A trip to Paradise- Maldives

Hello friends, once again, i shall take you to the magnificent white beaches,swaying palm trees, turquoise lagoons, 'the last paradise on earth', a pristine, tranquil tropical island- Maldives.

Whats This? A tropical island basking in year-round sunshine, surrounded by sparkling white, palm-fringed beaches and turquoise seas, sun, sand and massive lagoons with different depths and infinite shades of blue and turquoise, dazzling underwater coral gardens, an ideal tropical holiday destination is what Maldives famous for. The capital of Maldives is Malé, the centre of trade, commerce, business, health and education.

Located Where? Maldives is Southwest of Sri Lanka, on the equator. The Maldives is forty five minutes from Colombo, three hours from Dubai, four hours from Singapore and thirteen hours from London.

How do we Reach There? Regular flights connect the Maldives to Colombo (Sri Lanka), Thrivandrum (southwest India), Dubai (United Arab Emirates), and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), and there are numerous charter flights from European centres in the peak season. Malé International Airport named Hulule International Airport is about 15 minutes’ boat ride from the capital. - Hulule Island is 2km (1.2 miles) from Malé (travel time by boat – 15 minutes). Boats from the various island resorts meet each arriving plane to take visitors to their accommodation.

Best time to visit : Climate here is generally warm and humid. Sun shines all year through. Average temperature around 29 - 32 degrees Celsius.T-shirts and cotton clothing are most suitable to be worn. The hottest month on average is April and the coolest, December. February is the driest with January to April being relatively dry, May and October records the highest average monthly rainfall. The southwest monsoon from May to September is the wet season. If you're looking for a few extra hours of sunshine then you should visit the Maldives between December and April. The Christmas-New Year period is the busiest and most expensive part of the high season, when many of the all-inclusive package tourists arrive from Europe and America.

Major Attractions : A variety of life underwater have fascinated divers and snorkellers since Maldives was discovered as a diving destination. Diving, snorkeling, surfing, wide range of water sports, world-class spas are the major attractions of Maldives.

Malé – the capital: The Islamic Centre is not only the most famous architectural landmark in Malé, but also houses one of the biggest and finest mosques in the Southeast Asian region.

The Hukuru Miskiy (Friday Mosque): built in 1656 is another fascinating monument that is an essential stop on any tour of Malé. All the walls in the mosque are built with coral stones intricately carved with Arabic calligraphy and ornamental patterns; the roof, window frames and doors made of different kinds of wood such as teak, sandalwood and redwood.

Medhu Ziyaaraiy: is the shrine of Abu-al Barakath Yusuf al Barbaree – the Moroccan scholar believed to be responsible for the advent of Islam in the Maldives in 1153 AD; and is also a must-see monument.

Mulee-aage: next to the Medhu Ziyaaraiy was originally built by Sultan Shamsudheen III for his son just before the First World War.

Dive Sites:

"Lion's Head": is a protected marine park situated in a channel. Subject to strong currents, this deep wall reef boasts many exciting overhangs and forms the perfect environment for a large variety of fish, tunas, sharks and turtles, magnificent sponges and some very pretty hard and soft corals covering the reef.

"Kudu": is a protected marine sanctuary shaped like a two-humped camel's back.

"Girifushi Thila": is one of the best known and most beautiful dive sites on this island nation.

"Middle Point": is situated in the middle of the Tamburudhu channel and offers a drift dive for the experienced and adventurous. It rises from 100 meters below the sea to ten. When commencing your dive you will jump into the deep blue of the ocean.

Nassimo Thila:This dive takes place in the spectacular Bodu Kalki channel. "Nassimo Thila" is a large reef with imposing reef pillars standing proudly at a height of 40 meters.

Okobe Thila:The "Okobe" marine reserve is one of the most awe-inspiring dive sites in the Maldives, a small thila consisting of three large rock formations.

Rasfari: is a spectacular outer reef in the North Male Atoll.

Sunlight Thila: is a formation of two small reefs that attract giant manta rays between March and October, when the winds from the south carry a large amount of plankton to this area.

