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Reaching the Maldives
Once a country missed by many cartographers,
the Maldives today is well known as a
tropical dream destination. Hence, many
of the major airlines fly to the Maldives,
some even daily. In addition, many companies
offer regular charter flights. More than
1/2 million tourists visited the Maldives
in 2003 and most of them arrived by air.
If you wish to have a good deal, it is
best to check with a travel agent or an
airline.
The Maldives is an island nation and there
is no prospect of arriving here by land.
However, if you have your own boat, the
waters of Maldives are welcome for you.
You may experience the bewitching sight
on the horizon that has attracted many
a visitor for hundreds of years. Similarly,
you may be tempted by the comfort and
the degree of local hospitality that so
many shipwrecked sailors found attractive,
hundreds of years ago. We hope that your
arrival shall be more smooth with GPS
and high-tech navigation instruments with
you and the Maldives being marked on your
map.
Entry & Customs,
Maldives
Visa is not a requirement for tourists.
A 30-day visa is provided upon arrival.
If a visitor intends to extend his/her
stay, proper documentation should be obtained
from the concerned government authorities.
A valid passport is needed for arrival.
An airport tax of US$ 12 is needed on
departure. A passenger can use most popular
international currencies to pay this tax.
After immigration clearance, Customs
will inspect your baggage. It is advisable
for you to declare any audio-visual material
with you. Maldivian law prohibits the
import of alcoholic beverages, narcotics,
pornographic materials, weapons, ammunition,
explosives and idols of worship. It is
also prohibited to export turtle shells,
black coral and other protected species
and products made out of such species.
If you have made reservations for your
stay at a resort or a liveaboard, you
may find the agents as you step out of
the arrival terminal. If not, you might
be able to locate them at the counters
representing the travel agents. Independent
travellers may also find assistance from
the travel agents. There is also an information
counter at the airport operated by Air
Maldives Ltd.
Climate in the
Maldives
The climate is influenced by the monsoon
winds blowing across the Indian Ocean.
The monsoon type brings two major climatic
variations to the Maldives. The South-west
monsoon extends from May to October and
brings more rain accompanied by wind.
The North-east monsoon extends from November
to April and is drier and brings less
wind.
Being an equatorial country, the Maldives
has abundant sunshine and an average temperature
of 28 degrees Celsius. Convection air
currents bring huge downpours occasionally.
The relative humidity ranges from 73%
to 85%.
Language
Dhivehi, the unique language of the Maldives
has traits of South Indian languages,
Arabic and Persian. The language must
have originated from the first settlers
of the Maldives and evolved over time
with the influence of different visitors
who frequented the Maldives. The script
thaana is written from right to the left.
Even though Dhivehi is the official language,
English is widely spoken and is used intensively
in business and government sector. With
its deep-rooted Islamic traditions, Arabic
is also a familiar language to the majority
while not many are fluent in it. Some
Maldivians working in the tourism sector
converse in other languages such as Italian,
German and Japanese.
Currency in the
Maldives
The Maldivian Rufiyaa is the official
currency of the Maldives. The current
exchange rate is US$1 = MRF 12.85 and
€1 = MRF 15.00. One Rufiyaa could
be divided into a hundred smaller units
known as Laari, the local version of cents.
The Rufiyaa comes in eight different denominations
of Five Hundred, One Hundred, Fifty, Twenty,
Ten, Five, Two and One. The denomination
of One Rufiyaa comes in the form of coins,
while for Two Rufiyaa denominations both
notes and coins are used and the rest
comes in notes. The Laari comes in denominations
of fifty, twenty-five, ten, five, two
and one.
The US Dollar is the most popular foreign
currency. However, other international
currencies can also be exchanged at the
banks and authorised money changers. The
commonly used credit cards are MasterCard,
Visa, American Express, Diners Club, JCB
and Eurocard. Travellers cheques are accepted
by most hotels, resorts and banks.
Dress
The Maldives is an Islamic Country and
nudity is strictly prohibited. Tourists
are requested to wear clothes that cover
thighs and upper body while visiting inhabited
islands. Beachwear and swimsuits are allowed
in the resort islands.
