How To Reach Maldives

Maldives is a very popular holiday destination. It is an island nation, with many inhabited as well as uninhabited islands. Much of the tourist activity centers around water sports. The nation is full of beautiful landscapes and lush green islands. The blue waters here are really inviting and full of marine life. Since Maldives is a group of islands, the connectivity is only via air and boat.

Here’s a detailed account of how you can reach Maldives without hassle.

Being a country of many islands, you can reach Maldives only by air, although you might also try a few private cruise liners. Maldives has a comparatively lenient visa policy offering a 30-day visa on arrival to everyone. You can choose to extend your visa for a period of 90 days but you will have to provide proof of sufficient funds and travel documents. 

There is no railway connectivity to Maldives. Neither is it possible to get too far by the road in this Island nation. 

Male International Airport, also known as the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport, is the main airport of Maldives, which connects it to all major countries in South-East Asia, including India, China, and Sri Lanka. There are also direct and chartered flights coming in from Europe, China, Dubai and Singapore. The airport is located on Hulhule Island, just 3.5 km away from Male. It is the only international airport of Maldives.

If you are traveling from India, direct flights are available from Kochi and Bangalore. For International travelers, there are a magnitude of options including British Airways, Spice Jet, Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, etc. which fly to Maldives daily. From Male, you can easily get to any end of these cluster of Islands using the various available means - Domestic flights, speed launches and ferry boat services or even seaplanes.

Do remember that importing alcohol, pork or pornographic material into the Maldives is forbidden. Your luggage will be screened specifically for these items. And on the way out, you cannot take sand, seashells or corals with you. 

Within Maldives, sea planes are the fastest way of hopping from one island to another. However, they are expensive and operate only in the day time. You can take local boats, or Dhoni, as they are called. But do remember that these are charter boats and need be to be booked beforehand. You can also take charter launches, which can be hired from Male for a 10-hour journey. You can expect the rates to be quite expensive. If you are a budget traveler, you can do quite well with the public ferry that connects the inhabited islands. While moving around in Maldives for sightseeing, do check out the Presidential Palace, the National Museum, the Grand Friday Mosque, etc.