Maldives, Maldives
Overwater villas on private atolls, manta rays and whale sharks. Dry season November to April.
Best time to visit
Weather by month
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28° | 26° | 89 mm | prime |
| Feb | 28° | 27° | 52 mm | prime |
| Mar | 28° | 27° | 63 mm | prime |
| Apr | 29° | 27° | 124 mm | prime |
| May | 29° | 27° | 216 mm | |
| Jun | 29° | 27° | 96 mm | |
| Jul | 28° | 27° | 131 mm | |
| Aug | 28° | 27° | 144 mm | |
| Sep | 28° | 26° | 177 mm | |
| Oct | 28° | 26° | 199 mm | |
| Nov | 28° | 26° | 231 mm | prime |
| Dec | 28° | 26° | 199 mm | prime |
30-year averages (1995–2024) from ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo. Rain is the monthly total.
Cost
Serves travellers at Budget→Ultra-luxury level. Typically around $600 a day on the ground.
Ranges are typical costs, not quotes. Check the real price before you book.
What's on
Independence Day July
Parades in Malé
Worth knowing
Resorts bill everything to the room and settle by card; dollars are accepted and prices are often quoted in them. On local islands carry rufiyaa for shops and small guesthouses.
money · editorial
Local islands are conservative Muslim communities: alcohol is not sold, and swimwear belongs only on the marked bikini beach. Resort islands operate under different rules entirely, which is why they are separate islands.
know before · editorial
The wet monsoon runs roughly May to October, with June the wettest and windiest. Rain comes in bursts rather than all day, but the sea gets choppy and seaplane transfers are more often delayed.
when not to go · editorial
The real choice is a resort island, which is one property and nothing else, or a guesthouse on an inhabited local island such as Maafushi, Thulusdhoo or Dhigurah, which is a village with shops and neighbours. North and South Male atolls are the shortest transfers; Baa and Ari atolls are further and better for mantas and sharks.
where to stay · editorial
You do not. One island is the day. Public ferries connect the inhabited islands cheaply but run slowly and not every day, and resorts are private islands with no way off except the boat they send.
getting around · editorial
Everything arrives at Velana International, next to Male. From there it is a speedboat or a seaplane to your island, from twenty minutes to over an hour. Seaplanes only fly in daylight, so a late arrival can mean an unplanned night near the airport.
getting there · editorial
Quests
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Malé fish market
Tuna landed on the quay and cleaned in front of you, in the afternoon.
Hukuru Miskiy
A carved coral mosque from 1658, with cut tombstones in the courtyard.
Maafushi
A local island, with houses, a school and rules about dress. The other Maldives.
Hulhumalé
An island built from nothing with pumped sand, to make room for people.
The artificial beach in Malé
Where the capital goes to swim, everyone fully dressed.
A channel reef
Where the current runs into the atoll and brings everything with it.
See
Dive with manta rays
Eat
Eat mas huni for breakfast, with roshi
Mas huni for breakfast
Shredded tuna with grated coconut, onion and lime, with roshi bread.
Garudhiya
A clear tuna broth with rice, lime and chilli. The everyday dish.
Afternoon hedhikaa
Fish snacks served between three and five, with black tea.
Moment
Swim at night, when the plankton lights the water
Bioluminescent plankton on the sand
It happens on some nights, on some islands. Nobody can promise it.
A manta ray passing overhead
From May to November they gather to feed on plankton in the western atolls.
Water
A scuba dive in a channel
Strong current, a reef hook, and sharks passing off to the side.