Booking

Passport & Visas

Arrival at Male airport, Customs and Immigration: No prior visa arrangements are required. Tourists are issued a 30-day visa on arrival. A passport valid for 6 months and travel documents (flight tickets) are necessary. You will need to present a landing card which should be distributed by the crew of your flight. Alternatively you can find cards immediately before the immigration booths. To obtain immigration clearance it is a requirement to indicate on the landing card an address or provide proof that you have a booking at a resort, guest house or safari boat.

Importing goods such as alcohol, pork items, pornography (very broadly defined), religious materials offensive to Islam, idols of worship, narcotics and psychotropic substances, explosives and weapons into the Maldives is strictly forbidden. Alcohol and pork products under a special license are available in resort islands. On the way out, note that exporting sand, turtle shells, seashells and a range of marine products is also forbidden.

All baggage including hand baggage is screened as part of the custom’s process before you leave the airports baggage collection area.

Clothing

Visiting the Maldives is the chance for you to break out the brightly coloured summer clothes that are so often out of place in colder climates. The higher temperatures and ever-present sunshine means that locals and visitors alike prefer dressing in lightweight materials. T-shirts, cotton clothing, skirts and shorts would be the best option to stay cool. The ideal footwear would be sandals and flip-flops. Whether to pack only the more casual options like shorts and khakis or the newest Gucci number depends on what you plan to do, or where you plan to stay. Casual clothing is fine on the local islands and in guesthouses, smart casual clothing is usually enough for Male’ or resorts, but the more up-market resorts may require that you dress up for dinner. Sunscreen, insect repellent, and hats are all necessary for a comfortable holiday, but they are available widely for purchase in resorts and around Male’.

The Maldives is a Muslim country and care needs to be taken in relation to the dress code on local islands. Whilst it is acceptable for men to wear T Shirts and shorts or swim shorts; females should avoid causing offence by maintaining a more conservative approach to clothes by wearing T Shirts, loose shorts or sarongs. Whilst the islands we visit are more tolerant of guests wearing traditional beachwear, females should avoid wearing bikinis and swimwear unless on an Bikini Beach on the island, picnic island, sandbank, screened off , dive boat or resort island. Whilst the law restricts the wearing of bikinis on local islands, Baa Maalhos guesthouses do provide a private sunbathing area on the beach, our local rep will advise when and where this is possible. It is common practice by both locals and visitors for females to swim from local beaches wearing a t-shirt and shorts. When visiting the home of a local family or during the island tours where we may have access to mosques and family homes, shoulders and thighs should be covered out of respect of local customs.

Weather

With a tropical climate, plenty of sunshine and temperatures around 30°C throughout the year, there is never a bad time to visit the Maldives. Maldives has two distinct seasons; dry season (northeast monsoon) and wet season (southwest monsoon), with the former extending from January to March and the latter from mid-May to November. The rare thunderstorm in the Maldives (especially around the southwest monsoon months) can be a welcome respite from the sun. Cloudy skies and slate grey seas, and crashing thunder makes for lovely reading weather. The warm temperatures will allow you to go for a walk in the rain, a verdant, wet, thoroughly enjoyable experience. For extra exhilaration, take a swim in the rain – the sea will be extra warm.

Note as the Maldives is situated so close to the equator it is possible to burn even on a cloudy day and sun screen should be applied as a matter of course

Food And Drink

Maldivians, as Muslims, are prohibited by law from consuming alcohol; hence there is a total restriction on alcohol being available on inhabited local islands, this includes the capital Male. Alcohol is available at Hulhule Island Hotel which is located at the airport. All tourist resorts, safari yachts and hotels stock alcohol for guest consumption. Traditional beverages include “toddy” – aged coconut sap and plain coconut sap. Please don’t bring alcohol through the airport as it will be confiscated.

The traditional food of the Maldivians is based around fish, (tuna to be more specific), chilli and coconuts. White rice and “roshi” (a flour based flat-bread) are staple items. Fish is normally smoked, fired, barbequed or roasted. Pork products are strictly prohibited. When eating on local islands it is worth noting that Maldivians traditionally eat with their fingers and therefore food is not always served ‘piping hot’. Tap water is perfectly safe for brushing teeth however, we advise to drink bottled or boiled water. All food on local islands is halal.

Trading Hours

Like everything in Maldives, Government and business is pretty laid back with business hours commencing from 7.30am to 2.30pm. It is important to know that the Maldives follows business week from Sunday to Thursday, with most places closed on a Friday. The shops in the Maldives open at different times in the morning but usually before 9.00 A.M. The shops close for prayer times for an interval of 15 minutes. The latest time for the shops to close business is 11.00 P.M.

Voltage

Most sockets are three pronged (British style)and 220 volts. Adaptors are available in most airport shops if you don’t have one. All electrical devices running on 110/120 V must have power converters / step-up transformers. All hotel rooms have electrical sockets where you can re-charge cameras, phones etc.

Language

Dhivehi is the main language spoken in Maldives. The language is widely used for conversing with people. Since, it involves the use of many English, Hindi and Arabic words; it seems to resemble various languages spoken in Sri Lanka, South East Asia and North India. Read on to know more about the common languages of Maldives.

Other languages spoken in Maldives include English, which is also recognized as the second main language.

What To Bring With You

The Maldives is a place where you don’t require much in order to be comfortable. It is tropical, sunny and very relaxed, so you only really need to bring a few essentials:

1. Valid Passport – with at least 6 months left before expiry.

2. Light weight, casual, non-synthetic clothing (cottons and natural fibres are best) which appropriately cover the body, when in company of the local communities. (Please understand local customs and religious requirements relating to dress codes. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it needs to be respectful)

3. Cool footwear (sandals are best). If you are interested in exploring the reefs, a pair of reef shoes is recommended to avoid injuries.

4. Swimming costumes – rash/t-shirts are recommended for snorkelling to avoid sunburn.

5. Sunscreens, after sun lotions and personal hygiene products – Please adhere to 100ml restrictions for anything you wish to carry on hand-luggage on flights.

6. Insect repellent.

7. Prescription medications (if required) – please bring supporting documents.

8. Power adapter for phones, laptops etc – The Maldives uses mostly UK style sockets.

9. Underwater camera – The Maldives below sea level is worth a few photos.

10. Sunglasses and hats

11. Dive certification card and log book if you intend to participate in SCUBA diving.

What makes a guest house stay special?

Locations within Maldivian island communities grant the opportunity to interact and experience the culture of an intriguing nation. From local crafts and music to day-to-day island life, like fishing and boat building, you’ll feel like you’ve landed somewhere special – not in just another typical resort. Rather than be segregated on privately owned resort islands, with artificial environments and limited contact with people in authentic situations, stay in a genuine local island guest house.