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Best Time of Year to Visit the MaldivesExplore > Travel Planning Articles > Best Time of Year to Visit the MaldivesDate published: 2023-05-07
Photo courtesy Jon Haase.
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Where are the Maldives?The Maldives are a coveted vacation spot as the smallest country in Asia (regarding both size and population). This beautiful destination has historically been known under different names in the Sanskrit language, translated as "Necklace Islands," "Garland of Islands," and "Hundred Thousand Islands." 
Wedding pavilion at Angsana Resort & Spa Ihuru. Photo courtesy the resort. As a cluster of small islands in the Indian ocean, the Maldives are made up mostly of the water in between its 1,190 islands, about 90 of which are developed as tourist resorts. Their unique layout into a double chain of 26 atolls spread out over roughly 35,000 square miles. Each atoll adds to a variety of vibrant coral reefs teeming with lush underwater life including fish, sea turtles, whales, and dolphins. InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort 5 nights from 4,885 per person  Escape and reconnect with nature, yourself and those who matter most in the sweeping blue panoramic of the Indian Ocean. With soft white sands and palm tree peppered terraces, be mesmerised by island life from the moment you board the seaplane to the tranquil shores of the Raa Atoll. Nestled close to the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, prepare to be amazed by the myriad of marine life in our lagoon including a unique manta ray sanctuary.Learn more about InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort Price includes hotel stay and all taxes and fees. 
Maldivian beach villas. Photo courtesy Jon Haase. Typical airfares from New York (JFK) to Male, Republic of the MaldivesRaffles Maldives Meradhoo Resort 5 nights from 6,355 per person  Raffles Maldives Meradhoo is a rare haven. In its remote location on the southern tip of the Maldives archipelago, it is as far away from the rhythm of everyday life as can be. Here, guests find their own rhythm. In harmony with nature, they relax, reconnect and realign. Surrounded by crystalline Indian Ocean waters home to unspoiled house reefs and their incredible inhabitants, it is easy to forget the world outside.Set on 2 private islands in the Indian Ocean, this high-end resort is accessible by seaplane from Male. Thinadhoo is the nearest island. On the beach or over water, the luxurious villas feature private pools, terraces, living areas, marble bathrooms and 4-poster beds. All provide free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, safes, minibars and Nespresso machines. Upgraded villas add gardens; some sleep up to 8 guests. Butler service is offered 24/7. Amenities include 3 upscale restaurants with terraces, and 2 chic bars, as well as a premium spa and a gym. Water sports facilities are available. The place is tranquil, beautiful and pure. The service is discreet, intuitive and gracious. The life is true Raffles luxury. This is elegance at its most natural. See & compare all resorts in the Maldives atollsIf you're trying to decide where to stay on Ari Atoll, Lhaviyani Atoll, Male, North Male Atoll, North Baa Atoll, or South Male Atolls, we can help! For the 28 resorts there, we've got nearly 500 high-resolution photos, 7 videos, and 13 virtual tours to help you find your Maldivian dream resort. Click here to use our Visual Explorer to check out all of them. 
