The Maldives is a chain of 1,200 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls, scattered across 800 kilometres of the Indian Ocean. Almost every island is just a few metres above sea level, encircled by lagoons of impossibly clear water. The climate is equatorial — warm all year — and the holiday template is simple: one resort per island, water villas over the lagoon, and snorkelling or diving on the reef. The choice is not whether to go but when, and which atoll.
December through April is the dry season and the peak — calm seas, almost no rain, and the highest prices of the year. May through November is the wet season but crucially still warm and often sunny in the morning, with much better value.
December, January and February are the postcard months. Daytime highs of 30°C, low humidity for the tropics, near-zero rain on most days, and water clarity at its best for snorkelling. Christmas and New Year are the most expensive single weeks of the resort year — book a year ahead.
March and April continue the dry pattern with marginally warmer water (29°C) and the calmest seas. Late April brings the first hints of the southwest monsoon and humidity starts rising. This is the last reliable dry stretch before the wet season.
June, July and August fall in the wet season but are not washed out — expect short heavy showers most days, often clearing within an hour, with plenty of sunshine in between. Underwater visibility drops slightly. Surf season arrives on the south-facing reefs. Prices are 30-50% lower than December.
September and October are the wettest months on average — more cloud, more rain, occasionally several rainy days in a row — but also the cheapest. November sees rain easing and the dry season returning by month-end.
Often yes — temperatures stay warm, rain typically comes in short bursts, and prices fall 30-50%. The trade-off is that you may lose a half-day to a storm. For divers, July-October coincides with the manta and whale-shark season in Baa Atoll.
Speedboat transfers are typically $200-400 per person return; seaplane transfers $400-700; domestic flight + speedboat for the far south can exceed $700.
Yes. Local islands like Maafushi, Dhigurah and Thulusdhoo have guesthouses from $50-150 per night. Alcohol and bikini beaches are restricted to designated areas, but the snorkelling is identical to the resorts.
Between 27 and 30°C every month of the year. The Indian Ocean here barely fluctuates — there is no cold-water season.