Maldives
Covers Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi, Bali, Palawan, the Maldives, Mauritius, the Seychelles and Zanzibar, with visa and park rules checked at the source.
UpdatedThis page carries dated prices, schedules or seasonal facts checked on the date above, and that window has now passed. Re-check the sources at the foot of the page before you book.
The Maldives is not one island. It is a country of coral atolls, and you will spend your trip on one small island of your choosing. That choice decides your budget. A private resort island means a seaplane or speedboat transfer, a resort bill and a $12 per person, per night green tax. A local island such as Maafushi means a public ferry or shared speedboat, a guesthouse and rooms from $43 a night on the dates we checked.
Either way, you come for the water. The Maldives drew 2,246,516 tourist arrivals in 2025, its highest ever, according to Tourism Ministry figures reported by the state broadcaster. Americans are a small slice: the ministry's December 7, 2025 update counted 59,883 US arrivals, 2.9 percent of the total. That is partly about distance. There is no nonstop flight from the US, and dogs cannot come at all.
At a glance
- Best for
- Couples who want reef, lagoon and quiet, and divers
- Skip it if
- You want to explore, drive, eat around or bring a dog (dogs are banned)
- Getting there
- Fly to Malé (MLE) via a hub such as Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Istanbul; then seaplane, speedboat or ferry
- Hotel, mid-January
- $43 in Maafushi on January 13, 2027 (cheapest 3-star, taxes and fees in, Kayak)
- Island size
- About 115 sq miles (298 sq km) of land, spread across many atolls
- Visitors in 2025
- 2,246,516 tourist arrivals, a national record
In this guide
How Maldives scores
Six factors, scored 0 to 10 the same way for all 64 islands. Our verdict on this island is “it depends”, which takes 0.4 off the weighted average. How we score
- WeatherData · 20%8.7
- Beaches & seaEditors · 25%9.0
- Things to doEditors · 25%5.0
- Getting there from the USData · 10%2.0
- ValueData · 10%10.0
- Room to breatheData · 10%2.7
Weather month by month
Best months by our weather score: February, March, June. Daytime highs, rain and sunshine are 2016–2025 averages at Velana International Airport (Open-Meteo historical weather archive); sea temperatures are 2022–2025 averages for the nearest sea area (Open-Meteo marine archive).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 85 | 84 | 84 | 83 | 83 | 83 | 83 | 83 |
| Sea °F | 83 | 83 | 85 | 88 | 87 | 86 | 86 | 85 | 85 | 85 | 85 | 84 |
| Rain (in) | 4.8 | 1.9 | 3.4 | 4.8 | 10.6 | 3.6 | 6.4 | 6.6 | 7.2 | 8.6 | 10.6 | 8.9 |
| Weather score | 8.6 | 10.0 | 9.4 | 8.7 | 6.2 | 9.2 | 7.8 | 7.8 | 7.5 | 6.8 | 6.2 | 6.8 |
The numbers behind the score
- Gateway airport
- Velana International Airport (MLE)
- US nonstops
- None. No US nonstop to MLE. Usual one-stop connections via Doha (Qatar Airways), Dubai (Emirates), Abu Dhabi (Etihad), Istanbul (Turkish Airlines) or London-Heathrow (British Airways).
- Distance
- 9,689 mi from Los Angeles, 8,713 mi from New York
- Passport
- Needed for US citizens
- Hotel, one night
- $43 on Jan 13, 2027 · $43 on Jul 14, 2027 (Maafushi (local island, South Male Atoll))
- Visitors a year
- 2,246,516 overnight visitors (2025)
- Bringing a dog
- Not realistic: Maldives Customs states that the import of dogs is strictly prohibited; other pets need a health certificate from an authorized veterinarian.
Hotel prices: Cheapest 3-star-or-better double, 1 night, 2 adults, Kayak 'Nightly total - including all taxes + fees' view, checked 2026-10-20. Rehendhi Villa both dates. Resort islands not priced: Kayak lists them without a resort filter and mixes in guesthouses, so no comparable resort figure was recorded.. Visitor figures: Maldives Ministry of Tourism and Environment figures, as reported by PSM/MMTV (state broadcaster).
Where Maldives ranks
Who the Maldives suits, and who should skip it
Pick the Maldives if your ideal day is snorkel, lunch, swim, sunset. It is one of the strongest choices on our list of honeymoon islands, because a resort island is built around privacy and the lagoon outside your door.
