Maldives FAQs
Practically all visitors arrive at Malé International Airport (IATA: MLE, ICAO: VRMM), located on Hulhulé Island right next to the capital Male. The airport is served by a wide array of flights to India, Sri Lanka, Dubai and major airports in South-East Asia, as well as an increasing number of charters from Europe. Many flights stop in Colombo (Sri Lanka) on the way.
Gan Airport (IATA: GAN, ICAO: VRMG), on the southern atoll of Addu, is scheduled to start receiving international flights in November 2007.
Departure taxes are included in your ticket.
The Maldives have a remarkably easy visa policy: everybody gets a free 30-day visa on arrival, provided that they have a valid travel document, a ticket out and proof of sufficient funds, defined as either a confirmed reservation in any resort or US$100 + $50/day in cash. This can be extended up to 90 days at Male, but you'll need to indicate where you're staying for that long. See the Department of Immigration and Emigration website for details.
Sunglasses, sun lotions, hat and light cotton clothes.
The Maldives are tropical, with plenty of sunshine and temperatures around 30°C throughout the year. However, rainfall increases considerably during the April-October southwest monsoon, particularly from June to August.
Generally speaking, the period from October to April is the best timing.
There are no serious problems with diseases in the Maldives. Beware that tap water may not be drinkable at all resorts: enquire locally. The Maldives are malaria-free, but some islands do have mosquitoes and catching dengue fever from them is possible, albeit highly unlikely. Most of the problems come from diving or sun related injuries. Heat stroke always cause problems in the tropics but couple that with divers spending hours at a time on a boat wearing a wetsuit and overheating of one form or another is a real issue. As long as you know this, drink lots of water, and get into the shade as much as possible it is easy to avoid.
You will find Maldivesan people very kind and friendly, you can feel free to talk with them. Do not go around photographing the people, ask first, show some respect. Buy some local products and encourage them, they are cheaper. Don't talk the sensitive topics like the political and the religion things!
- Do not photo them without permission, please show respect to them !
- Do not talk about the sensitive topics like political or t religious matters!
Tipping is expected in Maldives.
It is always good to ask permission first. Maldivesans are very friendly. However, it might arouse the upset feelings of local Maldivesans by photo-taking without asking the permission first.
The following phone calls can be directly made from any other telephones in Maldives once the emergency happens.
- Police emergency: 999
- Medical emergency: 999