Writer’s Note– With the pandemic creating a havoc all around the world staying at home is the most important safety protocol to be followed. However, if you are fully vaccinated or still want to travel to Maldives, here’s the post for you. Please be advised that the post is updated regularly keeping the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Tourism of Maldives in mind. But, do check the latest guidelines on the official site of Maldives before you go ahead with your planning.
The Complete Family Travel Guide To Maldives ~ During Covid -19
Maldives was the second country (the first being UAE) to open its doors to Indian travellers once the world started unlocking. Very soon social media was full of celebrity pics posing in the clear azure waters of Maldives. Indian travellers were ecstatic! Very rightly so, as the beauty of this place is unparalleled and the travel restrictions imposed by Maldives hardly served as a deterrent to the travel deprived tourists like us. So, we too jumped the bandwagon and planned a trip to this most sought after destination. However, we did have our reservations about travelling with kids and elders during the pandemic. If you are hesitant too and want to know what expect, continue reading The Complete Family Travel Guide To Maldives ~ During Covid -19.
Covid – 19 Guidelines
Maldives reopened its borders for tourists on 15/7/2020. But for South Asian countries it had closed down again in May 2021. From 15/7/2021 the doors are finally opened for Indians again. Like all countries Maldives also has a set of guidelines to be followed. The travellers have to adhere to the rules and restrictions imposed by them and mind you the list of regulations is a long one!
Key Points:
- A Negative RT-PCR test is mandatory even if fully vaccinated (taken 72 hours prior to travel)
- Tourists travelling from South Asia will be issued a 30 day visa on arrival from 15/7/2021
- Quarantine is not mandatory unless showing symptoms
- A health declaration form must be submitted prior to departure from Maldives
- The tourist has to take a PCR test 72 hours prior to their scheduled transfer from Maldives
What makes Maldives a must sought destination
Maldives, an archipelago of 1,120 islands is located to the southwest of India in the Indian Ocean. The 1,190 coral atolls are surrounded by pristine white sands and turquoise water. This makes it one of the most Instagram worthy beach destination. Out of all the islands only 200 islands are inhabited, 88 of which are resorts. So you get to stay on a private island resort isolated to the world, surrounded by breathtaking beauty. Sounds like a perfect safe haven during Covid-19, doesn’t it?
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Getting to Maldives
Visa
A free Visa on arrival is given to Indians at the Velana International airport in Male. Its valid for 30 days from the day of arrival. The pre requisites are:
- A passport that has more than 6 months validity,
- 2 passport size coloured photographs
- Confirmed return tickets
- Accommodation booking confirmations
- Traveller health declaration duly signed and submitted 24 hours before arrival
- A negative RTPCR report taken within 96 hours of arrival
Flights
Male is the Capital of Maldives. Its also the biggest island here. Velana International Airport, at present is the only airport in Maldives operating international flights. Its located on Hulhule Island, which is about 2.5 kms east of Male. Maldives is a most sought after tropical destination so its well connected to all major cities.
Airport Transfers
Male Airport is quite small with long queues at immigration counters. Once you clear immigration, major resorts have their kiosks who will guide you about transfers. Generally, resorts have their own boats for transfers. If not, there are also domestic flights, sea-planes and boats for travelling to other islands.
Currency
The official currency is Maldivian “Rufiyaa”, which is further divided into 100 “laari”. However, resort bills and sports activities are billed in Dollars so local currency is not required. Card payment is also widely accepted in all major resorts.
Sim Cards
Most resorts and hotels in Maldives offer free wi-fi so a sim card is not essential. However, if you still feel the need to be connected to the outside world then prepaid Sim Cards by Ooredoo and Diraagu are available at their counters in the airport itself. The rates are on a higher side compared to other south Asian countries, at about $30USD with 17GB data.
Things to do in Maldives
The 200 inhabited islands have a lot to offer. The resorts inhabit their own private island so mainly guests are limited to the luxury of these resorts. Every resort has its own activities desk where you can choose the activity according to your liking. The rates depend on rental equipment, level of instruction, transportation etc.
Beaches
Maldives is a haven of tranquility. The azure waters and white beaches are the main draw for any traveller. The beauty of the beaches is unparalleled especially during sunrise and sunset. Lazing in the beach sipping on cool drinks watching the sun down is what dreams are made off.
Spas
Also the resorts offer a plethora of spa services that help your tired soul unwind. Specialized treatments will make sure you have a relaxing and rejuvenating holiday.
Water Sports
Like any other beach destination Maldives also has a plethora of water sports and activities on offer including jet-ski and para gliding.
Scuba Diving and Snorkelling:
The atolls are a treasure trove of marine life so do not miss out on scuba diving and snorkelling. Maldive Victory – a shipwreck is a famous scuba diving site.
Seaplane Tour:
This is the best way to enjoy the scenic locales of Maldives from a birds eye view. When the plane is lower watch the powdery sand around luxury villas and colorful reefs and lagoons when the plane flies higher.
Laze Around in Your Own Private Pool
What’s more relaxing than to spend hours in your own private pool overlooking the ocean. Enjoy the mesmerizing sunsets from the pool with a drink in your hand.
Enjoy the Seafood and Maldivian Cuisine
If you are a sea food then this will be the place to indulge in. Fresh seafood is readily available and is the staple diet of the locals here along with coconut. Fish curry made in coconut with rice is our personal favorite. Local cuisine is very similar our very own coastal south Indian cuisine but its still a must try especially the Maldivian omelette.
Enjoy the Sunrises and Sunsets
Be prepared to get awed by the sunrise and sunset views in Maldives. The sun’s radiant face mirrored on the water casts a spell which makes the holiday even more magical.