Light cotton dresses are recommended
to suit the humidity and the equatorial
temperatures. Transport in the
Maldives
The Maldives being an island nation, water
transport is the most popular mode. Dhoani,
the locally made wooden boats are primarily
used for transport. Speedboats are also
used to cater for the tourism industry.
Speedboats can be hired as well.
Male' International Airport at the island
of Hulhulé is the hub for international
air traffic. From the airport, tourists
are transferred to the resorts in dhoani,
speedboats and seaplanes.
If a visitor arrives with a booking at
a resort, the representatives of the travel
agents or the resort will cater to the
transport between the airport and the
resort. The national airline Air Maldives,
operates domestic flights to the other
four regional airports in the Maldives.
Malé and some other islands offer
taxi services. The taxis have a fixed
fee and the normal fare for a taxi in
Malé is MRF 15. Most islands are
small enough for a brisk walk to cover
the island.
Telecommunications
in the Maldives
The telecommunications services are provided
by Dhivehi Raajjeyge Gulhun Pvt. Ltd,
or Dhiraagu, a joint-venture between the
government of the Maldives and Cable &
Wireless PLC of United Kingdom. Dhiraagu
remained the sole provider of telecommunication
in the Maldives till recenlty.
Wataniya Telecom Maldives (also refered
to as Wataniya Maldives), a sister company
of Wataniya Telecom International, is
the second mobile operator in the Maldives.
Currently they are providing GSM services
to Malé and nearby islands, with
other value-added services. The company
has vowed to cover the entire country
in the nearby future.
International Direct Dialling, telephone,
telex, telegram, facsimile and Internet
services are available. A mobile phone
network is accessible within Male' and
atolls. Card phones are set up in most
of the islands. In addition, Dhiraagu
provides a paging service, maritime radio
service and telephone and telex Immarset
services to ships and oilrigs. Cyber Cafés
are set up in Male' and in other atolls.
Accommodation
in the Maldives
In the Maldives, a visitor can find different
types of accommodation to suit his or
her needs. The resorts of the Maldives
are located in self-contained islands
and offer wide choice of rooms. Even though
there is no official star rating given
to the resorts, there are resorts providing
facilities and services equivalent to
levels ranging from two-star to five-star.
There are 87 resorts for you to choose
your dream island.
For a different experience, the Maldives
offers the opportunity to spend your holidays
in liveaboards. These vessels are specially
designed to accommodate tourists on board
and provide diving, cruising and other
activities. The liveaboards vary in the
size and facilities provided onboard.
Some may have merely six beds while others
can accommodate over hundred people. There
are more than 100 vessels to choose from.
In the capital city of Malé, the
only inhabited island permitted to accommodate
tourists, there are hotels and guest houses
catering to different tastes. Hotels provide
bed and breakfast and usually have restaurants
in which you can have your choice of delicacies.
Other amenities of city hotels are also
included. The guesthouses are more limited
in the facilities provided. The facilities
offered in the guesthouses also differ
from place to place. Some provide only
accommodation while few provide food.
Some places have air conditioned rooms
while others are fan cooled. It is wise
to check the facilities of the place before
checking in.
Food in the Maldives
The resorts offer diverse international
cuisine including oriental, Middle Eastern,
Indian and continental ones. Most resorts
have more than one restaurant to cater
the needs. For light snacks and refreshments
the coffee shops in the resorts are ideal.
Generally the liveaboards feature set
menus while some may have restaurants
that offer ample choice.
The hotels and restaurants in Malé
serve the customers with western and eastern
specialities. Few of the guesthouses offer
food. The cafés in Malé
(locally known as hotaa) is an ideal place
to experience local tastes. Maldivian
food is spicy but milder than the food
found in some neighbouring countries.
Sweet, sour, hot and spicy food is found.
