How to Plan a Trip to the Maldives: Frequently Asked Questions

November through April is the best time to visit the Maldives to avoid the monsoon season and enjoy great weather. Within this window, March and April stand out for their clear skies, sunny weather, and warm temperatures, perfect for beach vacations.

Travelers should note that these months coincide with peak season in the Maldives, so expect crowds and high travel rates during these times. Should you wish to escape the crowds or visit during a quieter time of the year, the December holiday season and early in the year are great times for your trip.

With plenty of sunshine, far less rainfall than the winter season from May to November, and exceptional conditions for watersports, you can experience the best of the Maldives comfortably from November to April.

Learn more: Best Time to Visit the Maldives

The Maldives is an independent island country off the southwest coast of Sri Lanka and India in the north-central Indian Ocean. The archipelago is a luxury tropical paradise that travelers can visit in isolation or on trips that combine Sri Lanka Tours or India Tours & Vacations.

As part of the South Asia region, you can explore more options in and around the Maldives in our Asia Tour Packages & Vacations or discover helpful information about trips in the area in our Asian Travel Guide.

We recommend you spend 10 days in the Maldives. Some argue that five to six days is enough. However, the more time you have, the more you can embrace the luxuries of the tropical paradise.

Ten days gives you the freedom to spend multiple days at leisure, soaking up the sunshine on private beaches at your pace or enjoying the world-class amenities of your overwater accommodation. On the other days, you can experience the Maldives on guided scuba-diving or snorkeling tours across the archipelago, and cruise in style on luxurious catamarans.

Fourteen-day trips can also combine a stay in the Maldives with tours of Sri Lanka or showcase the variety between the Maldives’ shores and Thai beaches.

From sun-kissed private beaches to underwater coral wonderlands, there is much to enjoy on vacations in the most popular Maldives destinations. Below, we highlight our recommendations of the best places to visit:

• Baa Atoll
• Malé Atoll
• Nalaguraidhoo Island
• Banana Reef
• HP Reef
• Veligandu Island
• Vaadhoo Island
• Addu Atoll
• Fulhadhoo Island

Baa Atoll is not only the best place to visit in the Maldives, but one of the Best Places to Visit in Asia. It is typically a great place to welcome you to the beauty of the archipelago that you will come to know and love the more you explore our top places to visit, including atolls, islands, and reefs.

The Maldives is a palm-beach sanctuary with thatched overwater bungalows, stunning seascapes, and tropical marine life to discover as you enjoy the top things to do on your trip. Here are some of our recommendations:

• Enjoy romantic strolls along private white sands where you will have an entire island sand bar to yourselves
• Embrace some of the best scuba diving in Asia at the Maldives’ famous coral reefs and around the atolls
• Savor local cuisine and celebrated seafood dishes during fine-dining experiences, including overwater dinners and private beach lunches
• Partake in thrilling watersports off the coasts of the archipelago, including kayaking, surfing, and snorkeling
• Encounter traditional culture on heritage tours, including traditional afternoon tea, dance performances, and market visits
• Admire the epic landscapes of the Maldives’ protected parks as you search for elusive wildlife in the island forests

Diving is one of the Top 8 Things to Do in Asia and is at its best in and around the coral reefs of the Maldives. It is an iconic watersport to add to your list of activities using the ideas above as advice to help you plan.

Learn more: Top 7 Things to Do in the Maldives

The Maldives is arguably the best luxury beach destination in the world. The archipelago and its beaches, home to bright-white velvet shores, rainbow coral reefs, and lucid waters, provide the perfect backdrop for a tropical vacation.

Many of the atolls and islands have beaches surrounding them, sharing private access for guests of the resorts stationed across the archipelago. These beaches are gateways to the pleasures of luxury vacations in the Maldives, with floating bungalows jutting off the piers from the shoreline and palms fringing the beaches providing shade.

You can enjoy the exotic backdrops from your thatched pergola on a soft sand bar or while dining with your feet in the water at sunset, absorbing the relaxed atmosphere of the Maldives’ best beaches.

From stingrays to flying foxes, the Maldives’ atolls and islands are home to an array of marine creatures and tropical wildlife. Below, we highlight the main places to see wildlife and what to be on the lookout for:

• Hammerhead Point, hammerhead sharks, mantas, pelagics
• Lankan Manta Point, white-tip reef sharks, eagle rays, and hump-head wrasse
• Kuredu, giant green sea turtles
• Far North Atolls, leopard sharks

There are several unique ways to get around the Maldives on vacation, including boat services, luxury yachts, seaplanes, bicycles, and more. Typically, you will fly into Velana International Airport and use this range of transportation options to navigate the archipelago.

Charter seaplanes are fantastic options to transfer between the islands, giving you remarkable panoramas of the archipelago as you travel. You can also navigate the islands via speedboat and luxury yacht cruises are available. Finally, you can book a dhoni, a traditional Maldivian boat, through your resort that can take you to empty beaches and secret sand bars.

Most of the Maldives islands are car-free as they are small and remote. Walking and cycling are available for traveling around the islands.

The Maldives' family-friendly resorts and epic watersports attract families with children of all ages to the tropical islands each year. Traveling with a high-end budget, you and your family can savor every seaside luxury of the Maldives on vacation.

