Most Maldives trips from India are 3 to 5 nights at one resort island, reached from Malé airport by speedboat or seaplane. A cheaper alternative is a guesthouse on a local island such as Maafushi, with day trips out to sandbanks and reefs. Indians get a free 30-day visa on arrival, flights from South India are under two hours, and the main thing to plan is the transfer from the airport, which decides what time you need to land. We book the resort or guesthouse, the transfer and the excursions.
Maldives packages at a glance
| Package | Nights | What it covers | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short resort stay | 3N / 4D | One resort in the Malé atolls, speedboat transfer | A long weekend, couples from South India |
| Resort honeymoon | 4N / 5D | Beach villa then water villa, seaplane or speedboat, a sandbank or sunset cruise | Honeymooners, anniversaries |
| Local-island budget trip | 4N / 5D | Guesthouse on Maafushi, snorkelling, a sandbank picnic and a resort day visit | Friends, budget couples, divers |
| Family resort stay | 5N / 6D | A resort with a kids’ club and a shallow lagoon, all-inclusive meals | Families with children, senior citizens |
The full day-wise plan for Maldives Resort Honeymoon 4N/5D is on its own page. The other formats are built from it, adding or dropping days, and any of them can be changed to suit you.
Maldives visa for Indians, and the IMUGA declaration
There is no visa to apply for. Tourists of every nationality, Indians included, are given a free 30-day tourist visa on arrival at Malé, at the immigration officer’s discretion.
- Passport: machine-readable, with at least one month of validity left. Children need their own passports.
- What immigration checks: a confirmed return ticket, a prepaid and confirmed booking at a registered resort, hotel or guesthouse, and enough money for your stay. Entry can be refused for false hotel bookings.
- IMUGA Traveller Declaration: free, filed online at imuga.immigration.gov.mv within the 96 hours before arrival. Every traveller, including children, needs their own. A departure declaration is also filed within 96 hours of leaving.
- Health: a yellow fever certificate only if you arrive from, or recently transited through, a country with yellow fever risk.
- Fee: nil. Sites that charge for a “Maldives visa” or IMUGA help are not the government.
Good to know: the Maldives bans the import of alcohol, pork and idols for worship. Duty-free liquor bought on the way is taken off you at Malé. Leave puja idols at home; a small personal photo is the safer choice.
Resort or local island?
This is the real decision, and it changes the price more than the number of nights.
- Resort islands are one hotel per island. You get the water villas, private beaches and the reef on your doorstep, and alcohol is served because resorts are licensed for it. You eat at the resort, so a meal plan matters: half board, full board or all-inclusive.
- Local islands such as Maafushi, Thulusdhoo or Dhigurah are inhabited Maldivian villages with guesthouses. They cost far less, food is cheaper, and the excursions are the point of the trip. But alcohol can’t be bought or drunk on any inhabited island; the usual workaround is a floating bar boat offshore or a resort day visit. Outside the marked bikini beach, cover shoulders and knees in the village.
- For senior citizens and small children, a resort is easier: no ferries, no village walks, and meals sorted.
Airport transfers: speedboat, seaplane or domestic flight
Everyone lands at Velana International Airport in Malé. From there:
- Speedboat: for resorts and local islands in the North and South Malé atolls, from a short ride to around an hour. It runs into the evening, so late arrivals are fine.
- Seaplane: for resorts further out. Seaplanes fly in daylight only, roughly sunrise to sunset, and the operator advises landing at Malé by about 3:30 pm to reach your resort the same day. The schedule is set by the operator the evening before, so expect some waiting at the seaplane lounge.
- Domestic flight and speedboat: for the far atolls. Usually cheaper than a seaplane and not limited to daylight in the same way.
- Landing late? Then you stay a night in Hulhumalé, next to the airport, and transfer the next morning. We plan this in so you don’t lose a resort night.
Transfers are booked through the resort and priced per person, and seaplanes cost the most, so we include them in the quote rather than leave them as a surprise.
Green tax and other charges
Since 1 January 2025 the Maldives charges a green tax per person per night: USD 12 (about ₹1,130) at resorts, hotels and liveaboard boats, and USD 6 (about ₹565) at hotels and guesthouses on inhabited islands with 50 rooms or fewer. Children under two are exempt. It is collected by the property, and our quotes show it separately along with the service charge and tourism GST.
Best time to go
December to April is the dry season, with calm seas and clear water; December to March is peak and the most expensive, especially over Christmas and New Year. May to November is the southwest monsoon: more rain and wind, rougher boat transfers, but lower rates and many sunny days in between. October and November, which cover the Diwali holidays, are a fair compromise.
Flights from India
There are direct flights to Malé from Bengaluru and Kochi (under two hours on IndiGo), Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai (about four hours) and Delhi (about four hours on Air India). Check the arrival time before booking a seaplane resort: some afternoon flights land close to the seaplane cut-off. From Pune, Ahmedabad or Kolkata you connect through Mumbai, Bengaluru or Delhi.
Questions people ask before booking
Do Indians need a visa for the Maldives?
No advance visa. You get a free 30-day tourist visa on arrival if you have a return ticket, a confirmed paid booking and enough money for your stay, and you file the free IMUGA declaration within 96 hours before you land.
Is the Maldives only for honeymooners?
No. Families do well at resorts with kids’ clubs and shallow lagoons, and groups of friends on a budget go to local islands for snorkelling and diving.
Can we get vegetarian food?
At resorts, yes; vegetarian meals are standard, and Jain food can usually be arranged if we ask in advance. On local islands, choice is smaller, so pick a guesthouse that confirms vegetarian meals.
How many nights are enough?
Three nights is the minimum to make the transfer worthwhile. Four is the usual honeymoon length. Splitting a stay between two resorts adds a second transfer, so only do it for five nights or more.
Before you fly, file the IMUGA traveller declaration and read the Maldives Immigration tourist visa page.
Checked November 2026. Visa and IMUGA rules are from Maldives Immigration and the Maldives diplomatic missions, the customs bans from Maldives mission and US trade guidance, and green tax rates from the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority’s circular. Seaplane timings are from the seaplane operator’s guidance as reported by resorts, and flight times from airline schedules. Rupee figures use about ₹94 to the US dollar. Rules and charges change, and we confirm them when we send your quote.