Twenty-six coral atolls, one resort to an island: here the reef and the transfer decide the holiday, so we start there.
The Maldives is a chain of coral atolls across the equator, and almost every resort has an island to itself, so the island is the holiday. We choose on the transfer first, then the reef, then the feel of the place.
North and South Malé resorts are a speedboat ride from the airport: you can be in the water by lunchtime. A seaplane to Baa, Raa, Lhaviyani or Ari buys space and quieter reefs. The far south, Laamu, Gaafu and Addu, means a domestic flight and a boat.
A good house reef lets you snorkel with turtles and reef sharks from the beach. Some good resorts sit on sandy lagoons with little coral nearby, which suits swimmers but disappoints snorkellers.
The caveats: it is expensive once taxes, service charge and meals are added, and there is little to do on land. The southwest monsoon, mid-May to November, brings cloud and rain, but also the plankton that draws the mantas.
The experiences we plan most often, with the months they are at their best.
Hanifaru Bay is a small, shallow bay in the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. During the southwest monsoon, tides and currents trap plankton in the bay and manta rays, sometimes whale sharks, gather to feed, most reliably July to October. It is snorkel only, with licensed guides and capped numbers. Stay in Baa so you can go when mantas are reported.
The outer reef of South Ari Atoll, around Dhigurah and Maamigili, is known for juvenile whale sharks, which are seen here all year. Boats patrol the reef edge and you slip in to snorkel as one passes. Keep your distance and never touch.
A house reef is the coral wall that rings your island, and the best ones start a few fins from the beach. Expect turtles, blacktip reef sharks and eagle rays. Ask for a guided swim on the first day to learn the currents and exit points.
Maldivian diving is built on kandus, channels where the tide flows in and out of an atoll, and thilas, underwater pinnacles. Maaya Thila in North Ari is known for grey reef sharks and night dives. Build in a full day without diving before your seaplane and flight home.
The monsoon swells that bring cloud also bring waves. Reef breaks in North Malé Atoll, such as Chickens, Sultans and Honky's, are reached by boat from nearby resorts, roughly from March to October.
A dhoni is the traditional wooden boat of the Maldives. At dusk, most resorts run trips to find spinner dolphins, which often ride the bow in groups. By day, ask your resort to drop you on a nearby sandbank with a picnic and a parasol, then collect you a few hours later.
Most visitors never leave the airport island, but a few hours in Malé shows the country behind the resorts. See the coral-stone Hukuru Miskiy, the old Friday Mosque, and walk through the fish market as the catch comes in. Dress modestly.
Choose the atoll first, then the island. Speedboat resorts in North and South Malé suit short stays and late arrivals. Seaplane atolls such as Baa, Raa, Lhaviyani and Ari suit longer trips and snorkellers. For two islands, pair a strong house reef with a resort known for its spa or lagoon.
A big, independently run Baa Atoll island with roomy pool villas, family residences and a relaxed, unfussy style that suits all ages.
Jean-Michel Gathy architecture, a serious art collection and French service on a Noonu Atoll island reached by private seaplane.
A calm, well-run island in the remote south with surf breaks, a strong COMO Shambhala spa and an all-inclusive plan that keeps the bill in check.
Two-storey overwater villas of wood and thatch a short speedboat ride from Malé, with no seaplane needed and no shoes expected.
The original no-shoes Maldives island: big jungle villas, a long list of places to eat and a UNESCO biosphere reserve on the doorstep.
A small Noonu Atoll island of villas, houses and four-bedroom residences that can be taken over entirely for a family milestone.
Sample routes to start from. Every one can be changed.
Eight nights in Sri Lanka with a private driver-guide, from the rock fortress at Sigiriya to the tea estates and the old fort at Galle, then a short flight to Malé and five nights on a quiet island in Thaa Atoll.
Break the flight with two nights on the beach in old Jumeira, then seven nights on a barefoot island in Baa Atoll with a large kids club and a UNESCO biosphere reserve on the doorstep. Good for families.