Skip it if you like to drive around, find a market or change restaurants every night. On a resort island you eat where you sleep. Families with young kids can do it, since lagoons are shallow, but the long trip and the transfers wear thin. If you want beaches plus mountains, food and day trips, Mauritius is the better Indian Ocean pick.
Resort island or local island: the two ways to stay
Local islands (guesthouses). Maafushi, in South Malé Atoll, is the best known. We searched Kayak for the cheapest double in a hotel rated 3 stars or better, one night, two adults, with all taxes and fees shown. Rehendhi Villa came up at $43 on Wednesday, January 13, 2027 and again at $43 on Wednesday, July 14, 2027. Neighboring Guraidhoo and Gulhi showed rooms in the same range. These are inhabited islands with mosques, shops and homes, and the Maldives is a Muslim country, so dress modestly in the village.
Resort islands. One island, one hotel. Your transfer from the airport is set and sold by the resort, by seaplane for distant atolls or speedboat for nearby ones. We could not find an official public price list for those transfers, so get the round-trip figure in writing before you book. It can rival a night's room rate.
Alcohol. Maldives Customs states that liquor bought on the plane or in duty free will be confiscated at the airport. Resorts sell it under special licenses.
Beaches and reefs
The beaches are soft white coral sand sloping into calm, shallow lagoons, with a reef edge where the water turns deep blue. On a good resort island the house reef is a few fins from the sand, so you snorkel from your room. Lagoon water inside the reef is usually calm enough for small children; the reef edge and channels can have current, so go with the dive center there.
On a local island the town beach is shared with residents, so ask your guesthouse which stretch is set aside for visitors. Guesthouses sell boat trips to sandbanks and nearby reefs, which is where local-island stays get their best water.
Things to do: mostly in the water
This is where the Maldives scores low on our scale. Beyond the beach you have:
- Snorkeling and diving on house reefs and channel dives, booked through your resort's dive center.
- Boat trips: sandbank picnics, dolphin cruises at sunset and night fishing.
- Malé, the capital, for a half day of markets and mosques before your flight out.
That is a short list for a long trip. Resort spas and dinners fill the rest. If you want a week of variety, look at Zanzibar, which pairs reef trips with Stone Town and spice farms.
When to go: two monsoons, not a hurricane season
The Maldives Meteorological Service describes two seasons. The northeast monsoon, the dry season, runs from January to March, and those months also get the most sunshine. The southwest monsoon, the wet season, normally runs from mid-May to November. December and April are the transition months.
The service frames the year around these monsoons rather than a cyclone season. Wet-season months bring more rain, wind and choppier seaplane days, but rooms still sell: July rates on Maafushi matched January's. Our storm season guide covers the cyclone and hurricane regions for comparison.
Getting there from the US, and entry rules
No US airport has a nonstop flight to Velana International Airport (MLE) in Malé. The usual one-stop routings go through Doha on Qatar Airways, Dubai on Emirates, Abu Dhabi on Etihad, Istanbul on Turkish Airlines or London on British Airways. Velana opened a new terminal in July 2025.
For entry, the US State Department says you need a passport valid six months beyond arrival and one blank page. The 30-day visitor visa is free on arrival. You must also file the IMUGA traveler declaration online within 96 hours before travel; the State Department warns that some sites charging for it are scams. See our passport rules guide.
Dogs are out. Maldives Customs lists pets as restricted, then adds that the import of dogs is strictly prohibited. Our dog-friendly islands list has options.
What a trip costs: the fees on top of the room
The Maldives layers several government charges on your stay. These are the ones confirmed for 2026:
| Charge | Amount | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Green tax, resorts, resort hotels, boats and hotels over 50 rooms | $12 per person per night | January 1, 2025 (was $6) |
| Green tax, guesthouses of 50 rooms or fewer on inhabited islands | $6 per person per night | January 1, 2025 (was $3) |
| Tourism goods and services tax (TGST) | 17% | July 1, 2025 (was 16%) |
| Departure tax plus airport development fee, economy | $100 total | December 1, 2024 (was $60) |
| Same, business / first | $240 / $480 | December 1, 2024 |
The departure charges are built into your airline ticket. Children under two are exempt from the green tax and the departure tax. We found no further increase in 2026; Maldives Inland Revenue Authority figures reported in July 2026 show the same two charges still in force.
