The Maldives is a coral archipelago of almost 1,200 islands located in the middle of the Indian Ocean, about 500 kilometers south of the Indian subcontinent. It is the pure picture of paradise. Who has not ever dreamed of relaxing in one of those stilt-style hotel cabins over transparent turquoise green waters and enviable blue skies surrounded by all kinds of luxuries?
Yes, the external face of the Maldives is like this, as seen in tourist brochures. But as always happens, one thing is what they sell us in travel agencies and another is reality, which is usually more multifaceted. That is why it is advisable to take certain aspects into account before organizing the trip. Clues like these:
How do I arrive?
Despite its apparent remoteness, the Maldives are not that far from Spain, or at least it can be said that they are very well connected. The best connections and most affordable prices are offered by the Gulf companies—Emirates, Qatar, Etihad—, with which in a couple of flights and 11 hours in total you are in paradise. Some combinations allow you to have breakfast in the Maldives and dinner at home without spending the night on a flight. Prices usually range between 600 and 800 euros in low season.
What is the best time to travel?
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The archipelago has two great seasons. He iruvai or dry monsoon runs from November to April. These are months in which it barely rains, sunny days are guaranteed and the temperature is cool, between 26 and 29 degrees. It’s high season, peaking in February, March and April, which would be the best months to travel there (and, of course, when the most people do so).
From May to the end of October comes the hulhang or wet monsoon. That is, the rains, with a peak in June and July, which are the two worst months to go to the Maldives; those that must be avoided at all costs because you can find yourself with three or four days in a row raining and without seeing the sun. August is not so bad and you can find many sunny days. Anyway, all this supposedly accurate science is being upended by climate change, which is making everything crazy. This April, when I was there, there were several days of rain and it was unbearably hot.
What can be done?
You go to the Maldives for two things above all. The first, to dive. The archipelago is one of the best destinations in the world for scuba diving and welcomes thousands of fans every year. For my work, I have dived in almost all seas, and I believe that, after the Galapagos, this is the place where I have ever seen the most and most diverse life under the sea. The second reason why you go is to rest and relax in those dream hotels that appear in tourist brochures.
Where do I stay?
- In the Maldives there are three ways to stay. The most photogenic, the most publicized and the most attractive is in those famous hotels made up of cabins on wooden pylons anchored in the shallow, warm waters of a coral atoll. They are called water-villas or hotel islands. Of course, if you’re stressed and dreaming of a place to unclog your cortisol levels, this is apparently the place to be. Now, these tourist islands are no bigger than a football field and there is only the hotel and its facilities: the cabins of more or less luxury and different prices, the restaurant, the bar, the beach, a diving center and activities. nautical… and little else. If you don’t dive, consider whether you’re capable of spending a whole week in a place like that, no matter how idyllic it may seem. I know people who on the third day wanted to cut their wrists or take a seaplane and go anywhere. The stay in these hotels is obviously combined with nautical activities, but these can entertain you for a couple of hours in the morning; the rest of the day you are in that luxury prison. I’m not saying it’s torture, there are many people who love to spend days and days lying in the sun and doing nothing. I only warn you, so that everyone can make their own decisions. The prices of these hotels differ greatly because there is a lot of offer and different seasons; In general they can cost between 500 and 2000 euros per night, which can go up to 5,000 in the case of those with several bedrooms. But it is easy to find discounts of up to 50% in low season.
- The second accommodation option is on an island with a local population. Half of the 200 inhabited islands are inhabited by local communities of Maldivians, descendants of waves of fishermen from Sri Lanka and India, who arrived as far back as the 5th century BC and of the Muslim religion. Until a few years ago, tourists were prohibited from staying on those islands; some could only be visited with a day trip. This has already changed: tourism represents more than 55% of the GDP of this small country, one of the least populated in Asia, and the Government did not resist opening new markets. On these local islands the accommodations are simpler, but with a certain charm. And they are not all necessarily guest house for backpackers. Their prices range between 50 and 70 dollars per person with full board, but obviously nothing comparable to that luxury. instagrammable of the water-villas. Advantages of staying on these islands: the price and the contact with the local population, which can be another incentive to fill those days of vacation in a fairly warm climate – not to say very very hot -, where at noon or you get under a shadow or you can’t even be on the beach. The Maldivians are the most friendly people and are delighted that tourists visit their islands and are interested in their culture. Islands like Dhangethi, where I stayed, south of Ari Atoll, have simple and very nice local restaurants on the seashore where you can go to dinner or have a Coca-Cola and watch wonderful sunsets. And I said a Coca-Cola not by chance. Another aspect to keep in mind if you stay on a local island is that there is no alcohol, not a beer, not a glass of wine. Maldivians strictly comply with the religious precepts of Islam; There are no alcoholic beverages in the entire country, except on the tourist islands, those of the stilt cabins. Another aspect to keep in mind is that on these local islands you have to maintain a certain composure in your clothing: you can go down the street in shorts, of course, but never without a shirt, including men. And to enjoy bathing in a swimsuit and bikini you have to go to what they call the beach bikini, sandy areas marked off especially for tourists. In the rest of the island you can swim, but without taking off your t-shirt or shorts. Beyond these two singularitieslife on a local island offers many more things of interest than on an aseptic island hotel.
![Aerial view of Dhangethi island (Maldives).](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/ADTBRVUQFFGWDDLILJ6DN74CHM.jpg?auth=813ab111d3b0d51c1b5cea2c8485717596c71bac613a84957639f9a1bfe27d6c&width=414)
- The third accommodation option is on a boat specialized in liveaboard diving. Diving is the main water activity you can do in the Maldives, the most popular and the one that has made this destination famous on the diving circuit. There are many companies that operate these specialized boats for divers where you live on board and do four to five dives a day. Prices usually range from $2,000 for one-week stays. The advantage over coastal diving centers is that the boat moves and in a single trip you can visit very varied immersion areas, from the shallow dives of Malé or Ari to the more intense ones in currents and ocean walls of the southern atolls.
The best atolls for diving
Although there are diving centers on all the tourist islands and in many local ones, the best atolls for diving are Ari and Vaavu, south of Malé, the capital. On all its islands and reefs there are simple, shallow dives with a great variety of marine life. Artificial islands are being built around Malé to accommodate more resorts luxury and this, from what several local instructors informed me, is causing the waters in that area to lose the clarity that characterizes the seabed of the Maldives.
![A diver in the waters of North Male Atoll, Maldives.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/JCKICHDCHNEK5HLRAB6WQAKZWE.jpg?auth=e2c7a16346f43bcf6f27793c9bef49bbd99b1325b8575ecd39f8c4a03f328ca8&width=414)
Atolls south of Ari, such as Addu, Vaadhoo and Fuvahmulah Island, offer more technical diving, with ocean walls and channels with strong currents and more challenging diving. There is less coral and small life, but they are perfect for seeing large pelagics, from giant manta rays to whale sharks and sharks of all types. Fuvahmulah is famous for encounters with large tiger sharks, although in reality they go there because they are fed.
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