The Indian Ocean has many wonderful destinations and one very popular one is the Maldives Islands, Southeast Asia. An Eden of beaches, sun and crystalline and warm waters, what you are looking for if it is about holidays under the sun and super relaxed.
We are already in February and sooner or later the cold will start to go away, the pandemic is also over and we can already think about a well-deserved vacation. When to travel to the Madivas, then?
Maldiva's Islands
It is an archipelago that is about 750 kilometers from mainland Asia, a chain of 26 atolls that are located at the height of the equator and that occupy more or less 90 thousand square kilometers, between sea and land.
It is the smallest Asian country of all and it's only inhabited by just over half a million people, so it's far from being one of the most populous. Its capital is the city of Male, And when talking about climate change and the rise in sea level, the Maldives always appear as they are barely a meter and a half above sea level.
The Maldives converted to Islam in the XNUMXth century and in the XNUMXth century Europe became interested in the islands so the British turned the archipelago into a protectorate It only achieved its independence after the Second World War, in the 60s, in the process of decolonization of Asia and Africa after the conflict.
visit the maldives
As I write this article the temperature in Malé is 34ºC. Today there are 168 resorts, 13 hotels, 826 guest houses, 659 tourism agencies, three marinas for boats, 151 sailboats, and 248 diving centers.
So, visiting the Maldives implies doing something in the water, with the water, surrounded by water... And what water! Is about crystal clear emerald green, sometimes turquoise waters, which bathe soft sand beaches, like dust or flour, with palm trees that move in the gentle sea breeze, which hide pristine corals and the most incredible underwater life.
There are actually about 1190 very low coral islands scattered along the entire equator line, but there are 26 inhabited atolls, divided into 20 administrative units. Each island is a green paradise of tropical vegetation, coconut palms and flowers, there are lagoons, reefs and a friendly climate that never subsides.
Tourism is not a very old thing in the Maldives. It arrived in 1972 and since then it has grown a lot and steadily. For Europeans it is one of the most attractive destinations in the tropics, and somehow the government has managed to manage tourism without losing the sense of ecological preservation.
Tourism in the Maldives is basically concentrated on honeymoons, couple trips and small family trips. As a honeymoon destination, it is highly sought after, romantic and recommendable. It's all about candlelit dinners, floral welcome gifts, and a star treatment.
Almost all the resorts offer their excursion program, some are general, others are adapted to the tourists themselves, but basically they include trips to uninhabited islands like day tour, snorkeling or diving sessions, barbecue on the beach, seaplane rides, night fishing, spas, water sports and on the beach, typical entertainment inside the hotelss ...
The truth is that being on the equator you cannot go to the Maldives without diving or enjoying the underwater wonders of this tourist destination. The facilities of snorkeling and diving They are great: there are thousands of reefs, at least a thousand species of fish, around two hundred species of corals and hundreds of species of marine animals to marvel at.
Each resort has its own diving center and we can say that it is the heart of the tourist program that each one offers. Its instructors are well qualified and the centers operate all year round. There are even diving centers in Malé, and there are also two decompression chambers, one in Ari Atoll and one in Kaafu.
You can also enjoy the water above the water itself, that is, surfing. The best surf season in the Maldives it is from April to October, when the southeast monsoon blows. Another time of the year, for larger eddies, is between June and September.
We said above that the Maldives have centuries of history, so in no way should we stay with the sun, the beaches and the sea when it comes to tourism. There is a lot of history and culture too and that is reflected in the architectural, cultural and gastronomic heritage.
you can meet the XNUMXth century Hukuru Mosque, built with blocks of fine coral, also the current Presidential Palace and the old, built after the First World War, the islamic center of 1984 with its gigantic mosque, the National Museum and Park of the Sultan, the Fish Market and the artificial beach, in case you can't go to any other island.
Now that you know all this, When should you go to the Maldives? It must be said that the nation enjoys a very good climate all year round, but It has a dry season and a rainy season.. And each one has its advantages and disadvantages.
If you want to enjoy a very good climate then the best time of the year to visit the Maldives is between November and April, outside of the monsoon season. It is advisable to stay during March and April, although it is also outside Easter because it is more expensive. So, the resorts are calmer and the top is drier. And if money does not worry you and you can travel in high season, you will enjoy much less humidity and hotter days.
May to October is considered the rainy season so it rains and there is a lot of wind. It is the season in which surfers arrive because the waves are bigger. It is true that the prices are better but the weather is not. And it's not that prices drop much, you have to know that Maldives is never a cheap destination. It will be more or less expensive.
Of course, broadly speaking we can say that in terms of flight and hotel prices, it is recommended to visit the Maldives between May and November because it is cheaper. On the contrary, between December and February it is more expensive because of the holidays.
Finally, the specialists clarify that in reality the weather is not the only factor to consider when deciding When should you visit the Maldives? although it is convenient to know that there are monsoons: there are two monsoon seasons, that of the northeast (dry season), which runs from December to March, and that of the southwest (wet season), which runs from May to November, with strong winds, rain and occasional storms. You also have to consider the budget, the time you have available and what you want to do on the islands because maybe you don't think about diving or surfing, for example.
And finally, we must not lose sight of the fact that the Maldives professes Islam so there is Ramadan and some stores may be closed. Not inside the resorts, luckily. This 2023 Ramadan falls from March 22 to April 2.