Maldives Tourism

Maldives is a canvas full of all the hues that make it a beautiful picture. Unparalleled luxury, stunning white-sand beaches and an amazing underwater world make Maldives an obvious choice for a true holiday of a lifetime. This beautiful country has so much magnificence in abundance that every sight here makes for a picturesque location. Maldives is an island straight out of a fairy tale that will happily take you in its warm embrace. Let’s sneak a closer look at this unbelievably wonderful country.

Beaches of Maldives Home to perhaps the best beaches in the world, Maldives houses nearly 1200 islands and all of them are so consistently perfect that it is hard not to fall in love with them. The major attraction about these beaches are its whiter than white powder sand and luminous cyan blue water. This fact alone attracts over a million people a year to this tiny, remote and otherwise little-known Indian Ocean paradise. Whether you want to dive in the waters or just sit by the beach, the beaches of Maldives make for a perfect romantic destination.

World Underwater The clear water of Maldives offer some of the best diving and snorkeling experience. Anyone with a love for marine life should definitely visit this heaven. Dazzling coral walls, magnificent caves and brightly coloured tropical fish; the exotic underwater life of Maldives is a marvel in itself. It’s a whole another world that awaits you when you get down to the reef. In deeper waters lurk manta rays, turtles, sharks and even the world’s largest fish, the whale shark. The water here is so warm many people don’t even wear a wetsuit.

Surfing in Maldives
Maldives is one of the best surfing destinations in the world. Cinnamon Dhonveli is a major crowd puller when it comes to surfing. Dhonveli is even a stop on the pro circuit. There are also many islands in Maldives that offer surfing lessons.

Amazing Resorts
Every Resort here in Maldives is its own private island. At the royal end, the world’s most exclusive hotel brands compete with each other to attain ever-greater heights of luxury, from personal butlers and private lap pools to in-room massages and pillow menus. But there’s also plenty of choice beyond the five- and six-star resorts.

Flora and Fauna
The flora and fauna of the islands comprises of the reefs, the surrounding ocean and the coral islands. Beautifully lined with coconut trees symbolizes the tropical vegetation of Maldives. Some of the plant species differs in the inhabited to that of the uninhabited islands. Due to the influence of humans, inhabited islands have small groves of banana, papaya, drumstick and citrus trees by the homesteads, while breadfruit trees and coconut palms are grown in available patches of land.

Due to its oceanic location, the birds here are mainly restricted to pelagic birds. Some of the birds are seasonal, such as the frigatebirds. There are also birds that dwell in marshes and island bush, like the grey heron and the moorhen. Most of the species are similar to Eurasian migratory birds, and very few can be associated with the Indian sub-continent.

There are very few land mammals in the Maldives. Cats, rats, and mice have been introduced by humans. In the ocean surrounding the islands there are whales and dolphins.

History, Art and Culture of Maldives The National Museum of Maldives preserves a large collection of historic artefacts that mirrors the history of Maldivian Islands. The major highlights of the museum are the 11th-century piece from Alifu Thoddoo, a coral stone head of Lord Buddha; a 13th century engraved wooden plank from Hukuru Miskiiy and Feyli Kolhu of Sultan Ghaazee Mohamed. The National Museum is a popular attraction visited by many art connoisseurs.

With an impressive structure, the white marbled Grand Friday Mosque of Maldives is a religious site. A proper dress code with full length clothes is mandatory. Inside, you can see main prayer hall that can accommodate up to 5000 worshippers; it also has an Islamic Centre that includes a classroom, conference hall and a library.

Fairs and Festivals Since the majority of people in Maldives are Muslim, Muslim Religious festivals show dominance among the Festivals of Maldives. Ramadan, Kuda Eid, Prophet's Birthday, Eid-ul-Al'h'aa are among the popular festivals of Maldives. Republic Day of Maldives is also another major festival celebrated here. Every event, be it national occasion or regional festival, is celebrated with enthusiasm here. The festivals here are celebrated in accordance with the lunar calendar.

Shopping in Maldives Maldives may not be a shopping heaven, but it is definitely a great place to buy souvenirs as a reminder of this beautiful trip. Male Local Market is one of the most popular street markets in Maldives. There are numerous stalls here selling local handicrafts, mementos, and gift items.

Majeedhee Magu is another sprawling street market of Maldives. From garments, accessories to electronic goods, everything is readily available.

Le Cute is a duty free beauty shop for all the make-up lovers. If you are fond of beauty products, especially perfumes, this place is a must visit for you. The store deals with cosmetics, toiletries, health care products and herbal products.

Climatic Condition The climate of Maldives is tropical with plenty of sunshine. The temperature is around 30 degree Celsius throughout the year. Although the humidity is relatively high here, the regular breeze keeps the air moving. The seasons that dominated the Maldives’ weather are the dry season which is the northeast monsoon and the rainy season or southwest monsoon from April October, with rainfall increasing particularly from June to August.

How to Reach MLE (Male International Airport) is the main airport of Maldives that connects all the major countries in South-East Asia including India, China and Sri Lanka.

There are many direct flights flying from Dubai. Also, chartered flights coming from Europe, China and Singapore are also available.