HOW TO BOOK MALDIVES ISLAND TRANSFERS

 

W hen it comes to booking Maldives island transfers, a little know-how goes a long way. Arriving in paradise, you want to know exactly how to get to from the Maldives’ airport to resort or local island you have selected for your Maldives vacation. The last thing you want is to waste precious holiday time in paradise, stranded at the airport or in transit. Here’s all you need to know about Maldives airport transfers:

 

YOU MUST PRE-BOOK ALL MALDIVES AIRPORT TRANSFERS

When you arrive in the Maldives, you must have already pre-arranged your Maldives island transfers to whisk you away to your intended holiday island, whether that be a resort or local island. There are no public ferries, speedboats or water taxis available to book transfers at the airport. It’s simply not possible to arrive in Maldives and organise your Maldives island transfers at the airport. All Maldives airport transfers need to be pre-arranged and avoid unwanted airport delays or even an unnecessary nights in transit. If you choose to book your accommodation package with us, Indulge Maldives can help take care of all of all your Maldives island transfers, in accordance with your international flight itinerary, so you don’t have to worry 🙂

 

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STAYING AT A RESORT?

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There are three Maldives airport transfer options to travel to resort islands from Velana International Airport: via speedboat, seaplane or domestic flight. Depending on your selected resort’s distance from the international airport & your holiday budget, these factors will ultimately affect which type of Maldives airport transfers you will require, and ultimately the resort you select for your Maldives vacation.

When you book your Maldives resort holiday with Indulge Maldives, you not only get the very best price (cheaper than you will find anywhere online) and special inclusions you can’t get when booking online eg 3 course romantic candlelit dinners, wine bottles, bed decorations & massage vouchers etc, we also take care of all of your Maldives airport transfers for you.

Our experienced international and local Indulge Maldives Travel Specialists live in Maldives, we have taken the transfers many times ourselves and can advise you of the best island transfer method for you, the timings and cost, plus arrange all Maldives airport transfers on your behalf – often at a discounted rate. To ensure smooth Maldives resort transfers, Indulge Maldives will inform your chosen resort of your international flight arrival time to Maldives. This will prevent delays – the last thing you want is to spend a night in transit if no seats are available for your Maldives island transfers. You can read about cheap Maldives resorts and the 10 Best Maldives Water Villas with Pools.

When staying at a resort island in Maldives, it’s important to remember Maldives resort transfers come at an additional cost. There are no public ferries / private speedboat services available from the airport to resort islands in Maldives. You will need to book each resort’s own private speedboat or alternatively take domestic flight / sea planes. Here’s more info about the 3 types of Maldives airport transfers options for resort vacations: 

 

MALDIVES SEAPLANE TRANSFERS

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The cost of a seaplane transfer in Maldives is around USD$400 per person for a short journey. However, this may just be the most picturesque journey you have embarked on – so have your camera ready! The Maldives seaplane terminal is right near Velana International Airport. A resort representative will greet you upon your arrival in the airport arrivals hall Maldives and will assist you in getting to the seaplane terminal and checking in for your flight. Maldivian and Trans Maldivian Airways are the two seaplane airline operators. Some Maldives resorts also have their own brand of seaplane. 

 

DOMESTIC FLIGHT TRANSFERS

A domestic flight may be necessary to travel from the international airport to a local island airport, before travelling via speedboat on to your selected resort island. Indulge Maldives will organise your domestic flight transfer for you with the resort, as close to your arrival/departure times to/from in Maldives as possible. Domestic flights are cheaper than seaplanes & include the speedboat fare, however it is more expensive than a speedboat transfer. Maldivian, Fly Me & Manta Air are the three domestic airlines in Maldives.

 

RESORT SPEEDBOAT TRANSFERS

If your selected resort is close to Malé Airport, you will most likely take Maldives speedboat transfers. Indulge Maldives will arrange for a representative from the resort’s Guest Services Team to greet you upon your arrival in Maldives, inside the arrival hall at the airport. You will be guided to the awaiting resort speedboat. No prior ticketing is needed as Indulge Maldives will arrange your Maldives speedboat transfers for you with the resort.

 

STAYING AT A LOCAL ISLAND GUESTHOUSE OR HOTEL?

 

Wondering how to get to Maldives local islands? You will have three different options for Maldives airport transfers to reach your selected guesthouse or local island: domestic flight, speedboat or the DIY budget alternative – taking a local (slow) ferry. Again, it depends on the distance of your local island from Malé. Seaplanes do not operate to local islands – a joy flight would need to be arranged, starting at USD$500pp (departing from / returning to the airport). You can read our local island guides here and Instagram famous couple Marie & Jake’s Maldives local island itinerary here.

 

DOMESTIC FLIGHT TRANSFERS

A domestic flight may be necessary to travel from Velana International Airport to your Maldives local island. Indulge Maldives will inform you of the necessary details for your domestic flight transfer. In most cases, hotels have an airport representative who will greet you upon arrival at Malé Airport and will assist you with your domestic flight transfers to a Maldives local island. On some occasions, you may be required to make your own way to the Domestic Terminal (2 min walk from International Terminal) if your guesthouse does not provide an airport greeting service. Maldivian, Fly Me & Manta Air are the three domestic airline carriers in Maldives.

 

LOCAL ISLAND SPEEDBOAT TRANSFERS

Speedboats are the most popular method of Maldives island transfers for guesthouse and local island hotels. Bigger hotels will operate their own private speedboats and guests will be greeted upon arrival at Malé airport.

