Maldives How To,Immigration,Jetty

11.10.2012

For All Previous Posts on Maldives: All About Maldives

Maldives was love at first sight.I had never been to a place so beautiful before.They say love makes one go gaga and no matter how many words I write here,the feeling remains in my heart.It's been 3 days already I left Maldives,and yet if I ever get a chance to revisit it again I would jump and be as excited as every other teenager in love for the first time.



                                                       Waiting For My Ferry At The Airport Jetty

"The golden shimmer of the sea right from the airport jetty to the spicy Maldivian food at my platter,waking up to a beautiful local island just to see how the color of sea was 'today' or lazing around in a small private island of few meters with transparent water all around me,dancing with the locals on music that made me do so,or just wondering on the upper ship deck 'Why was it for just 5 days,why do things have to end?'.Maldives is a place you would love to be at forever or may be more."


How To Reach Maldives?

It's easy.We took a comfortable Srilankan AirLines Night Flight From
Bangalore -> Colombo
Colombo -> Male(Ibrahim Nasir International Airport)


Ibrahim Nasir International Airport The Perfect Landing/Takeoff


                   With Travel Comes Great Food!Me and The 2 Cups Of Belgian Chocolates

Landing in Maldives is a surreal experience.Take off is unique.It's best to plan Male in a way you could view either landing or takeoff at daytime.The plane runs parallel to sea,landing almost makes you feel it would just run in the water.A few minutes before landing is an awesome sight of small little islands spread over turquoise water.The sight you wouldn't want to miss.

Since we had taken a night flight for landing,and a day flight for takeoff we still managed to view the islands from top down.Sometimes we stared at the perfect landing from the Male town afar,we knew we missed it!


Maldives has Ibrahim Nasir International Airport at Hulhule Island which is a ferry away from the Male Mainland!Interesting isn't it?


Immigration Procedure Maldives
Maldives has a free visa on arrival.The procedure is hassle free.Do keep in mind that-

You need to show your prebooking for your duration of stay in Male to the
Immigration Dept

or

You need to show your account balance/sufficient funds in such a way that it covers a minimum Maldivian daily expenditure for your duration of stay.

Tip:Maldives is not a place where you can do an impromptu visit.Maldives survives on tourism,so it's best to pre-book your stay than search for it at the last moment.The minimum Maldivian daily expenditure comes to be on the higher end,so why not just book your stay,and make immigration a little easier and cheaper on your pocket too!


Places We Did                 Places We Stayed
Male                                       Kaani Lodge
Maafushi                              Holiday Lodge


The Maldivian Night




Since we had our check in the morning at our hotel,we had no choice but to stay at the airport the half night.Outside the airport arrival lounge are a series of chairs with tables and TV.You can spend as many hours you would want to.Just outside the airport is the restaurant called Aqua and air taxi booking counter.Air taxis are very expensive,if you can afford it..it's simply the best experience.Aqua was where we had our first Maldivian Breakfast(Maashuni Tuna Roshi) for 11$.The food is awesome,though it is expensive at the airport as per general Maldivian food cost.



Just then the small lights on the airport jetty started reflecting beautifully with the sunrise.In next 15 minutes,I saw a transition of sea from light golden,to blue golden to turquoise. It was a beautiful sight.


The Airport Ferry Maldives

Going to Male Mainland is simple.Outside the airport is the ferry jetty.Local ferries ply every half an hour from the airport to the Male Mainland and costs around 1$ or 10 Rufiyaa. All you got to do is,hop into one of those ferries,make your space,keep your luggage and be comfortable.You need not pay at the counter anywhere,the pay is collected on board.

Next,we discuss the stay, expenses,our experience,what to what not to,and discover the hidden treasures of Male,interview a few random people and unwind at the sea cafe.The video is still in edit stage.This is a short glimpse or a raw footage,to show how clear the water was:



Diwali is just around the corner.Today was a super exciting day for me,when my first article got published in Hindustan Times..it's a certain high to see your name in print,and I feel good already!
Ankita_Sinha_Top_10_Things_To_In_Diwali

18 comments

  1. Beautiful! I am planning to go to Maldives very soon and your post comes at time .. Have a nice stay there :)

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  2. Nice post. Informative too.

    www.rajniranjandas.blogspot.in

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  3. Thanks for sharing, Maldives is a place I would definitely like to check out :)

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  4. Oh! Maldives has always been a secret desire for me. It's on my wishlist. Thanks for sharing these wonderful pictures :)
    Visit my blog @ another part of me

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  5. @Puru:Great destination,do visit but dec-feb is the peak time,rates would be higher!

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  6. @Tiny Girl With Big Bag:Go Ahead gal..and come back with beautiful memories:)

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  7. @Sayantini:Oh it was on my wishlist for long,when I decided to just make a random trip..do it,you wouldnt regret going to Maldives.

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  8. I have heard wonderful things about the Maldives. By the look of the water, I'm sold!

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  9. Have a great time.. This place is definitely on my bucket list..

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  10. @Debbie:It's an ultimate destination..Never thought it'll be this good.

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  11. @Sameer:Should be everyone's bucket list..The flights to Male are getting cheaper,book your seats first :)

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  12. Very informative..and a great destination too... :)

    Regards

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  13. Thanks Ankita for the great ( very useful) blog post. We ( 8 of us my family & my brothers) have planned our visit to Maldives this month end. We searched for good budget accommodations for hours and hours, and finally locked it yesterday with Island Cottage on Maafushi. It appears in the same lane as the Holiday Lodge you mentioned. I hope this will be ok too. Thanks for all other tips about what to do there. We are going by direct flight from Bangalore. Not sure we can catch ferry from airport to Maafushi. Also, as vegetarians we are concerned about finding food there!!

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  14. Ankita, Thanks much for the detailed and very informative post! Myself & my brother with our families have planned to visit Maldives this month end. You have useful nuggets there for us. We have made arrangements to stay at "Island Beach" on Maafushi which is at stone-throw distance from where you stayed - The Holiday Lodge. Do you think we can get food for vegetarians like us there? I hear water is very expensive. Does it make sense to carry some water bottles with us?

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  15. @Sreehari Sastry:Thank you so much for your appreciation and I am glad that my blog helped you plan in your own way.Ferry doesn't run from Airport - Maafushi,it runs from Airport to Male($1) and then take another ferry from villingly terminal(Male-Maafushi).You can ask your hotel if they have their own transfers by speed boat or if they could send their representative to villingly.We had a guy from Holiday Lodge with us from Villingly on request when we took a ferry.You wouldn't have problems with Food,check this link for veg in Male http://www.ankionthemove.com/2012/11/the-true-blue-male-and-appreciation.html and in Maafushi you can tell the owners that you eat veg and they'll make it for you.Why don't you give him a buzz and ask.Even if you are staying in Island Cottage you can have your food at Summer Villa Guest House,they have buffets on specific dates

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  16. @Sreehari Sastry :And La carte always and its good food there with tropical banana shakes,rice etc.Do not carry water bottles with you.We didn't face the water problem,I dont even remember if it was at all expensive,because whereevr we stayed we got water.And even in the normal Kirana like shops you get water,no I dun think It was expensive.

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