3 ways to get to Male from the airport
- Direct transport by speed boat
- Public ferry from the airport to Male
- Taxi, another option to get to Male from the airport
- Public ferry, the cheapest way to move between islands in the Maldives
- Speed boat, an agile way to move between islands in the Maldives
- Seaplane, the best option to move between islands in the Maldives
If you’ve made it this far, it means you’ve already decided that you’re going to travel to the Maldives on your own and you’re wondering how to get around the more than 1,200 islands that make up this curious country. Well, don’t worry, because whether you’re already clear about which of these islands you’re going to visit during your trip or you’re still deciding, we’re going to tell you how to get around between islands and what the different options are that you have at your disposal.
If you’re going to travel to a super resort, it’s very possible that the transfer is included in the price. If, like us and the vast majority, you’re part of the club of mortals, then keep reading.
3 ways to get to Male from the airport
The first thing you’ll do on your trip to the Maldives is get to Velana International Airport in Male, the capital of the Maldives. The airport is located on the island of Hulhule, very close to Male. So once at the airport you’ll have several options to get to the first island of your trip.
Direct transport by speed boat
Speed boats are small boats that cover transfers between islands in a short time, because they travel at a much faster speed than the ferry… Hence their name, of course.
Accommodations often offer speed boats that connect Male airport with local islands. This is the most comfortable and fastest option to get to any local island and you will be skipping the chaotic Male, which is not at all interesting. The price is quite high. We will give you more information about speed boats later.
Public ferry from the airport to Male
If you use the public ferry to move between islands, you will have to first get to Male, where all the ferry lines leave.
The cheapest option to get from the airport to the city of Male is by using the public ferry. This one is very easy to find, just follow the signs for ‘’Ferry to Male’’ to find the ticket office, which is right in front of the airport exit.
There is a ferry every hour and the ticket price is 15 MVR (0.91€) per person. In less than 15 minutes you will be in Male. The ferry drops you off at the Henveiru Ferry Terminal station from where there are several public ferry lines to many of the local islands. From here you can take the public ferry to islands such as Rasdhoo, Gulhi or Guraidhoo.
Taxi, another option to get to Male from the airport
A recently built road links Velana International Airport with Male so it is possible to go by taxi. The journey time is about 10/15 minutes depending on the traffic conditions. The price is slightly higher than if you opt for the public ferry. It is around 80/100 MVR (4.83/6.04€) per trip.
Be careful, because there is usually traffic on the way from Male to the airport and the transfer can take about 20 minutes. We recommend that you leave plenty of time to make the transfer and not have any problems catching your flight back home.
Once in Male, we will tell you how to get around the different islands you will visit during your trip to the Maldives.
Public ferry, the cheapest way to move between islands in the Maldives
The cheapest way to move between islands in the Maldives is by using the public ferry. The downside is that the schedules are a bit odd and the different lines do not operate every day of the week. Still, if you have time and saving money is your priority, it is possible to move between islands using public transport.
We can say that we spent 19 days in the Maldives and visited 5 different islands using only the public ferry. To give you an idea, we only spent €32 between the two of us taking a total of 8 ferries to move between the different islands we visited.
The key to success is to adapt your travel itinerary to the Maldives to the public ferry schedule. To do this, the first thing you should do is check and study the schedules and frequencies of the public ferry.
You should know that the islands of the Maldives are organized into atolls, which are a kind of circle formed by a group of several islands belonging to the same coral reef. And why is this? Because ferry lines usually connect islands that are within the same atoll, although sometimes they also connect 2 atolls close to each other.
Therefore, if your priority is to use public transport, it is best to move around the same atoll or ferry line. In this way, the transfer by public ferry will be more comfortable and you will have fewer complications.
We used two different lines during our 19-day trip through the Maldives. Line 309 connects the islands of the Kaafu atoll, south of Male. And line 303 connects the islands of Thoddoo, Ukulhas and Rasdhoo.
You can buy tickets at the departure terminal in Male or on the ferry itself, if you leave from a small island. The price ranges from 22 (1.31€) to 52 MVR (3.12€), depending on the line. The departure point for most lines is the Henveiru Ferry Terminal, located northeast of Male.
Speed boat, an agile way to move between islands in the Maldives
If the public ferry does not fit your time, schedule or days, then you will have to opt for the famous speed boats, which we have already talked about. Here you should keep in mind that the price goes up a lot, since they speculate a lot with them.
The duration of the journeys is much shorter than by public ferry. Therefore, if you have few days, it may be the most suitable option to move between islands in the Maldives.
Here is an example of a comparison of prices and duration of the journey. To get from Male to Rasdhoo by speed boat the price is around $40, while the same journey by public ferry costs 52 MVR (3.12€). However, the journey takes 1 hour and 10 minutes, while the public ferry takes more than 3 hours.
To move between islands by speed boat, you can arrange it through your accommodation. Once you make the reservation, they will contact you and sometimes even offer you a transfer directly from the airport.
Another option is to book the transfer with us. We used it a lot during our trip without a return ticket through Southeast Asia and it works wonderfully with Delighted Journey.
Seaplane, the top option to move between islands in the Maldives
If budget is not a problem for you or you are going to travel to the Maldives on your honeymoon and with just enough time, perhaps the seaplane is an option to consider. We did not try it because we traveled on a backpacker budget, but just flying over those atolls surrounded by turquoise must be quite an experience.
This means of transport is usually used to reach luxury resorts located on private islands quite far from the capital. The duration of the journeys is usually very short. The painful part here is the price. A seaplane transfer ranges from €250/€500 per person per journey, depending on the duration.
These journeys are organised through the resort where you are staying.
You now have all the information you need to move between islands on your next trip to the Maldives. We recommend that you read the posts about each island in which we explain how to get to each one of them. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to write to us in the comments and we will try to help you.
Thank you very much for reading the post!
