🇲🇻 Maldives

December to April is the dry season of the northeast monsoon: calmer seas, more sunshine and the highest prices, peaking around Christmas, New Year and Easter. May to November brings the southwest monsoon, with more frequent showers, stronger wind and rougher crossings, but also lower rates and good conditions for manta rays and whale sharks in some atolls. Rain usually arrives as heavy bursts rather than whole grey days.

The climate is tropical and stable all year, with air temperatures around 26–31 °C and warm water. What changes is the monsoon: a drier, calmer northeast monsoon from roughly December to April and a wetter, windier southwest monsoon from May to November. The islands sit barely above sea level, so there is no cool high ground; shade, sunscreen and hydration matter every month.

The Maldives issues a free tourist visa on arrival to travellers of all nationalities, normally for up to 30 days, at the immigration officer's discretion. You need a passport valid for at least one month, a confirmed return ticket, a confirmed booking at a registered resort, hotel or guesthouse, and enough funds for your stay. Every traveller must also submit the free IMUGA traveller declaration online within 96 hours before arrival. Check the official Maldives Immigration and embassy pages before you travel.

Almost everyone arrives at Velana International Airport (MLE) on Hulhulé, next to the capital Malé. From there, resorts arrange transfers by speedboat (nearby atolls), seaplane (daylight only) or domestic flight plus boat. Guesthouse islands are reached by public ferry, shared speedboat or domestic flight. Seaplanes do not fly at night, so late arrivals to distant resorts may need a night in Malé or Hulhumalé. Book transfers together with your accommodation and check the exact transfer cost, which can be substantial.

The Maldives covers two very different budgets. Resort stays are expensive because accommodation, meals and transfers are all bought from one operator, and taxes and service charges are added on top. Guesthouses on local islands are far cheaper, with meals in local cafés and shared excursions. Whichever you choose, ask for prices including taxes, service charge and transfers before booking, and use the Trip Budget Calculator to compare options.

Resorts are their own world, but local islands follow Islamic custom. Outside designated "bikini beaches", cover shoulders and knees, and dress modestly in villages and shops. Alcohol is not sold on inhabited local islands; it is available only at resorts and on licensed liveaboard boats. Friday is the main prayer day and some businesses close around midday prayers. Ask before photographing people, and take your rubbish with you: waste disposal is a real problem on small islands.

Maldivian cooking is built on tuna, coconut, chilli and starch. Try mas huni (shredded tuna with coconut and onion, eaten with flatbread for breakfast), garudhiya (clear fish broth served with rice, lime and chilli) and hedhikaa, the small savoury snacks served in local cafés in the afternoon. Resorts serve international menus; local islands are the place for genuinely Maldivian food at local prices.

The Maldives is generally considered safe for visitors, and most problems are about the sea: strong currents in channels, sunburn and coral cuts. Snorkel with a buddy, follow resort or dive-centre briefings and avoid swimming in channels between islands. Political demonstrations occasionally take place in Malé. The Maldives is a Muslim country: importing alcohol, pork products and religious material for non-Muslim worship is restricted, and laws apply on local islands even if resorts feel separate.