The Maldives is the ideal holiday destination if you are looking for a unique experience! We have never seen such white beaches and clear blue waters as here. In addition, the underwater world is fantastic and it is perfect to combine with a trip to Sri Lanka. After all, the countries are less than 2 hours' flight apart! The combination Maldives and Sri Lanka is regularly booked for a luxury honeymoon but it is also suitable for backpackers and everything in between! Besides resorts, you'll find hotels and hostels suitable for every budget on several islands.
General information about Sri Lanka
Are you planning a trip to Sri Lanka? Then check out our tips for the best route, the best travel period, and transport to and in Sri Lanka. This way, you will be prepared for your new adventure!
1. What is the best itinerary?
We ourselves first toured Sri Lanka and ended our trip with a long weekend in Maldives. This way, it doesn't matter what your round trip looks like in Sri Lanka or the Maldives. This is because you always go from Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport to Malé International Airport or vice versa. We loved ending our trip in the Maldives as every beach falls into ‘nothingness’ after seeing the Maldives.
2. How to get to the Maldives from Sri Lanka?
This is easy namely by plane. Several airlines fly from Sri Lanka to Malé, the capital of the Maldives, in about 1.5 hours. Besides the fact that the Maldives is easily accessible from Sri Lanka, ticket prices are also a lot lower than if you fly from the Netherlands. We paid €190 per person for our ticket in February and flew with Korean Air.
3. Where to stay in the Maldives?
The Maldives consists of almost 1,200 islands, so where can you stay? That depends on the budget you want to spend. The Maldives is known for its expensive, luxurious and beautiful resorts, but you can also stay there on a small budget. In fact, since 2009, it has been possible for tourists to stay on islands where locals live.
One of these islands is Maafushi. It is a well-known backpackers island and you will find affordable hotels, hostels and restaurants. Keep in mind that this island does not look like that of resorts but pearl white beaches and clear blue waters you will definitely find! From Maafushi, you can additionally book various activities such as day trips to resorts, diving trips or snorkelling trips!
Tip: The Maldives is an Islamic country, which means that as a woman you are not allowed to walk around in public in your bikini. Ook for men, wearing trousers and shirt is mandatory. The only beach where you can sunbathe as a tourist on Maafushi is Bikini Beach. This obviously does not apply if you go to a resort.
Still want to spend a night on one of the private islands? Then keep in mind prices between €150 to a few thousand euros per night. In addition, you will also have to pay for transport to the resort yourself. But if staying on a private island is on your bucket list, the Maldives is the place to be!
4. What does a holiday to the Maldives cost?
The first thing we heard people say was ‘are you going to the Maldives? That's extremely expensive, isn't it?’ But as mentioned earlier, this absolutely does not have to be the case! A speedboat from Malé to Maafushi costs €20, - per person. In addition, we paid just €40, - per night for a hotel on Maafushi including breakfast. The restaurants on the island also have reasonable prices for Asian standards. You pay around €10, - for a main course. .
What makes a trip to the Maldives expensive are the activities you can do. A full-day snorkelling trip costs $50, - per person and a half-day snorkelling or night fishing trip costs $25, - per person. A day visit to a resort (all-inclusive) starts at $100, - per person and diving costs about $40, - per dive.
So you can make it as crazy as you want! However, we do recommend making room in your budget for booking activities! Because you never know when you may visit this idealistic country again!
5. What is the best travel period
If you want to combine a trip to Sri Lanka with a trip to the Maldives keep in mind the rainy season. December to April are the best months to go to the Maldives and southern Sri Lanka. However, of course, there can always be rain since we are talking about tropical countries.
Want to know more about Sri Lanka or the Maldives? See here all our blogs on these impressive countries. Prefer an organised trip? Then check out the website of Srilankatravel or Riksjatravel. They have been specialists in organising trips to Sri Lanka for years and offer various combinations with the Maldives.
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