Overwater villas and house reefs — and budget-friendly local islands for those who want the sea without the resort price.
🛂 Visa for Indian passport holders
Free visa on arrival
All visitors, including Indian passport holders, get a free visa on arrival with a return ticket and a confirmed booking. Submit the IMUGA traveller declaration online within 96 hours before arrival.
Checked 27 Sep 2026. Official source: IMUGA Traveller Declaration ↗
🗓️ When to go
November to April is the dry, sunny season; May to October brings more rain but lower prices and great manta season.
🚕 Getting around
Speedboats and seaplanes to resorts (arranged by the resort), and public ferries between local islands.
💡 Local tips
- Local islands such as Maafushi or Thulusdhoo have guesthouses at a fraction of resort prices.
- Alcohol is only served on resort islands and liveaboards, not on local islands.
- Cover shoulders and knees on local islands away from designated bikini beaches.
😅 What we wish we'd known
- Seaplane transfers only fly in daylight — late arrivals may need a night in Malé.
- Public ferries don't run on Fridays on many routes.
Places worth the detour
- Maldives Atolls — Overwater villas, house reefs you can snorkel from the beach, and manta and whale-shark encounters.
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