You could book accommodations with slides into their private pools for young children to play on, cruise around the coral gardens to surreal scuba-diving spots with your teenagers, or unwind and connect with your adult children in one of the most relaxing vacation environments.

The Maldives is also incredible for multi-generational travel as activities cater to all ages, while downtime is an opportunity to enjoy each other's company.

The Maldives is a beautiful place for senior travelers able to budget for a high-end tropical beach vacation. With flat sand bars, glamorous seaside resorts, and quiet beaches for sunbathing, seniors can enjoy the comforts and luxuries of the Maldives on vacation.

Activities like snorkeling and scuba diving are available to active seniors, though swimming near the shore is also magnificent as the water is crystal clear. You can also delight in the gourmet dining options, including private dinners on your overwater balcony or sunset cocktail cruises on luxury yachts.

While the Maldives may not have the most accessible facilities for travelers with mobility challenges, planning with a travel specialist can help you navigate your concerns. They can help you book the right transportation, accommodation, and tours for a comfortable experience.

The Maldives is one of the world’s best beach destinations for couples or honeymooners. Offering unparalleled tropical luxury in overwater bungalows on private islands, few places are as intimate for a romantic trip as the Maldives.

You can spend your vacation relishing barefoot luxury on the soft, pearl-white shorelines, fine dining with your feet in the water or beneath a private thatched pergola during sunset, and swimming in crystal-clear seas teeming with sea life.

From your resort’s high-end amenities to the lavish seaside experiences, luxurious romance abounds across the archipelago for couples and honeymooners.

Surrounded by the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the Maldives archipelago has excellent access to seafood and fish, central to the local cuisine. While not known for its global culinary contributions, you can savor sensational dishes that set the Maldives’ seafood culture apart:

• Garudhiya, Maldivian fish soup
• Mas Huni, shredded smoked tuna
• Masroshi, tuna-stuffed chapati
• Bis Keemiya, Maldivian seafood-stuffed samosa
• Lobster
• Reef-fish cutlets
• Kulhi Boakibaa, Maldivian fish cake
• Maldivian fish curry

The Maldives is safe for travelers to visit.

As tourists, you will stay at resorts on islands central to the tourism industry. These small and remote islands might have one or two resorts on them, offering safety for travelers finding comfort in the lavish accommodation options. If you visit local areas of the Maldives, your guide will help you confidently navigate busy places. We always remind travelers to be conscious of their belongings when passing through these areas, as petty crime, though rare, is possible.

We recommend you bring plenty of sunscreen and drink bottled water. Water sanitation varies from island to island, and although most water is desalinated, drinking bottled water can help you mitigate any risks.

The Maldives is a luxury destination, perfect for travelers with high-end budgets to take advantage of the world-class waterside bungalows and resort amenities, luxury yacht cruises, and more lavish experiences.

The official language of the Maldives is Dhivehi.

That said, most resort staff and tour guides speak English, ensuring tourists visiting the Maldives are well-catered to.

The state religion of the Maldives is Islam and most of the population is Sunni Muslim.

For this reason, alcohol consumption is not acceptable in local areas. The Maldives’ tourism industry has, however, navigated these restrictions by providing resorts with licenses to sell alcohol to guests. Therefore, you will likely have access to cocktails and other imported beverages from your resort’s bars.

Travelers do not require vaccines to visit the Maldives.

The Maldives CDC Vaccination Information provides several routine recommendations travelers may wish to consider and you can also contact your travel specialist for more information. Finally, we recommend contacting your doctor or travel nurse, who can give you the appropriate professional health and safety recommendations for your trip.

Travelers arrive and depart from the Maldives via the Velana International Airport (MLE) on Hulhulé Island. It serves the capital Malé, your gateway to the archipelago.

The official currency of the Maldives is the Maldivian rufiyaa (ރ).

You do not need to carry this currency with you on vacation. You should, instead, take US dollars as they are accepted legal tender across the country and its islands. It is preferable to pay with US dollars and you may be able to use American Express, MasterCard, or Visa at resorts that accept these payment methods.

Experience all the Maldives has to offer with our Maldives Vacations & Tour Packages. These sample itineraries, which you can customize, are examples of dream vacations our travelers have had planned by our travel specialists. When working with a travel specialist, you can curate your own itinerary for the Maldives.

To start planning, complete a Trip Request to provide additional insight and information about your travels. Our Traveler Care team will be in touch shortly after your submission to discuss your trip idea in more detail. They will match you with a travel specialist who will create your dream Maldives vacation and help you plan every step of the way.

From securing your accommodations to scheduling your activities and tours, and making changes in case of emergency, you can rest assured when guided by a Maldives destination expert.

Learn more: How to Plan Your Zicasso Trip in 4 Easy Steps • How to Plan Your Zicasso Trip Budget in 3 Easy Steps

To start exploring the Maldives and picturing your dream holiday, browse our collection of Maldives Vacations & Tour Packages. These customizable itineraries offer inspiration for your trip, guiding you to the best places to visit and the top experiences to have.

For more information on the Maldives before you choose it as your next vacation destination, explore helpful tips and recommendations in our Maldives Travel Guide.