Maldives packing list

A Maldives resort week needs less than most people pack. You spend the days in swimwear, the evenings in something light, and the resort supplies the towels, the sun loungers and usually a mask and fins. What limits the bag is the last leg. Most resorts are reached by seaplane from Malé, and Trans Maldivian Airways, the largest operator, allows 25 kg per person: 20 kg checked and 5 kg in hand luggage. Extra weight costs USD 5 a kilo, and a baby travelling on your lap has no allowance of its own. Some resorts are reached by domestic flight and speedboat instead, with their own limits. We confirm yours in writing before you pack, and our Maldives page shows how each resort we book is reached from Malé.

The list below is for seven nights at one resort. Most resorts run a laundry service, so a longer stay does not need more clothes. Pack medicines, a change of clothes and your swimwear in your hand luggage, as the seaplane operator itself suggests. If the checked bag misses the connection in Malé, you can still spend the first afternoon in the water.

Seaplanes fly in daylight only. If your international flight lands in Malé late in the afternoon or at night, you spend the first night at a hotel near the airport and fly out to the resort in the morning. Keep a small overnight bag inside your hand luggage for that night, so the main bag can stay locked until you reach the island.

The season changes the list a little. From December to April the north-east monsoon brings the driest, calmest weather, and sun protection matters most. From May to November the south-west monsoon brings showers and rougher crossings, so pack a light rain jacket and something for seasickness. Our guide to the best time to visit the Maldives explains the months.

Documents and money

Resorts price everything in US dollars and settle the bill by card when you leave, so you need little cash. The Maldivian rufiyaa is used in Malé and on the local islands.

• PassportMaldives Immigration asks for at least a month’s validity, and every nationality gets a free 30-day visa on arrival.
• IMUGA traveller declarationFiled online in the 96 hours before you land, and checked on arrival.
• Resort confirmation and return ticketImmigration can ask to see both.
• Travel insurance documentsSaved offline and printed, with the emergency number, since the nearest hospital is a boat or seaplane away.
• A card that works abroadThe resort bill and any excursions are settled on it at checkout.
• Small US dollar notesFor the villa host and the dive guide, since a note in hand reaches the person directly.

Swim and sun

The sun is close to overhead all year, and the reflection off white sand and shallow water doubles it. Mineral sun cream, based on zinc oxide, is gentler on the coral you will be snorkelling over.

• Swimwear ×3One on, one drying and one spare, because you will swim several times a day.
• Rash vestProtects your back and shoulders on long snorkels, when sun cream washes off.
• Mineral sun cream, factor 50Enough for the week, since resort shops charge resort prices.
• After-sun lotionFor the first day, when almost everyone overdoes it.
• Polarised sunglassesCut the glare off the lagoon and let you see into the water.
• Wide-brimmed hatCovers your ears and neck, which a cap leaves bare.
• Water shoesSome lagoons have coral rubble and sea urchins close to shore.

Water gear

Resorts lend masks, snorkels and fins, but a mask that fits your face keeps the water out and makes the difference on a long snorkel.

• Your own mask and snorkelA mask that seals properly is the one piece of kit worth bringing.
• Short travel finsFit in a 20 kg bag far better than full-length ones.
• Prescription maskIf you wear glasses, so you can see the reef clearly.
• Dive certification card and logbookDive centres ask to see them before your first dive.
• Dry bagKeeps your phone and a towel dry on boat trips and sandbank picnics.
• Waterproof phone pouch or action cameraFor the turtles and reef sharks you will want to show people.

Clothes

Resorts are relaxed during the day, and most evenings are smart casual. Malé and the local islands are different: people there dress modestly, and visitors are expected to cover shoulders and knees and to keep swimwear to the designated bikini beaches.

• Light cotton or linen day clothesFor the walk to breakfast and the hours out of the water.
• Sarong or long cover-upFor walking from the beach to lunch, and for boat trips in the midday sun.
• Smart-casual evening outfits ×2Some restaurants ask for no swimwear and for sleeved shirts for men.
• Clothes that cover shoulders and kneesFor Malé, a local-island visit or a stopover on the way home.
• Light long-sleeved layerFor air-conditioned restaurants, the seaplane and breezy evenings.
• Sandals or flip-flopsThe only shoes most guests wear all week.

Electronics

Most villas have enough sockets and good Wi-Fi, so the list is short. The adapter is the thing people forget, because resorts are fitted with whichever sockets the builder chose.

• Plug adapterThe Maldives uses types C, D and G, and resorts vary in which sockets they fit.
• Power bankCarried in hand luggage, as airlines require for lithium batteries.
• E-reader or downloaded booksVilla Wi-Fi is usually good, but not every sandbank has signal.

Health

Resorts have a doctor or nurse on call, and many have a small clinic, but a pharmacy is a boat ride away. Bring what you would reach for at home, in small quantities.

• Prescription medicinesIn your hand luggage, in the original packaging, with a few days’ spare.
• Seasickness tabletsSpeedboat transfers and dhoni trips can be choppy in the south-west monsoon.
• Insect repellentMosquitoes come out at dusk on some islands.
• Swimmer’s ear dropsUseful after a week of daily snorkelling.
• Plasters and antiseptic creamCoral scrapes are small but slow to heal in salt water.

If you are going on to Zanzibar, Seychelles or Mauritius

Many of our clients pair the Maldives with a Kenya safari, and the safari packing list covers that half of the bag. Others add a second island. Zanzibar, Seychelles and Mauritius each need something the Maldives does not, and the practical facts page has the currency, plugs and SIM cards for all of them.

• Zanzibar’s inbound travel insuranceThe government policy, bought online at visitzanzibar.go.tz before you fly, is required on top of your own cover.
• Clothes for Stone TownZanzibar is conservative away from the beach hotels, so cover shoulders and knees in town and in the villages.
• Malaria tablets for Zanzibar, if prescribedThe Maldives is free of malaria, but Zanzibar has some risk, so ask your travel clinic.
• Seychelles Travel AuthorisationEvery visitor applies online before flying, at seychelles.govtas.com.
• Walking shoes for SeychellesThe granite trails over the hills to the best beaches are steep in places.
• Warm layer for Mauritius in July and AugustWinter evenings on the east coast are cool and windy.

Leave at home

Alcohol and pork products, which customs confiscates on arrival; the resorts serve both. Electronic cigarettes and vapes, which are banned in the Maldives: customs holds them and gives you a receipt to collect them when you leave. A drone, unless the resort and the Maldives Civil Aviation Authority have cleared it before you travel. And most of your shoes: guests live in sandals all week.