Tickets and tours you can book
Malé Uncovered Heritage, Culture and Hidden Gems
Ferry from the airport and guide are included; museum entry ($15) and tips are extra. Works well on a long layover.
Rating as shown on Viator
Maldives: Snorkeling with Nurse Sharks, Coral Reef, Sandbank
Pickup in Male and Hulhumale and snorkel gear are included. Only useful if you stay in Male, Hulhumale or a local island; resort guests book through the resort.
Rating as shown on GetYourGuide
3 Point Snorkeling Safari
Guide, snorkel gear, tax and gratuities are included; it is not for guests on private resort islands.
Rating as shown on Viator
Booking through these links supports this site at no cost to you. Prices move by date, so we do not print them here; the official prices we checked are in the page above.
Frequently asked questions
Do US citizens need a visa for the Maldives?
No visa in advance. A 30-day visitor visa is issued free on arrival. You need a passport valid six months beyond arrival and the IMUGA declaration, filed online within 96 hours before your flight.
How much is the Maldives departure tax?
For foreigners flying economy, the departure tax and airport development fee add up to $100, up from $60 since December 1, 2024. Business is $240 and first is $480. They are included in your airline ticket.
How much is the Maldives green tax?
$12 per person per night at resorts and larger hotels, and $6 at guesthouses with 50 rooms or fewer on inhabited islands, since January 1, 2025. Children under two are exempt.
Can you bring a dog to the Maldives?
No. Maldives Customs states that the import of dogs is strictly prohibited. Other pets need a health certificate from an authorized veterinarian.
What is the best month to visit the Maldives?
January to March, the dry northeast monsoon, with the most sunshine. The wet southwest monsoon runs from mid-May to November, according to the Maldives Meteorological Service.
Can you visit the Maldives on a budget?
Yes, on a local island. We found 3-star rooms on Maafushi for $43 a night, taxes in, for both January 13 and July 14, 2027. Add the $6 nightly green tax if it is not in the quote, plus boat trips.
Further reading
Official sources
- Ministry of Tourism and Environment, Maldives - Daily Updates (December 7 and December 29, 2025) – US arrivals 59,883 (2.9%, 7th market) through December 6, 2025; December 29 update shows 2,223,698 arrivals through December 28; checked October 20, 2026
- PSM / MMTV (state broadcaster) - Record tourist arrivals in 2025 – 2,246,516 tourist arrivals in 2025, up 9.8%; new Velana terminal opened in July; checked October 20, 2026
- KPMG Tax News Flash - Maldives GST, Tourism Act and airport fee amendments ratified – Green tax $12/$6 from January 1, 2025; TGST 17% from July 1, 2025; departure charges from December 1, 2024; checked October 20, 2026
- The Points Guy - Maldives departure tax increase – Cumulative departure tax plus airport development fee for foreigners: $100 economy, $240 business, $480 first; included in tickets; checked October 20, 2026
- MMTV - Airport taxes and fees revenue, January to June 2026 (MIRA data) – Departure tax and airport development fee still collected in 2026; exemptions; checked October 20, 2026
- PSM News - Green tax revenue 2026 – Green tax rate change January 1, 2025; under-twos exempt; 2026 arrivals dipped early because of Middle East flight suspensions; checked October 20, 2026
- US State Department - Maldives International Travel Information – Passport six months, one blank page, free 30-day visa on arrival, IMUGA within 96 hours; checked October 20, 2026
- Maldives Customs Service - Prohibited and restricted items for import (individuals) – Import of dogs strictly prohibited; alcohol confiscated on arrival; checked October 20, 2026
- Maldives Meteorological Service - Climate of Maldives – Southwest (wet) monsoon mid-May to November; northeast (dry) monsoon January to March; most sunshine January to March; checked October 20, 2026
- Wikipedia - Velana International Airport, Airlines and destinations – No US destinations; hub carriers Qatar, Emirates, Etihad, Turkish, British Airways; checked October 20, 2026
- Kayak - Maafushi hotels, January 13-14, 2027 – Rehendhi Villa $43, nightly total including taxes and fees; checked October 20, 2026
- Kayak - Maafushi hotels, July 14-15, 2027 – Rehendhi Villa $43, nightly total including taxes and fees; checked October 20, 2026