"Banana Reef": is a very well known dive site in the Maldives - one of the first, one of the best and one of the more treacherous due to strong currents.

The "Maldives Victory": is a 110-meter long cargo vessel that sank in February 1981. Diving here takes you 12 meters down a rope to the ship's main deck, where you will be sheltered from the strong currents.

Fish Head: Also called Mushimasmingali Thila, this is one of the world's most famous dive sites. Its steep sides are spectacular, with multi-level ledges, overhangs and caves supporting sea fans, anemones and black corals.

National Museum: Many of the National Museum's exhibits are things once owned by local sultans. Some of the fabrics are beautiful, especially the rich brocades. Weapons include bonthi sticks, which were used in martial arts. Especially interesting are the pre-Islamic stone carvings collected by Thor Heyerdahl and others from sites all over the country.

Snorkelling:
For those who would love to see the underwater but hesitate to take the deep plunge, snorkeling is a wonderful alternative.The lagoons of Maldives are so clear that with just a snorkel mask and fin you can be witness to the activities of the many different species of fish and fauna on the unique Maldivian reefs. You are guaranteed to encounter playful fish and rare corals even on the resorts’ house reefs and perhaps a turtle or some other curious creatures too if you are lucky.

Surfing:

The best time to surf in the Maldives is from April to October, with the biggest swells likely to occur in June-September. Due to the monsoonal winds from the Indian subcontinent and the swell generated from the south, the conditions during these months are predominantly off-shore all day. There are two major surf areas in the Maldives – the North Malé Atoll (April – October) and the Outer Atolls (February – April).

Water Sports: The most popular among water sports are snorkeling, windsurfing and catamaran sailing. Among other popular water sports activities are parasailing, kayaking, kite-surfing, water-skiing and jet skiing.

Island Hopping: An ‘island-hopping’ excursion would take you to another resort, an uninhabited island and an inhabited island all in a day-tour designed to give you a taste of the country. You would also get the opportunity to snorkel in the clear waters of a desert island and experience a barbecue on the beach.

Sea Plane Tours: The sea plane companies operating in the Maldives offers spectacular flights over the atolls – perfect for photo trips, sight seeing, aerial photography that allows one to capture the natural beauty of the Maldives as seen from above; or just plain enjoyment.

Precautions : Bikinis and other scanty beachwear are not acceptable in Malé or on any other inhabited island.

General Info / Tips: Maldives Tourism Promotion Board has an information counter setup for ease of the tourists visiting the Maldives. Especially those who are Free Independent Travelers or FITs. Any information including Maldives, hotels and rates will be provided by the MTPB staff at the counter. A ferry service is available from the airport island to the capital around the clock. Set charge per person for the ferry service is USD 1/- during normal operating hours and a charge of USD 2/- per person at midnight.Since the airport island is geographically separate from the capital the only means of transport to the capital is by sea. Maldivian Air Taxi and Trans Maldivian Airways operate special air transfer trips to most of the resorts.

Visa Requirements: No prior visa is required to enter the Republic of Maldives. Entry permit will be granted to visitors on arrival at designated ports of entry, based on the immigration requirements. Visitors of all nationalities in possession of the following would be granted entry into the Maldives:
A valid international travel document issued by a sovereign state’s government.
A valid return air ticket and necessary visas to a destination where the passenger has permission to.

A minimum of US$30.00 per person per day or confirmed hotel reservation for the intended period of stay in the Maldives.

Departure tax: None if airport tax has been paid before; otherwise, US$12.

Currency: The Maldivian currency is the Rufiyaa and Laaree. The exchange rate for US Dollar at the time of writing is MRf.11.82 for the dollar. One Rufiyaa is equivalent to 100 laarees. Rufiyaa bank notes come in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 500. Coins are in the denominations of MRf.2.00, MRf.1.00, 50 laarees, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 laaree. The US Dollar is the most commonly used foreign currency.

Languages Spoken: Dhivehi is the language spoken in all parts of the Maldives. English is widely spoken by Maldivians. English, German, French, Italian and Japanese are a variety of other languages spoken.

Local Time: GMT + 5 hours. The Maldives is 5 hours ahead of the GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)