in the heart of the Indian Ocean south west of Sri Lanka the Maldives is made up of approximately 1190 coral islands which are grouped into 26 Atolls and spread over about 90,000 square kilometers. Made up of live coral and sand bars each Atoll has on average 5-10 islands with just over 200 of those being inhabited and a further 100 being home to exclusive island resorts.
Food:
Traditional Maldivian staples include fish and rice most commonly served as a curry.
As the Maldives is home to some of the worlds most luxurious resorts it also attracts many top chefs and hotels generally serve very high quality international fare from around the globe.
Visas:
A thirty day tourist visa is issued on arrival at Male Airport subject to visitors having a valid passport, an onward or return ticket, a completed landing card and evidence of ‘sufficient funds’ to cover your stay.
Money:
The local currency of the Maldives is the Maldivian Rufiyaa
