How to organize a tour to the Maldives on your own
Of all our wild trips, organizing a trip to the Maldives was the most difficult. In this post I will describe some of the points, thanks to which it will be easier for an independent tourist to organize his vacation.
In solving many issues, during the preparation, a girl with the nickname hamlena helped us a lot, for which we are eternally grateful to her.
Structure. The Maldives is made up of atolls, which in turn are made up of islands. In other words, an atoll is a group of islands.
Where to start organizing. First, we choose an island based on reviews. Then, on the MTCC website, we check the schedules of local ferries to and from the island. We write off with the hotel and clarify the possibilities and prices of transfers on speedboats. After that, we buy air tickets for dates that coincide with the ferries or how you plan to get there.
Trip duration.
There is nothing to do in the Maldives for two weeks, unless of course you are on a honeymoon trip and rarely get out of bed. It is ideal to plan one day - one island, with an overnight stay on a local island. A week is enough.
The airport. Male Airport is located on a separate island, from which ferries run every 15-30 minutes to Male and a couple of other islands. The cost of such a ferry is about $ 1 per person. Such ferries run even on Fridays in both directions.
Male. There is nothing to do on the island, plan your route so that you stay there for no more than three hours or for an overnight stay. Otherwise, you'll be wasting your time. In our case, for an overnight stay, it was just right. If Male is not included in your excursion plan, you do not need to take an excursion on it. A taxi in Male costs an average of $1.5
Ferries. City ferries are cheap $1-10 per trip, but run on different days in different directions. Fridays are mostly days off.
Plan your vacation so that its start or end date does not coincide with Friday. On Friday you can only get on island speedboats. The price of a speedboat is much higher than a ferry. The city ferry company is called MTCC, schedule site http://www. mtcc. com. mv/. Ferries go to different islands from different piers, be careful.
Speedboats. High-speed boats that every hotel usually has, and it is ready to take you anywhere and anytime for a lot of money.
Distances. The farther the island is from Male, the less likely it is that a local ferry will go to it. Even hydroplanes do not fly to the most distant islands, only airplanes.
Currency. Dollars go quietly at a fixed rate, it is better to pay in dollars. For the reverse exchange of rufiyaa for dollars, a receipt for the purchase of rufiyaa is required.
Islands. They are divided into two types:
a. local islands. Islands where, in addition to hotels, local residents live.
As a rule, swimming is rarely allowed on such islands due to the religion of the inhabitants. Of course, you can swim, but not in bathing suits, but dressed, in general, not swimming. Although the island of Maafushi is an exception. On such islands there is infrastructure with normal prices.
b. Resort. One island, one hotel. On such islands it is much more beautiful, many times more expensive, there is no infrastructure, all services are provided by the hotel. If some service is not included in your package, then at the hotel you will pay specifically for it. For example, renting a tube with a mask for 8 hours is more expensive than the cost. The whole vacation is limited to the space of a small island and in a couple of days an active tourist will become quite bored. For example, we spent all the nights on the local island of Maafushi, and all the days at the resorts, taking into account the cost of transfers, we saved a lot.
Travel between islands. Each hotel has an "activity book" with travel rates.
To get to another island, you need to pay for the transfer and pay separately for the entrance to the island. For example, the price of entry to Biyadhoo Island is $30. The price includes free movement around the island throughout the day. Your arrival to the island must be booked in advance by the owner of the hotel, otherwise they may not let you in. Towels are not issued on the islands, meals are not included in the entry price. From resorts, the price of a trip will be more expensive than from local ones.
The beauty of the islands. Corals with fish are almost everywhere, but on different islands, different numbers. The islands near the atoll with Male are as impeccably beautiful as those far away.
Combustion. Don't doubt for a second that you'll burn out badly. It is better to start smearing with a cream from burning from Kyiv itself : ) Even the thought “A couple of photos, and then I will smear myself” can be very painful. Due to the white sand, the sun is simply merciless, even through the clouds. Take the maximum protection level of the cream.
We lived in Maafushi at the Picnic Inn. We got to the island by ferry for $ 2.5 / person. In the room we had a nice room with a shower, air conditioning, TV, wi-fi and other amenities, breakfast included, free snorkels and masks. The owner all the time helped to group with other tourists, so that renting a speedboat was cheaper. For such a holiday, we paid $ 60 per day, including all taxes. Dinner at the hotel cost $14 for two in the style of an unlimited seafood buffet. Swimming to a nearby beautiful island cost about $30/person for admission and up to $45/person for a two-way transfer. It's still much cheaper than living on such an island. The beauty of the local island of Maafushi is much inferior to the resorts, but there are few fish with corals and in the evenings there is where to take a walk, since the island is relatively small.
