Getting around
Ferry, speedboat or plane
There are no roads between islands. Every journey in the Maldives is a boat or a plane, and which one you take decides both what the trip costs and how much of it you spend moving.
The three ways
Public ferry
Cheapest · slowest · fixed days
State-run boats that exist for residents, not tourists. They are slow, they stop everywhere, and they cost a few rufiyaa. On many routes they run only on certain weekdays and not at all on Friday. Pay in cash at the jetty.
If your schedule has slack and your budget does not, this is the way locals travel and there is nothing wrong with it.
Speedboat
Faster · bookable · costs more
Privately operated transfers, usually arranged through your guesthouse. They run more often than the ferry, take a fraction of the time, and can be booked before you arrive — which matters when your flight lands at an hour no ferry serves.
For most visitors on a week-long trip, this is the sensible default at least in one direction.
Domestic flight
Only for the far atolls
Small propeller aircraft connect Malé with regional airfields, and a boat covers the last stretch. This is how you reach the far north and south — and it is unnecessary for anything within a couple of hours of the capital.
Seaplanes exist too, but they overwhelmingly serve resorts rather than local islands.
Why you cannot find a ferry timetable online
If you have searched for one, you have probably found a dozen travel blogs quoting the same departure times, none of them citing a source. There is a reason for that, and it is worth understanding before you plan around any number you read.
The Maldives is midway through replacing its public transport network. The new system, RTL (Raajje Transport Link), is operated by MTCC and publishes its routes and schedules openly. It is genuinely good — fast ferries, an app, fixed timetables.
The catch is coverage. We queried the operator's own route data: it currently lists 14 routes across 149 stops, concentrated in the northern and southern atolls. The zone covering Kaafu — where Maafushi, Thulusdhoo and the airport sit — returns no routes at all. Ari and Vaavu are likewise absent.
Those islands are still served by the older MTCC route numbers you see quoted around the internet — 306, 309, 303 and others. That network runs, but its timetable is not published anywhere we can cite, which is precisely why every blog repeats the same unsourced figures.
What to do instead: ask your guesthouse. They book these boats every week and know when a departure has moved. Failing that, the RTL Travel App covers the routes that have been migrated, and the jetty ticket office knows the rest.
Connections we can source
These come from the operator's own booking system rather than from hearsay. The list is short on purpose — it will grow only as far as citable data allows.
| Route | Departures | Fare |
|---|---|---|
| Malé → HulhumaléMHM | Every 30 min, 07:30–15:00 | MVR 10.00 |
| Hulhumalé → MaléMHM | Every 30 min, 07:30–15:00 | MVR 10.00 |
The Friday problem
Friday is the day of congregational prayer, and it is the closest thing the Maldives has to a national day off. On many public ferry routes there is no service at all; on others it is reduced.
This catches people out in one specific way: they plan the last leg back towards Malé on a Friday for a Saturday flight, discover there is no boat, and end up paying several times the fare for a private transfer — assuming one is available at all.
Build the return leg around it. Come back a day early and spend the last night in Hulhumalé near the airport; it costs less than the speedboat you would otherwise be chartering.
Questions
Do ferries run on Friday?
On many routes, no. Friday is the day of congregational prayer and the public network either stops or runs a reduced service. If your flight home is on a Saturday, do not plan the last leg for Friday.
Can I book the public ferry in advance?
For most local island routes, no. You pay on board or at the jetty, in cash, in rufiyaa. Turn up early rather than on time — boats leave when they leave.
Is a speedboat worth the extra money?
It depends on how much of your trip you are willing to spend travelling. A speedboat typically turns a half-day crossing into an hour or two, runs more often, and can be booked ahead. On a week-long trip that difference is a day of your holiday.
What happens if I miss the last boat?
You stay where you are. There is no late service to most local islands, and chartering a private boat at short notice is expensive. This is the single most common way travellers lose a day here.
Do I need a domestic flight?
Only for the far atolls. Everything within reach of Malé — Kaafu, and much of Ari and Vaavu — is reachable by boat. A domestic flight makes sense when the alternative is eight hours at sea.
Next
Checked 1 August 2026. Route coverage was verified against the operator's own booking data. Ferry networks change — treat any timetable as something to confirm locally.