planning a trip to
Maldives
Here is what you need to know: Maldives Travel Guide
Maldives is one of the best destinations in Asia for all type of traveller. We spent 6-day there in 2024 and while we are beach people, we loved it!
The Maldives is a year-round destination and end of March we got a great weather, with a few shower in the morning or in the evening. But globally, we got lots of sun and nice skes.
We visited 2 local islands to be able to really experience the Maldives. And we must say that the island of Dhigurah gave us everything we wanted.
About
The Maldives officially the Republic of Maldives, historically known as Maldive Islands, is a country and archipelagic state in South Asia in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India.
The Maldives is made of 26 atolls and almost 1200 islands. The Maldives is the smallest country in Asia. Including the sea, the territory spans roughly 90,000 square kilometres (35,000 sq mi), and a land area of 298 square kilometres (115 sq mi).
The Maldives is one of the world’s most geographically dispersed sovereign states, and the smallest Muslim-majority country by land area. With a population of 515,132, it is the 2nd least populous country in Asia and the ninth-smallest country in the world by area.
The red rectangle represents the blood of the nation’s heroes, and their willingness to sacrifice their every drop of blood in defense of their country. The green rectangle in the center symbolizes peace and prosperity. The white crescent moon symbolizes the Islamic faith of the state and authorities.
Maldives is Slowly Sinking. The 1,200 islands in the Maldives are only nearly 2m above sea level on average, making the Maldives the World’s flattest country and make the whole area more prone to rising sea levels, erosion, and other environmental factors. As a result, the country is slowly sinking into the ocean. Thankfully, Maldives has strict environmental laws in place to minimize the impact.
Maldives is a renowned diving destination and for good reason. You’ll find the magestic whale sharks in the area, especially around the island of Dhigurah. One of the reasons for that is that the Maldives has the biggest Whale shark population in the World
The coconut tree is the national tree of Maldives. Coconut trees have various purposes: the trees provide much-needed shade to the islands’ winding beaches and produce coconut milk and oil. They also produce coconut water, a refreshing drink. The coconut fibers are useful for coir rope construction, and native Maldives citizens use coconut wood to build dhonis for sailing.
What to expect?
Language: Dhivehi or Maldivian, an Indo-Aryan language closely related to the Sinhala language of Sri Lanka. Everyone there spoke great English, so English is enough to get you around and even have real conversation there.
Food: Maldivian cuisine, also called Dhivehi cuisine, is the cuisine of the Republic of Maldives. The traditional cuisine of Maldivians is based on three main items and their derivatives: coconuts, fish, and starches. There are great vegetarian options there.
Transportation: The best way to move around the Maldivian islands is by speedboat. There are also planes and sea planes bit the speedboat still is the most common way as well as the cheapest.
Money: The currency in Maldives is the Maldivian Rufiyaa. Rates changes, but at the time we were there 1€ was worth 16.5 Rufiyaa. Most places accept credit card and a few ATM can be found around. We mostly paid by credit card there.
Plugs: The plugs in Vietnam are type D. The standard voltage is 220V with a frequency of 50hz. However there always was at least one plug adapter in the hotel.
Safety: Maldives is a pretty safe country for all type of travelers. he worst-case scenario that could occur in these resorts is petty theft from hotel rooms or the beach—but that’s the kind of thing that may happen anywhere you go.