Maldiverna och den lokala ön Thulusdhoo

Table of contents

Guest writer: Jonathan Gharbi de Maré

The Maldives is something many people have heard about in connection with honeymoons or the neighbour who celebrated his 50th birthday there. But that's no longer the case. Now that tourism is also welcomed on the local islands, it has become much easier and cheaper.

In the past, hotels were not allowed to be built on the local islands, so only exclusive resorts were available. Flight tickets don't have to be so expensive and there are even budget flights travelling there nowadays. You can visit the country and experience the local culture and fantastic beaches without having to stay in a five-star resort.

Maldiverna — The beach at Thulusdhoo. The weather is pleasant and sometimes cloudy and the water temperatures are comfortable all year round.

What should you know before travelling?

When you start to do some research, many questions arise and here we answer some of the most common ones. If you want to stay at a five-star resort with all inclusive, you can do so. They are all located on privately owned islands. There is often no alternative on the private islands, as the entire island is owned by the hotel. The advantage, however, is that it is allowed to serve alcohol on them.

Transport can be expensive as private boats or flights will pick you up. For those who easily get tired of resorts, are curious and do not want to spend several months' salary on a trip, you can visit the local islands. This means the regular populated islands where Maldivians live. There are regular restaurants so you don't have to pay hotel prices and you can learn more about the country. There are excellent beaches everywhere so you don't have to worry.

Thanks to the fact that tourism has been allowed on the regular inhabited islands, you can choose whether you want to stay for SEK 700 a night in a simple hostel for surfers. Or spend around 2000 SEK for a cosy room with a sea view. Hotels on the local islands are often relatively small, with 10-20 rooms.

Many cosy hotels on smaller islands, here on Thulusdoo

Hotell på Thulusdoo — Hotels at Thulusdoo

Clothing and culture

It says that the Maldives is a strictly Muslim country and that you should dress conservatively. Most tourists wear shorts, dresses or skirts and t-shirts. There are special beaches where you can swim in a bikini, they are called bikini beaches and are often the best beaches on the local islands. Clothes are not an issue when you are on these beaches and no one seems to care where exactly how far you can go in a bikini. The locals are often quite disinterested in the tourists and give a relaxed impression.

Compared to many countries in North Africa and the Middle East, the Maldives feels much more relaxed. There don't seem to be any pushy vendors either, so you can enjoy your time on the beach.

Then there is also the issue of beer. Alcohol is prohibited except in resorts and some larger hotels. But, for example, off the island of Maafushi there is a party boat where you can get a lift and enjoy the sunset with a drink. When it comes to food prices, a main course is around 160 SEK at the tourist restaurants, while you can get by with 50 SEK for fried rice with tuna at a local restaurant.

Ris med tonfisk i curry — Rice with tuna in curry - a common local dish

Arrival in the capital Male

When you land at the capital, you also choose whether you want to go by motorboat or local ferry. From the airport, a local boat leaves a few times per hour and it takes around 10 minutes to Male if you don't want to take a regular taxi.

Local ferries go to all the local islands and cost around €22 per person, the fast ferries cost around €300. The local ferries usually run only once a day and not on Fridays, which are public holidays. Many people also fly on the small seaplanes, which costs a few thousand dollars. The speedboats have fixed times but often have three or four departures per day.

The capital, Male, is small and about eight square kilometres in size, with around 250,000 people living there so it's a hive of activity wherever you go. There are relatively few attractions but it's a good place to spend a night. From there, ferries run to the local islands and there's a small island just outside that's nice to visit if you're waiting for your flight. The island of Vilingili is reached by ferries that run several times an hour, a perfect day trip if you're in Male and have time to spare.

Male Maldiverna — Inside the capital city of Male

What is the best thing about the Maldives?

The water is wonderfully clear and even the local islands have reefs full of fish. The marine life is incredible, everywhere you look in the water you see fish and coral. You often see smaller sharks, different types of rays, turquoise parrotfish and lots of schools of striped fish in different colours.

Of course you can take the paid trips to different reefs, but most of the islands have their own reefs that are absolutely stunning and you can easily spend a couple of days snorkelling before seeing most of the fish species.

Swimming with manta rays or peaceful 'nurse sharks' is popular and all you need is cyclops and a bit of courage. The two metre long sharks are popular to swim around and do not attack humans, but if you poke them there is a risk of them biting you.

Which island to choose?

The popular local islands are Maafushi, Thulusdhoo, Ukulhas, Dhiffushi and Gulhi. There are more of course, the country consists of almost 1200 islands of which 180 are inhabited. Some are located north of Male and others south but the difference is not so great.

All have beaches dedicated to tourists, known as bikini beaches. The best reefs are usually located there so you don't have to worry about missing anything.

If you like a good selection of restaurants, Maafushi is good and there is a party boat where you can have a beer. Thulusdhoo is quieter and popular with surfers but has a beautiful reef where most of the fish are found. On the outer side of the island there are bigger waves but around the rest of the island the waters are calm.

Thulusdhoo

You can get there in an hour and a half by local ferry in the morning or one of the three daily fast ferry departures that take around 30 minutes. There are a handful of cosy beach hotels and several basic hostels. The island has a few hundred inhabitants, a few shops and restaurants and a medical centre.

You can vary your dinner in a handful of restaurants, often attached to a hotel. There is also a local restaurant where you can eat simple food for a third of the price of the hotels. The atmosphere is cosy, and there are even big bats flying around stealing fruit during the day.

There are a few bathing beaches but the best reef is at Thulusdhoos bikini beach. You can walk around the island in less than an hour and there is also a coca cola factory to visit.

Activities in the Maldives

Almost all islands offer the same activities and you can book through your hotel or directly on the beach. Most tours last a few hours and the most common are snorkelling tours, shark safaris or swimming with manta rays. But because the reefs are so good on most islands, it's enough to stay at your beach and snorkel.

If you then take a trip, there are often several boats that appear when someone discovers larger shoals. But just off Thulusdhoo you can see nurse sharks swimming by in the evenings as well as huge rays. During the day it's full of fish and you only need to be at a depth of one metre to see big fish in bright colours.

Can I visit the Maldives before it disappears?

The government of the Maldives is leading the way for many of the small island nations, trying to get more climate policies in place to reduce sea level rise. The Maldives is often cited as an example when talking about the potential for sea level rise and its impact on people.

Will the Maldives still be around in 50 years? Yes and no. Some islands will disappear if the sea rises one metre, as the highest point has been just under 2 metres.

A new island, Hulhumale, is currently being built next to Male, with high-rise buildings and roads to accommodate everyone. The two islands are connected by a bridge and you can easily travel between them by both taxi and boat.

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Jonathan Gharbi De Maré

Jonathan runs the start-up abudhabibeer.com about beer both in the UAE with offshoots in neighbouring regions. Jonathan opened the first craft brewery in Burkina Faso and wrote the book Beer guide to Vietnam. He is a regular writer for the beer magazine Maltesen. In addition to beer, he has a keen interest in nature and more unusual travel destinations. He has written articles for a variety of newspapers and magazines.