Maldives

INTRODUCTION

Resorts in the Maldives woo tourists with promises of ‘the last paradise on earth’, and if your idea of paradise is a pristine tropical island with swaying palm trees, pure white beaches and brilliant turquoise lagoons, then the Maldives will not disappoint.

It’s also a major destination for scuba divers, who come for the fabulous coral reefs and the wealth of marine life. But it’s not a place for low budget backpackers or amateur anthropologists who want to travel independently and live as the locals do.

Tourism in the Maldives is carefully managed. The lack of local resources makes it necessary to import virtually everything a visitor’s needs, so it can’t really compete on price. The strategy has been to develop a limited number of quality resorts, each on its own uninhabited island, free from traffic, crime and crass commercialism.

The tourism strategy also aims to minimize the adverse effects of tourism on traditional Muslim communities. Tourists can make short guided visits to local fishing villages, but must then return to their resort. To stay longer or to travel to atolls outside the tourist zone requires a good reason, a special permit, and a local person to sponsor the visitor.

Language: Divehi, English
Religion: Sunni Muslim

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. Payments in the resorts and hotels can be made in most hard currency in cash, travellers ‘ cheques or credit cards. Commonly used credit cards are American Express, Visa, Master Card, Diners Club, JCB and Euro Card.

CLIMATE

Generally, the year is divided into two monsoon periods: the north-east monsoon or ruvai lasts from December to March, which are the drier months; the south-west monsoon or ulhangu lasts from April to November, and is wetter, with more storms and occasional strong winds. Daytime temperatures are about 28°C (82°F) all year. The humidity is slightly lower in the dry season but most days there’s a cooling sea breeze.

What to wear

Dress is generally casual. T-shirts and cotton clothing are most suitable. In Male’, the capital island and other inhabited islands it is recommended that women wear modest clothing without baring too much.

Attractions

Male

Small, quaint, and densely settled, Male (pronounced ‘Mar-lay’) is not spectacular, but quite unique as a capital city. It’s clean and tidy, with mosques, markets, a maze of small streets and a certain charm all its own. While it sometimes gives the impression of a sleepy country town, there is new building work everywhere, and the place feels like it will soon burst at the seams.

The island of Male is about 2km (1.2mi) long and 1km (0.62mi) wide, and packed to the edges with buildings, roads and a few well-used open spaces. Officially, the population is around 65,000, but with foreign workers and short-term visitors from other islands, there may be as many as 100,000 people in town – it certainly feels like it. The size of the island has been more than doubled through land reclamation projects and nearby islands are used for the airport and other purposes. There are plans to develop other islands to reduce the pressure on Male .

Among the city’s modest attractions is the National Museum , which houses untidy exhibits of the sultans’ belongings and a smattering of Thor Heyerdahl’s archaeological discoveries – many of the ancient stone carvings and figurines are featured in his book The Maldive Mystery . Near the museum is the pleasant Sultan Park , and the imposing white Islamic Centre & Grand Friday Mosque which dominates the city’s skyline.

There are over 20 other mosques scatttered around Male , some little more than a coral room with an iron roof. The oldest is the Hukuru Miski , famed for its intricate stone carvings. One long panel, carved in the 13th century, commemorates the introduction of Islam to the Maldives , while outside a graveyard holds the tomb of Abu Al Barakat and the tombstones of former sultans.

Other sights include the Singapore Bazaar, a conglomeration of stores selling some quality local handicrafts and an assortment of Maldivian and imported tourist knick-knackery. Also interesting are the shops selling home hardware, marine equipment, fishing gear and general merchandise for local villages. In the many small teahouses Maldivian men enjoy ‘short eats’ (small snack meals), smoking, chewing and talking.

Male has inexpensive food and accommodation, but nightlife is confined to teahouses and a few western style restaurants. A couple cinemas show Hindi epics and Hollywood blockbusters. Male’s expatriates head to a nearby resort on their day off.