Places To Stay in Maldives
Maldives surely classifies as a luxurious beach destination which is understandable as a nights stay in some of the resorts here can be heavy on the pocket. The prices of resorts are justified to some extent as the resorts are built on islands scattered away from the capital and logistics is definitely an issue. Accommodation expenses play a major role in the travel budget. Maldives has a variety of accommodation options that range from pocket friendly to over the top luxurious. The starting point in choosing a hotel is to make a travel budget and then choose the accommodation accordingly.
Maldives has two types of islands. Private ones are occupied by luxurious resorts and inaccessible to locals. Here you will find the over water villas. The public islands are where locals live. These islands have plenty of budget accommodations. The budget hotels, although wont provide drool worthy pics of water villas but they do make up for it in other places. The island hopping tours and water activities are way cheaper here than private island resorts. Beverages (especially alcoholic) are pricey so if you plan to indulge on your holiday its better to opt for an all-inclusive stay option.
Taj Exotica Maldives
We stayed at Taj Exotica Maldives which is spread across the lagoon on the Emboodhu Finolhu island. It takes a comfortable 20 minute boat ride from the airport to get here. The amenities and service is exactly what its name stands for. We stayed in the lagoon villa with pool and the experience will stay with us for a long time. The room had a plunge pool along with a ladder that takes you straight into the ocean. The room faces the vast expanse of Indian Ocean and the rising sun makes it a perfect alarm clock. The double vanity washroom and bathtub facing the ocean just adds to the magic. We had an incredible experience here and we would like to recommend this property.
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People and Culture of Maldives
It is believed that people from South India and Sri Lanka were the original inhabitants of these islands. With time travellers from all around the world settled and here making Maldives a melting pot of diverse cultures. The locals are friendly and soft spoken. “Divehi” is the native language and the main religion is Islam. The local food of Maldives is primarily fish and coconut based however the cuisine served at the resorts is of international standard. Swimwear is widely accepted across resort islands however, while visiting Male or any other inhabited islands its advisable to dress up conservatively.
Maldives Weather
The islands are located around the equator that guarantee warm tropical climate all year round. The warm water and cool oceanic breeze make you live the dreamy beach life. May to October are the rainy months. We visited the islands in March and were greeted with a steady shower on arrival. It kept raining lightly intermittently during our stay which increased the humidity levels. However, the rainbows that kept popping in the clear skies more than enough made up for it.
Best Time to Visit Maldives
Maldives boasts of a perfect tropical weather all year round. However, the dry period from November to April is the best time to visit. Tourists throng to the island nation this time of the year so expect jacked up rates for accommodations and activities both. Since the resorts are on their own private island there’s no issue of overcrowding. The wet rainy period apart from being deal friendly also has big swell and bigger waves so its a good time for surfing.
Travel Insurance
These are unprecedented times. After months of staying cooped up in the safe confines of our homes, we are finally travelling. So the last thing thing we want is an unfortunate hiccup. Be prepared and make sure you have Travel Insurance. It will take care of your lost baggage, overseas medical, evacuation and adventure sports.
Recommended: Everything you need to know about Travel Insurance
Book Your Stay
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It seems you had a fantastic fun-filled time at Maldives! Good to know that there are a lot of possibilities for water sports. I get bored at the beach easily. The seaplane tour looks like a unique experience.
We sure had a fun filled time at Maldives. Choices for water sports are aplenty if you are of the adventure kind.
I think Maldives is everyone’s favourite destination. The appeal, as you rightly say, is in the pristine locales. And since Maldives is an island nation, it just adds to the appeal. I haven’t been there as yet, maybe in the near future.
I love Maldives and I would visit it with a blink of an eye especially for the underwater. I visited Maldives a few years ago and all I did was scuba dive at different dive locations. There is so much to see and explore. I loved their resort style islands too.
Rightly said Maldives is everyone’s favourite destination. Do take a trip to Maldives you’ll surely love it!
Maldives is in my list since long. I was worried about covid guide but your article cleared all doubts. The pictures are perfect and the post is so insightful. Bookmarking this as my future ref.
We too had our apprehensions while travelling and we have to take our precautions. But Taj Exotica went out of the way to make sure all the safety protocols were followed.
We had only a short visit to the Maldives and have always wanted to go back. The beaches and clear waters would be the big draw for us. It would be cool to do a seaplane tour and see all the islands from the air. So much to do before those great sunsets slow us down.
The Maldives are fairy-tale islands that have been on my dream list for a long time. I’d like to see them sometime. A great and detailed guide with lots of practical tips. It’s good that you provided so much important information for a trip during the pandemic. It’s good to know which tests PCR should be done to visit the islands. It is impressive that this island paradise complex is made up of 1,120 islands and 1,190 coral atolls. I didn’t know there were only 200 islands inhabited. I would love to try scuba diving there. And I would like to take a seaplane tour. These turquoise water and islands must look fabulous from the plane.
Maldives sure is a magical place. Glad to know that you found our post helpful. Scuba diving is fun and a great adventure activity to see the amazing sea life and corals here.
This post brings back memories, beautiful ones! I do miss the crystal clear water, white sand beaches, and not too hot weather. It was everything that I could have hoped for in paradise. It’s unbelievable how different life can be when you are in an entirely new environment, especially, with this current situation.
I would definitely want to do some of the water sports there. It’s so gorgeous! So many places are now requiring Covid tests for those vaccinated. I can’t wait until it’s all over!
Yes. Many places need Covid test report. But I feel its all for our safety. So I do not mind it actually.
Maldives is one of the most favorite beach destinations. Loved my trip a few years back. The free visa on arrival made all the difference during Covid. This is a handy guide for people who are planning a trip to Maldives. Quite helpful post.