CAPITAL: Male
TIME: ahead of Moscow by 2 hours (on some islands +3 hours)
FLIGHT: 8.5 hours direct flight from Moscow or 4:50 hours to Dubai + 4:00 to Male
VISA: not needed for citizens of the Russian Federation (tourists can stay in the country without a visa for up to 90 days). The validity of the passport must be at least 6 months. The passport must be signed by the owner.
GOVERNMENT: presidential republic.
MONEY: Maldivian rufiyaa (Rf). 1 USD ~ 15 Rs. Payment of bills in hotels is made in US dollars or by bank cards, so there is no need for currency exchange. The Maldives does not accept US dollar banknotes issued before 2005.
POPULATION: about 400,000 people, of which approx. 63,000 are not citizens of the country.
ETHNIC COMPOSITION: The Maldivians are mixed race (the main ethnic types are Indians, Sinhalese, Arabs, East Africans and Malaysians).
LANGUAGE: Dhivehi (Maldive) and English.
RELIGION: Islam (Sunnism). In 1153 AD King Calaminya, who ruled at that time in the Maldives, converted to Islam, which to this day remains the only religion of the country (to obtain citizenship of the Republic of Maldives, you must be a Muslim).
GEOGRAPHY: The Maldives is an island state in the Indian Ocean, located 700 km southwest of Sri Lanka. The length from north to south is 820 km, from west to east – 120 km. 1192 coral islands form 26 atolls, most of them are uninhabited (about 200 islands are inhabited).
CLIMATE: Tropical, due to the proximity to the equator, temperature fluctuations throughout the year are insignificant – air temperature 28-30 ° C, water 26-27 ° C. The best weather conditions are from November to the end of April (Northeast Monsoon): the ocean is calm, the weather is sunny and dry. From May to October is the period of the southwest monsoon, which can bring intermittent rains, humidity, turbulent oceans, but this period is the least hot. Storms and thunderstorms are most likely in June.
HOTELS: The classification of hotels by stars in the Maldives accepted in Europe and given on the site was carried out, therefore it is unofficial and is given to facilitate ideas about the level of service and services. The official check-in time at the hotel on the day of arrival is 14:00, the check-out time on the day of departure is 12:00.
CUSTOMS: the import of any alcoholic beverages and drugs is prohibited; pork; pornographic and erotic materials (magazines, videos, etc.), video films; weapons for spearfishing; firearms, explosives and chemicals.
IMPORTANT REMEMBER: Despite the fact that the Maldives as an Islamic state is relatively liberal, visitors to the country must carefully comply with local laws. When visiting Male and the fishing villages, it is recommended to dress modestly in accordance with Muslim ideas of morality. Women need to cover their shoulders, the length of the skirt should not exceed the knee. Men are not recommended to wear shorts. Swimming naked and topless is prohibited at all resorts. It is also prohibited: fishing near the islands (fishing is specially organized in each hotel), it is forbidden to break, tear live and dead corals in the ocean and near the coast, damage shells, starfish, etc. and raise them to the surface from the bottom, touch sea turtles and other marine life, throw garbage on the ground and into the ocean.
TRANSPORT: There is no permanent transport connection between the islands. All transfers to Male and the airport are organized by the hotels themselves. For flights to distant islands, you can use seaplanes or scheduled flights. For shorter distances, boats and local dhoni boats are used.
Important information about seaplanes:
– seaplanes are operated by an independent company;
– seaplanes can fly only during daylight hours
– the waiting time for a seaplane can be from 30 minutes to 2 hours;
– the seaplane may land on the way to the hotel/airport
– due to the limited capacity of the seaplane, in exceptional cases, guests’ luggage may be delivered to the hotel on the next flight, depending on the number of passengers.
The Maldives is considered the most romantic place on earth, as if they were made for lovers. The islands stretch in a narrow vertical chain 850 kilometers long across the Indian Ocean. From the window of the plane, the Maldives look like a string of pearls thrown onto the turquoise expanse of the ocean.
Many people think that the Maldives is a vacation exclusively for those who prefer to sunbathe all day long on the beach under the rays of the bright sun and just relax, taking their time, completely plunging into the relaxing bliss of this paradise. It is simply impossible to argue with this opinion – peace, solitude, silence and romance of the Maldives, which is in the air everywhere – you are guaranteed.
But to agree only with such an opinion would also be wrong. After all, the Maldives is not only a relaxing holiday, snow-white beaches and azure, turquoise, blue, blue waters of the ocean, it is also a place where you can do things that are unlikely to be possible in our ordinary life.
Holidays in the Maldives are a holiday for body and soul, enjoy them to the fullest, take everything that this truly paradise offers you, fill your memories with extraordinary impressions and new discoveries.
A trip to the Maldives is a unique opportunity to get away from hectic everyday life, from problems, from stress. Everything that these amazing islands offer is aimed solely at your relaxation and enjoyment of life. Let yourself taste all the charm of real relaxation – visit the Spa – center.
Various types of face and body massages using aromatic oils – relaxing, toning, anti-cellulite, soothing, using hot stones, various face and body scrubs (sandalwood, coffee, coconut, soy, lemon, mint) – a huge choice for anyone who comes here.
The Maldives is considered to be the diving capital of the world. The variety of underwater fauna is simply amazing, and the fact that here you can easily meet the largest marine life in the world makes diving in the Maldives a great adventure. Unforgettable will be a meeting with a giant manta, or a two-meter Napoleon fish. Throw in 27-degree water even at 40 meters, excellent visibility up to 30 meters, and highly professional dive centers, and you will understand why divers come back here again and again.
Religion
Islam (Sunnism, a small number of the population professes Shiiz). In 1153 AD. King Calaminya, who ruled at that time in the Maldives, converted to Islam, which to this day remains the only religion of the country (to obtain citizenship of the Republic of Maldives, you must be a Muslim).
State structure
POPULATION: 261,310 people, of which 65,000 live in the capital Male.
ETHNIC COMPOSITION: The Maldivians are mixed race (the main ethnic types are Indians, Sinhalese, Arabs, East Africans and Malaysians)