Resorts

The vast majority of visitors come to the Maldives on package tours, staying at one of the 70-plus resort islands. Most resorts are in the three atolls closest to the capital – North Male Atoll, South Male Atoll and Ari Atoll. There are a few other resorts on nearby atolls, and these might be further developed in the future. Judging by the brochures, all the resorts are beautiful and are blessed with white sand, blue sea and swaying palm trees, and they all promise great diving. Despite their apparent similarity, however, they differ considerably in their comfort, cuisine, clientele, character and their suitability for various excursions and activities.

The quality of accommodation and food is pretty much related to price – none of the Maldives resorts is bad, but then none is exactly cheap either. Some have modern, motel-style rooms, while others are more rustic, with thatched roofs and sand floors. The larger, cheaper resorts attract more young people, more singles, and tend to be casual in style and full of people out to have a good time. Smaller resorts are more intimate and cosy , and may appeal to couples and honeymooners. Some resorts cater more or less exclusively to certain nationalities, notably Italian, German, French and Japanese guests. All resorts offer scuba diving, but some are known as hardcore divers’ destinations. Note that some resorts having better access to specific dive sites, local Maldivian villages, or to the capital city than others.

Seenu ( Addu Atoll)

This is the ‘second city’ of the Maldives , and the resort here is the best base from which to visit traditional Maldivian island communities. The Addu people are fiercely independent, speak differently from folk in the capital and at one time even tried to secede from the republic.

The biggest influence on Addu’s modern history has been the British bases, first established on the island of Gan during WWII, as part of the Indian Ocean defences . In 1956, the British developed a Royal Air Force base as a strategic Cold War outpost. The base had around 600 permanent personnel, with up to 3000 during periods of peak activity. They built a causeway connecting Feydhoo , Maradhoo and Hithadhoo islands, and employed most of the local men. In 1976 the British pulled out, but many of their employees, who spoke good English and had experience working for westerners, were well qualified for jobs in the soon-to-be-booming tourist industry.

Tourist development in Addu itself has been slow to start, but a resort has been established in the old RAF buildings on Gan and there are now reliable connections to the capital in a new Air Maldives jet. The Ocean Reef Resort is not a typical Maldives tropical paradise resort island, but the old military base is a unique feature. Gan is linked by causeways to the adjacent islands, and it’s easy and pleasant to get around them by bicycle, giving unmatched opportunities to visit the local villages and see village life.

Activities

Scuba diving is the main attraction in the Maldives , and it’s estimated that over 60% of visitors dive at least once. There are hundreds of recognised and named dive sites, many of which are accessible from resorts – the rest can be reached by boat on diving safari trips. Aside from multitudinous fish and corals, there’s the thrill of diving with turtles, moray eels, manta rays, sharks and whales and exploring some of the Maldives accessible wrecks, including the Maldive Victory off Hulule Airport , believed by many enthusiasts to be one of the most exciting wreck dives in the world. Virtually every resort runs a diving school to keep its guests occupied, but you can also just don a mask and flippers and swim a couple of strokes from a beach to enjoy the delights of the Maldives’ submarine world.

Surfing has become more popular in the islands since there are excellent breaks accessible from resorts close to Male . Surfing safaris to the outer atolls can also be arranged. It’s always best to book surf trips with a reputable surf travel operator, because the Maldives is definitely not the sort of place where a surfer can rock up with a few boards and head for the waves. For the avid watersport enthusiast there are plenty of opportunities to go sailing , parasailing , windsurfing , waterskiing and jetskiing . Big game fishing is an upmarket option at some resorts, but there is a ‘tag and release’ policy, so you can’t keep your catch. If you can’t get your fill in the daytime, you can also go night fishing on board a dhoni (a traditional boat). Some people can just never get enough, which must be why banana riding has become a popular pastime at resorts. This involves up to a dozen people climbing onto a giant, inflatable banana which is then dragged around a lagoon by a speedboat. Coconut volleyball is only a matter of time.