However, most guesthouses rely on their local island’s public speedboat transfers like icom Tours at Maafushi Island & Refcool Express to Thulusdhoo Island to transfer guests to /from the airport. These Maldives speedboat transfers run on a daily schedule and due to a high demand of passengers, tickets need to be pre-booked. When you book accommodation through Indulge Maldives, we will arrange your Maldives speedboat transfers for a discounted rate. Maldives local island speedboat transfers are a much more affordable option than private speedboats. Tickets for Maldives speedboat transfers begin from $25p.p. one way on a public boat, whilst a private speedboat transfers costs hundreds of US Dollars for a short one-way journey. Plus it’s better for the environment to use public local island speedboat transfers where possible and be a responsible traveller.

 

MALDIVES PUBLIC FERRIES

Maldives public ferries are a budget traveller’s best money saving option when travelling Maldives on a budget. Local island ferries will give you a real insight into the local culture of Maldives. Tickets for Maldives public ferries begin from as little as US$1.5 one-way 3hr journey, however taking Maldives public ferries requires perfect planning and a lot of know-how.

As Maldives public ferries are designed specifically for local island communities to access the mainland island of Malé, each island’s ferry makes only one return journey each day. Maldives public ferries will leave a local island early in the morning for Malé, allowing the islanders time to complete their business, before returning to the local island in the evening. This means it is not possible to do a day trip from Malé using a Maldives public ferry. Some Maldives ferries service multiple islands, making a quick stop, meaning it can be possible to island hop to neighbouring islands – this will again need great co-cordination. 

Each Maldives public ferry has a set arrival and departure time from Malé. Local island ferries are subject to change depending on weather conditions. Unfortunately this information is not something that can be easily Googled. Your selected guesthouse will best be able to advise you on the current ferry timetable. You can check the Maldives public ferries timetables using on the Atoll Travel website.

Local island ferries will depart from different locations across Malé & this regularly changes (even on the day of travel), so be sure to know the exact ferry terminal location to depart from. It may even be necessary to take a taxi to the ferry terminal, in Malé. Allow yourself plenty of time to get to the public ferry – it can often take 30 minutes in Malé to find an empty taxi. We recommend arriving at the public ferry at least 30mins before departure.

 

HOW TO GET FROM AIRPORT TO MALÉ

Wondering how to get from the airport to Malé City? It is relatively fast and easy. If you are unsure, ask at the Information Counter inside the arrivals hall at the airport. There are three options:

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• Maldives Public Ferry – A quick 10 minute local ferry journey across the channel from the airport to Malé, costing 10MVR / less than USD$1.
•  Taxi – Alternatively take a 10 minute private taxi across the Sinámalé China Maldives Friendship Bridge, costing 100 MVR / USD$6.50.
• Bus – Take the pink ‘bridge bus’ from the airport to Malé. It stops outside Mary Brown Restaurant on the south west side of Malé. Cost USD$1.
  
  

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HOW TO GET TO FROM AIRPORT TO HULHUMALÉ ISLAND

Wondering how to get from the airport to Hulhumalé Island? It is again quite simple. If you are unsure, ask at the Information Counter inside the arrivals hall at the airport. There are two options:

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• Taxi – 100MVR / USD$6.50 for a 10 minute private taxi journey to Hulhumalé Island. Taxi Driver will drop you directly to your hotel.
• Red Bus – The red bus will go right into Hulhumalé & will make at a couple of stops. The bus generally stops one road behind the beachfront / main tourist accommodation. Best to have your hotel location saved on Google Maps or ask the bus driver for directions.

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TIPS FOR BOOKING MALDIVES ISLAND TRANSFERS

• No Maldives public ferries or speedboat transfers are available from the airport.
• All Maldives island transfers must be pre-arranged regardless whether you are staying at a resort or guesthouse local island.
• It is not possible to do a day trip to an island from Malé and return the same day using Maldives public ferries.
• Maldives public ferries do not go to resort islands, they only service local islands.
• Always inform Indulge Maldives, your resort or guesthouse of your flight details so they can organise your Maldives island transfers on your behalf.
• Always check the current Maldives public ferries schedules with your local island guesthouse as these are subject to change regularly.
• Private speedboats cost hundreds of dollars for a short one-way journey and are not available for transfers from Velana International Airport to a resort island.

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MALDIVES ISLAND TRANSFERS RESOURCES

Atoll Transfer is the Maldives’ most helpful transfers website. It provides information on all types of transfers and costings. Our 10 Best Local Islands In Maldives – plus speedboat & ferry info for each island.

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BOOK YOUR MALDIVES TRIP WITH US…

Our Team is proud of providing affordable & personalised service we offer to our Indulge Maldives clients. We take care of everything from the planning right through to your departure from Maldives. We offer you:

• The very best rates – cheaper than your will find anywhere online
• We match your holiday wish list to the perfect island & property – saving you time & money.
• Free Maldives phone / email consultation
• A complimentary Maldives holiday itinerary
• Free FAQ Guide to Travelling the Maldives for the First Time
• Free 18 page Maldive on A Budget e-book
• Arrange all excursions & island transfers in accordance with your flights
• We are also Surf Travel Specialists
• Professional Photography Services (drone, underwater, lifestyle)
• We are available on What’s App throughout your entire stay in Maldives should you require assistance at any point before or during your stay
  
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