The beauty does not recede with the touching down of the plane. The little green patches transform into graceful palms that gently sway to the cool breeze, endless white beaches with sand so soft that it caresses your feet, waters so clear that you see the fish playing in the depths of the lagoons. The Maldives, a tropical hideaway, home to about 270,000 natives 1,350 different species of coral and fish.

A group of 1190 little coral islands scattered across the Indian Ocean about 350km southwest of Sri Lanka built up on the tops of a submarine ridge. No part of the republic is more than 8 ft/2.4 m above the sea level. Almost 99% of the country being the ocean and 1% is spread to 26 atolls, ring like coral formation. Maldives has a tropical monsoon climate with warm temperature and sunshine through the year. The warm tropical climate results in relatively minor variations in daily temperature throughout the year. From November to April is mostly dry with very little Wind, while the southwest monsoon from May to October brings some rain and the temperature varies very little. The annual average daily temperature is between 30.4 and 25.4 degrees.

Although the vegetation on these islands is limited this is supplemented by the riches of the seas surrounding them, these multicolored coral gardens are home to thousands of species of fish. Coconut palms grows in abundance on all the islands, however only few other types of trees grow on the islands. Especially the salinity of the soil along the beach restricts the growth to few plants. Normally, shrubs and small hedges occupy this area.

Archeological and historical discoveries indicate that the islands have been inhabited for over three thousand years. Being on an important trade route, Maldives was visited by people from all over the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. These visitors left a strong influence on the people, their religion and the culture of Maldives.

People & Language The population of 270 000 People in the past .Dhivehi is the language and spoken in all the parts of the Maldives. And all Maldivian’s are writing Dhivehi in Thaana which was invented in 16 century. The people live in simple laid back, and contented life style. In the resorts of the Maldives the languages are spoken in English, German, French, Chinese, Italian and Russian

Although geographically isolated the Maldives is easily accessible by air from anywhere in Southeast Asia, Middle East and Europe. Colombo is an hour's journey away by air, from Singapore and Dubai it takes about four hours and from Europe it takes nine to eleven hours to reach Malé. Catch one these international airlines travel from your region click here

Tourist are issued a 30-day toursit visa on arrival. A valid travel document is necessary. Visa extensions are granted by the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Malé.

An international certificate of inoculation against yellow fever and cholera is required by visitors arriving from infected countries.

Malé International Airport is on an island that only houses the airport and related facilities. The airport located on Hulhule Island is a modern well-equipped airport with all the facilities and services one would expect from an international airport. The airport complex houses terminals for arrivals and departures, landside shops and airside duty free shops, restaurants, medical facilities, bank, post office and other services. The island also house the airport hotel.

The airport departure tax which is US$ 12.00 is usually included when you purchase your airline ticket.

Duty free shopping is only available at the departure terminal at Malé International Airport. The lounge has specialized shops with a wide variety of international brands selling well known products at competitive prices. The duty free lounge has shops for toys, souvenirs, perfume, electronics, watches, fashion accessories, jewelry, liquor and tobacco and confectionery.

The import of firearms, drugs, pornography and idols of worship are prohibited. Dogs, pigd, and pork products are also prohibited for import by tourists. Alcohol imported under a special license is available in all the resorts. Similarly pork products are available at most of the resorts as well.

Prohibited products such as alcohol brought in by passengers are bonded and released at departure.

On arrival you will be welcomed by our airport representative at the airport and he takes you to our counter just in front of the arrival gate and assists you to arrange your transfer.

What to pack The Maldives is warm throughout the year. Light, cotton and lien wear is ideal. Pack lots of tee shirts, beachwear, and wrap-around skirts, cotton shirts and shorts. For visits to inhabited islands, where most of the streets are of compact sand, or Malé where the street are paved, sandals are easy to walk on. Some essential items include swimwear, sunglasses, sunscreen and a hat or a cap. If your travel plan includes traveling to many islands, a mosquito repellent may become handy. Resort transfer

If you have a booking with a resort, transfer is usually arranged prior to your arrival. Th options of speedboat or seaplane transfer where available is for you to choose from. For transfer to resorts close to the airport, motorboat or dhoni transfer is quite convenient. Even if you mak a resort booking while in Malé, transfer arrangement are often made by the resort.
The Maldives has one of the largest seaplane fleets in the world, not suprising for a country with 99% ocean and more than a thousand islands. The low altitude seaplane journey offers you the additional opportunity to experience a breathtaking bird's eye view of the country.