Yep, the Maldives are pretty magical. But you do have to put a little bit of work in before you can hit those beautiful white sand beaches – the good news is that it’s simpler than you think. If you’ve been wondering how Maldives transfers work, this is the place for you.

Flying into the Maldives, you’ll land in Malé, it’s capital. But the Maldives is made up of loads of little islands, so you can’t just drive to your resort. You’ve got to make your way across the water.

A transfer in the Maldives is when you hop from the airport to your resort, usually by speedboat or seaplane, but also sometimes by domestic flight.  The speedboat’s a bit of a ride, but the seaplane’s quite the experience—gives you a brilliant view of the atolls and all. It’s all part of the charm, really.

Unless you’re staying in Malé, always remember to factor in transfers from the airport to your resort into your travel times – it’s a non-negotiable!

Unless you swim, of course – but legal tells us we have to advise you against that.

Because you have to transfer to most of the hotels in the Maldives, it’s usually the resorts themselves that set the price for and organise these trips as part of your reservation – you can’t really pick and choose how you’d like to get there.

Depending on which resort and what type of transfer they use – speedboat, seaplane, or domestic flight – the cost of just getting from the airport to your resort in the first place can be a bit pricey.

But the good news is that when you book your Maldives holiday with Netflights, we’ll always include the cost of the transfer in the price you pay – that way you know what’s what from the get-go. And thanks to our solid relationships with hotels across the Maldives, you can often score free one-way or even return transfers as a nice little perk to get you on your way to a mega dreamy Maldives moment on that perfect white sand.

If your resort happens to be fairly close to Malé , you’ll most likely have a speedboat transfer – this usually the cheapest transfer type too. They’re mega easy to do as well because they leave from directly outside the airport itself – you’ll just have to cross the road over to the jetty, and you’re there. The other handy thing about speedboat transfers is that whilst seaplanes only run during the day, the boats will run both day and night – although most schedules do operate during daylight hours.

Staff from your resort will typically meet you on your arrival at the airport and they’ll take care of all your luggage whilst they’re at it too – nice one. But whilst speedboat transfers are usually the cheapest option, it does mean that you might have to do a bit of waiting around for other guests to arrive before you can set off – depending on the size of the boat you’re travelling on, you could be sharing it with up to 20 other folks.

Obviously you can always shell out for a private speedboat transfer but it’s very much on the cha-ching side of things. And private or not, depending on the location of your resort you’ll pass other islands on the way – not just resort islands but incredible, tiny, and uninhabited ‘picnic islands’ – as well possibly spot dolphins too.

Seaplane transfers are more expensive than speedboat transfers, but they are pretty plush. When people think of transfers in the Maldives, this is what they think of. Once you land at Malé  International Airport, you’ll have to do a transfer before your proper transfer – but it’s only a quick ride to the seaplane terminal from the main airport, and even this quick trip is snazzy – you’ll travel in a resort-owned luxury vehicle in most cases – we’re talking Teslas, BMWs, and Range Rovers.

You’ll get dropped off at the seaplane terminal and – depending on who you’re staying with – you can make use of either a private or shared lounge whilst you wait for your plane. A few resorts own and operate their own seaplanes, but it’s more likely that you’ll be hopping in one operated by one of two companies that pretty much have a monopoly on seaplane transfers in the Maldives – Trans-Maldivian and Maldivian Air. These shared planes usually stop at other resorts on the way, so it’s neat little way to have a nosy at where other people are staying – everyone’s fave thing to do on a hotel transfer.

Whilst more expensive, seaplanes are popular for a number of things – the novelty of it, the speediness of it (travelling by air will cut down your transfer time drastically compared to speedboat), and – obviously – the unbelievable views. You’ll get a perfect view of the islands from the air, and as you climb even higher you’ll spot the reefs, lagoons, and atoll formations too. Then it’s back down to that Gatorade-blue water for an easy water-landing – always fun.

The main thing to note about seaplane transfers is that they only operate during the day – there are no night flights, so if you arrive into Male in the evening, you may have to set up shop for the night in the capital before making your way to the resort the next day.

First things first – if you see a domestic flight transfer as part of your travel itinerary, don’t mix it up with a seaplane transfer. Domestic flight transfers work just like any other domestic flight you may have been on already. You’ll remain within Malé  International Airport and board your transfer flight from one of the terminals there – you don’t have to make your way to a separate building like you do with seaplane or boat transfers.

If you’re hotel is in the far north or far south end of the Maldives, it’s fairly likely your transfer will be via domestic flight. Your transfer will also probably be a bit longer than by seaplane or boat – that’s because these are larger planes that don’t land on water, so first you’ll have to touch down on a classic tarmac runway (boring!) on a nearby island before hopping off and climbing onboard a boat that will then take you to the actual island you’re staying on.

The nice thing about domestic flight transfers is that most of the high end resorts have their own lounges at Male International Airport, or they’ll have shared use with the main lounge there – so at least you’ll be fed and watered whilst you wait!

The short answer is no, not really.

In pretty much all cases, the resort you’re staying at will organise your transfers for you, so you don’t have a say in what they go with and how much they charge.

It also depends on how far your resort is from the main airport – there’s a bit of leeway if your resort is close enough for a speedboat transfer, but if you were to organise your own speedboat transfer separately you’d still need to get the all-clear from your resort first. You can’t just rock up unannounced!

But if your resort is out of speedboat distance, then you’re stuck with either a seaplane or domestic flight transfer. As we mentioned earlier, there’s only two companies who operate seaplanes in the Maldives, so there’s not much for you to shop around with – even if you could!

At the end of the day, your resort knows what’s what when it comes to getting you there from the airport – they can best align your transfer with your flight arrival times, and that’s something you really don’t wanna get your wires crossed about!

Well – yes and no.

First, let’s give you a super quick explainer on how the geography of the Maldives work. Your resort will be on an island, and this island will sit with a bunch of other islands in what is called an atoll. These atolls are what make up the Maldives. Voila!

So – if the two resorts you’re hopping between are on two different islands that sit within the same atoll, then a transfer should between the two should be fairly simple, especially if both of the resorts are owned and operated by the same company. It could be a seaplane transfer you take, but it’s more likely to be a speedboat transfer.

Now, if the next resort you fancy heading to isn’t in the same atoll as the one you’re currently in, then yes you can still transfer between the two – but it won’t be quite as easy. You’ll have to transfer back to Malé, the capital, before continuing on to your next resort. This could mean going from seaplane to domestic flight transfer or switching to a speedboat – it depends on the distance.

You’ve got transfers down to a T, now all you need are some cheap Maldives flights