Photo courtesy Jon Haase. Rangali Island 5 nights from 22,383 per person  The 5-star Conrad Maldives Rangali Island is a combination of three distinct resort experiences on two islands surrounded by a coral reef and lagoon. It's also home to two spas, seven restaurants - including the world's only all-glass undersea restaurant - and three bars, as well as kilometers of white sand beaches, outstanding diving and snorkeling, and a wealth of other sports. Conrad Maldives Rangali Island combines exceptional services and amenities with world-class hospitality in one of the world's most beautiful locations. Food lovers and wine connoisseurs will love the seven outstanding restaurants and four bars set in spectacular Maldivian beach settings and the unique dining experience of the world's first all-glass undersea restaurant, the Ithaa, 16 feet below sea level. The Atoll Market restaurant serves world cuisine from eight international kitchens. Choose the Koko Grill Restaurant for a nine-course Japanese feast. Fine wines await discovery six feet underwater in The Wine Cellar serving degustation wine dinners. Book a private beach dinner with your own chef and waiter or a sensational beachside feast with fresh lobsters and champagne. Indulge in spa therapies at the two stunning spas on stilts over the Indian Ocean offering luxury treatments in glass-floored treatment rooms. Exercise in the fully equipped fitness center. Swim in the two infinite view swimming pools and play tennis by the ocean. Do business in the 24-hour business center. Spectacular scenery makes this resort the perfect location for weddings and honeymoons. Buy something special in the resort's three boutiques offering Italian designer wear, jewellery and gift items. This amazing resort has a Dive Center and Watersports Center and a "Nemo" style mini submarine to take two passengers on a 30-minute ride of a lifetime to see the resort's coral reef. Best time of year to go to the MaldivesAs a tropical monsoon climate, the Maldives have two dominating seasons: a dry season (associated with dry northeast winter monsoons) and a wet season (associated with moist southwest monsoons and strong winds and storms). The dry season has little rain and lower humidity; it lasts from December-April. The wet season is (you guessed it) wetter, characterized by stronger winds and rain; it lasts from May-November. For divers, both the dry and wet seasons have their advantages: during the dry season, visibility is superb, due to currents beginning to flow in November from the northeast; the currents start to weaken in February. During the wet season, the water temperatures are a couple of degrees lower, and this seems to inspire larger numbers of hammerhead sharks and reef sharks to congregate, and to do so in shallower waters than in the dry season. Visibility isn't as good, however, as the currents are less. 
Aerial view of Sheraton Full Moon Maldives. Photo courtesy the resort. Average temperatures in the MaldivesThe temperature remains fairly consistent year-round, ranging only from the low- to mid-80's (Fahrenheit). September-January tend to hover around the 80 degree mark, and February-August tend to reach a little higher around the mid-80's. Chances are any time you decide to visit, the Maldives will be pleasantly warm. Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi 5 nights from 4,857 per person  Located on the Shaviyani Atoll, which boasts one of the country's largest resort lagoon, Fairmont Maldives, Sirru Fen Fushi is more than just your personal hideaway. Our "secret water island" as dubbed by the locals glistens like a pearl. Poster white sand beaches fringed with swaying palms, kissed by the turquoise waters of the 600-hectare lagoon that gives way to the tranquil blues of the Indian Ocean and a never-ending horizon.Our luxurious resort is home to the longest infinity pool in the Maldives that leads you to the Coralarium, the Maldives' first and only coral regeneration project in the form of an underwater art installation by Jason deCaires Taylor. Fairmont Maldives, Sirru Fen Fushi is surrounded by opulent Beach Villas, decadent Over Water Villas and the unique luxury Tented Jungle Villas. Explore range of unrivaled experiences with us. Sail away to a nearby deserted island for a romantic picnic just for two, join a sunset dolphin cruise aboard your own private yacht, or experience a wide array exhilarating water sports and check it off your bucket list. On other days, snorkel out to the open waters to encounter fascinating and abundant marine life in the company of our experience guides. For the ultimate underwater experience, try a diving trip to our 9km-long house reef, home to the manta ray cleaning stations. Discover the magic of the Maldives with us. It doesn't get any better. Storms in the MaldivesDuring the winter rainy season, afternoon showers occur with frequency. In the case of a tropical storm or cyclone, residents and travelers are relocated to safe areas. Fortunately, the Maldives are not as prone to cyclones as other islands; only 11 cyclones have affected the Maldives in over 128 years. 