The Maldives is warm all year, with sea temperatures in the high twenties. What changes is the monsoon. The northeast monsoon, from January to March, is the dry season: blue skies, calm seas and the best visibility. December and April are transition months.
The southwest monsoon runs from mid-May to November. It brings more cloud, rain and wind, rarely for days on end, along with lower prices, surf and the plankton that brings mantas to Hanifaru Bay.
A seaplane to Baa Atoll for Hanifaru Bay and a strong house reef, then a hop south to Ari for whale sharks and the channels. Best from July to October. 9 nights.
Land at Velana International in the morning and take the seaplane north over the atolls.
Snorkel the house reef daily and join the resort's team for Hanifaru Bay when the mantas arrive. Add a dolphin trip at dusk.
Fly by seaplane to South Ari Atoll. Look for whale sharks along the outer reef and dive the channels.
A last morning swim, then the seaplane back to Velana International for the daytime direct flight to Heathrow, arriving in the evening.
Practical notes checked against their sources. For entry and safety, the FCDO advice for Maldives (opens in a new tab) is always the authority.
British Airways flies direct from Heathrow to Malé all year, in about ten and a half hours, and Virgin Atlantic adds direct flights in the winter season.
Seaplanes fly only between sunrise and sunset. Land by about 15:30 to transfer the same day.
UK passport holders currently get a tourist visa on arrival, but must complete an online traveller declaration, known as IMUGA. Read the FCDO entry requirements (opens in a new tab) before you book and again before you fly.
Read the FCDO entry requirements for Maldives (opens in a new tab)
The only fully equipped hospitals are in Malé and Hulhumalé, and many resorts are hours from emergency treatment and more than an hour from a hyperbaric chamber. Make sure insurance covers evacuation. See TravelHealthPro (opens in a new tab) and the FCDO health page (opens in a new tab). The equatorial sun burns fast.
The currency is the rufiyaa, pegged to the US dollar, but resort bills are in dollars and settled by card. By law, resorts add a service charge of at least 10 per cent, and tourism taxes are added on top.
Dhiraagu and Ooredoo both have counters at Velana International and sell eSIMs online before you travel. Resorts have wifi throughout.
Because a service charge is added by law, tipping is optional. Many guests leave something at the end of the stay for their villa host, room attendant and dive guide, in US dollars and in cash.
January to April is the most reliable, with dry, sunny weather and calm seas, and also the most expensive. The southwest monsoon, from mid-May to November, brings more rain and wind but lower prices and the manta season in Baa Atoll.
A speedboat from Malé is quicker and works after dark, so you can land late and be on your island the same night. A seaplane is a highlight in itself and reaches quieter atolls, but only flies in daylight, with luggage limits. For stays under a week we lean to speedboats.
Overwater villas have ladders into the lagoon and wide sunset views, and suit couples. Beach villas give more privacy, shade and a garden, which families usually prefer. Many people split a stay between the two.
Yes, but only on resort islands. The Maldives is a Muslim country, and alcohol is not allowed on inhabited local islands, including Malé, and must not be taken out of your resort.
Tell us a little and a specialist will reply with ideas, dates that work and a price. Best months: December to March.
Granite boulders, forested peaks and islands you can hop between by ferry: the Indian Ocean for people who like to explore.
One island with lagoon beaches, forest gorges and Creole cooking, where the coast you choose matters as much as the hotel.
Ancient cities, tea hills, leopards and beaches in an island small enough to cross in a day.
One volcanic peak, one vast turquoise lagoon and a ring of motu hotels built over the water: the honeymoon island.
Three sets of Indian Ocean islands, often booked as if they were interchangeable. They are not. Here is how they differ by season, by flight, by style and by the kind of traveller each one suits.
There is no bad month to be in the Maldives, but there are very different ones. Here is how the two monsoons shape the water, the light, the prices and the wildlife, and how we match the month to the trip.