Hedhikaa is the short eats popular in
many cafés. Hot and spicy savouries
are made of smoked fish, grated coconut,
lime juice, onion and chilli. They include
bajiyaa (pastry stuffed with fish), kulhi
boakibaa (fishcake), keemia (fish rolls)
and gulha (fishballs) and masroshi (small
pancake stuffed with fish). The sweet
items are made from flour, sugar, and
essence. They include foniboakiba (cake
made of flour), githeyo boakiba (made
of flour, onions, and butter), and huni
hakuru folhi (made of grated coconut,
sugar and flour). A cup of black tea (kalhu
sai) is the usual option to wash down
the short eats.
The local cafés and restaurants
are usually open till 1.00 A.M. The opening
hours in the morning differ with some
cafés opening at even 5.00 A.M.
A traditional meal consists of rice and
garudhiya (fish soup), with fish, chilli,
lemon and onion. Curries are also used
instead of garudhiya. Fish paste known
as rihaakuru is also a fine side dish.
Alternately, roshi (chapati) and mas huni
(made of grated coconut, fish, lemon and
onions) are a popular dish. Fried yams
are also widely eaten. Sweet dishes include
custard, bodibaiy (rice mixed with sugar)
and fruits such as bananas, mangoes and
papayas. Watermelons are a favourite during
the fasting month of Ramazan.
Traditional dishes can still be found
in the local islands during Eid, Maloodh,
and other festivals and occasions such
as christening of a child, marking the
anniversary of a death. The traditional
dishes are now less common in the Maldives
as western items like bread, sandwiches,
margarine, jam, noodles and pasta are
introduced. Most of the resorts have special
nights called Maldivian Night serving
traditional local foods.
Alcoholic beverages and Pork are prohibited
by Law and only found in tourist resorts
and liveaboards for tourist consumption.
Shopping in the
Maldives
Malé is the commercial hub of the
Maldives in addition to being the capital
city. Varieties of consumer goods are
imported to Maldives and are sold in Malé.
Electronic items, beauty products, perfumes,
chocolates and cosmetics are available
from shops in different parts of Malé.
Garments are mainly found in shops in
Majeedhee Magu and Chandhanee Magu, two
well-known streets of Malé. Garments
are mainly imported from Thailand, Singapore,
Indonesia and Dubai. The shopping area
of Chandhanee Magu is known as Singapore
Baazaar, named after the shops that used
to be there, with products imported from
Singapore in 1960s and 1970s. Today, the
area is flooded with souvenir shops. Nevertheless,
one can still find varieties of other
products in this area.
Most of the souvenir shops are located
in the area of Chandhanee Magu, Orchid
Magu, Fareedhee Magu and Faamudheyri Magu.
The shops offer diverse items, both imported
and locally produced. Lacquer works, locally
woven mats from dried coconut leaves and
reeds, wooden fishes, T-shirts, sarongs,
caps, scarves, bracelets, rings, necklaces,
shells, models of local vessels (dhoani)
made out of wood and oyster shells, postcards,
books on Maldives, and maps are some of
the items available. Not all these items
are produced in Maldives. Some of them
are imported from Dubai, India and Indonesia.
It is better to visit some shops and
compare the prices before purchasing anything.
You may find a lot of people trying to
persuade you to visit a certain shop and
it is in your best interest that you should
be independent in your decisions.
The duty free shops in Malé International
Airport offers you a variety of commodities
including from electronic items, liqueur,
chocolates, jewellery, souvenirs, stationary,
perfumes, and toys.
In each resort, you will find a shop
catering for in-house guests. Items like
cosmetics sun protection and tanning products,
sarongs, shorts, swim wear are found.
In many local islands in the tourism
zone, souvenir shops have flourished.
They also provide diverse range of souvenirs
for the tourists who might visit the islands
on excursions. Himmafushi, Maafushi, Huuraa,
and Guraidhoo of Malé Atoll are
famous for its souvenir shops. Rasdhoo,
Mahibadhoo and Dhagethi in Ari Atoll are
also well known.
The shops in the Maldives open at different
times in the morning but usually before
9.00 A.M. The shops closes for prayer
times for an interval of 15 minutes. The
latest time for the shops to close business
is 11.00 p.m.
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