Overwater villas in the Maldives. Photo courtesy Jon Haase. Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa Maldives 5 nights from 1,475 per person  Dive into absolute serenity. Less than 20 minutes away from Velana International Airport by speedboat, set on a pristine island blessed with tropical beauty in North Malé Atoll, Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa Maldives is an adults-only retreat that is ideal for couples and honeymooners. Light and airy villas with wooden flooring and natural fabrics provide sensational views of the Indian Ocean and offer the choice of beachside or overwater accommodation. Pure white sand and a sparkling blue lagoon make this a perfect playground for beach games, snorkeling and water sports, while the magical underwater world of some of the top dive sites in the Maldives are reached within less than half an hour by dhoni. Immerse yourself in absolute serenity and enjoy the stunning ocean vistas. Retreat in comfort, whether in a tastefully designed ocean-side villa, perfect for barefoot living with the beach at your doorstep, or in an overwater villa with steps down to the tranquil lagoon. Our 140 villas harmoniously blend in with the island’s green interior and the white powdery beach, using flowing and natural architectural forms and a minimalist décor, and are designed as adults-only accommodation. All our villas accommodate 2 adults only. Discover an enchanting and pristine island with endless opportunities to relax and enjoy the beautiful Maldives setting. Laze the day away beachside or by the ocean-side pool with its own pool bar, or indulge in absolute pampering at SPA Cenvaree. Sensational treatments inspired by Thailand’s well-being heritage and modern rejuvenation practices are performed in single and double treatment rooms, with romantic couple spa journeys and multi-day authentic Ayurvedic programs a speciality. You will love our beachside yoga sessions. For fun and active holidays, our PADI dive and water sports centre offers an abundance of exciting activities including night snorkeling and snorkel safari, sunset fishing and big game fishing, fun tubes and banana rides, excursions such as visit to a local island and a Malé sightseeing tour, and water sports with kite surfing, windsurfing, water skiing and catamaran sailing. Explore some of the Maldives’ most sought-after snorkeling and dive sites with our PADI dive centre offering programs for avid divers and beginners alike. The warm waters of the North Malé Atoll offer great visibility allowing you to immerse in a mesmerizing world. Exhilarating dive sites to be found between a five to 20 minutes’ dhoni ride from the resort include Giraavaru Cave, Kuda Haa, Shark Point, Lion’s Head, Kuda Faru and Kikki Reef. Farther out at sea, Black Coral Reef, Bandos Rock, Banana Reef, and Maldives Victory Wreck are less than one hour away. <ul><li>Free-form swimming pool complete with dedicated pool bar <li>A new lap pool at the Silent beach area which is located behind the Reception, Gym & Spa <li>Oceanfront SPA Cenvaree <li>Fitness centre <li>PADI dive centre <li>Motorized and non-motorized water sports <li>Half-day and full-day North Male' Atoll surfing. Available on request between May and November <li>Daily excursions <li>E-Zone entertainment area <li>Complimentary wireless internet access <li>Airport transfers operated by speedboat <li>Island boutique <li>Medical services and resident doctor <li>Laundry services <li>Foreign currency exchange As an adults-only resort, guests must be aged 12 years and above. </ul> Learn more about Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa Maldives Price includes hotel stay and all taxes and fees. What's special about the Maldives?Tourism is relatively recent here--really, it all started for the Maldives in 1972 with just 2 resorts. It's grown to over 80 resorts today. It's the lowest country in the world (yes, it's in the record books) with an average altitude of only about 5 feet above sea level. You're going to get fabulous lagoons protected by coral reefs and other atolls, and gorgeous beaches. But you won't get the knife-edge mountain backdrops you'd see somewhere like Bora Bora, or jungle hikes to waterfalls like you'd get in Hawaii, Fiji, or the Seychelles. 
Infinity pool at the Four Seasons Resort at Kuda Huraa. Photo courtesy the resort. Certainly it's famous for fantastic snorkeling, scuba diving, and above-water sports too. Like the Seychelles, you're going to be a long ways from a major land mass, which means dense schools of fish, less pollution, and more privacy. The roughly 1200 islands are all quite small, with none of them larger than 5 miles across. Each atoll has on average about a half dozen inhabited islands, plus 20 to 60 that are uninhabited. 
Underground wine cellar and chocolate cave at Gili Lankanfushi, North Male Atoll, Maldives. Photo courtesy the resort. Traditional Maldivian cuisine is based on coconuts, fish, and starches. Skipjack tuna, yellowfin tuna, frigate tuna and wahoo are common in Maldivian cuisine. As well, a thick brown paste made from tuna, called Rihaakuru, is an essential part of many dishes. Maldivians don't eat raw fish, however (but that doesn't mean you won't ever find sushi in resort restaurants). Their starches are typically rice, taro (the root ingredient of Hawaii's poi), sweet potato, and cassava. You'll find a strong Indian influence--not surprising, given the proximity--and a plethora of different curries. As a tourist in the resorts, expect to find Indian and Maldivian options, but also food styles from around the world. The resorts are well aware that many guests will want to what what's familiar to them. Check this video overview of the Maldives, courtesy Maldives Tourist Promotion Board (MTPB): 
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