The Maldives islands are a popular destination for vacations, famous for their pristine beaches and turquoise waters. Due to its status in the tourism industry, several top-rated airlines offer flights to and from the country. At the same time, domestic transport has been heavily invested in for the travellers’ convenience.
water-water-sports-boot-ski-preview | img via Hippo px
Flights
The main international airport in the Maldives is the Male International Airport which is serviced by international airlines from Europe, Sri Lanka, the Middle East and several other regions. Charter flights from the UK, Germany, and Italy run direct flights from Europe: Sri Lankan Airlines from Heathrow and British Airways from Gatwick; and flights from their primary hub: Qatar Airways from Doha, Emirates from Dubai, Oman Airways from Muscat and Sri Lankan Airlines from Colombo.
From the Male International Airport, you can take a boat or a seaplane to reach your Maldives water villa. Resorts such as the Adaaran Select Meedhupparu are more or less than an hour and a half away from the airport, depending on the island you’re staying in. There are 17 regional airports spread out on the islands, with flights provided by FlyMe and Maldivian. If you’re travelling by domestic flight, request your resort to book one for you, as they are often able to get discounts.
Ferries
This is the ideal option when travelling on a budget, as they are quite cheap, ranging between $5 and $30 and travel to all the islands. Fair warning, however, ferry services are set to confusing timetables and can be quite unreliable. It is advisable to check with your hotel about the ferry times. Even then, if you’re planning on using ferries to frequently travel between islands, you will find yourself waiting for ages to catch a ferry.
Speedboats
Speedboats are the main mode of transportation when getting from the airport to your resort. These will be arranged with the hotel after you’ve made the booking. The price of a speedboat ride usually costs around between $100 to $400, but these are usually included in the vacation package you pick.
Buses
While bus rides are cheap and quite comfortable, they’re quite sporadic, only existing in Male and Addu City. The most useful bus route for visitors is the one between the Velana International Airport and Hulhumale.
