How much does a Maldives holiday cost from South Africa (2026/27)

What's in the price of a Maldives package

A package price covers your return flights from Johannesburg, with one change of plane, the transfer from Malé's airport to your resort and back, your villa or room and your meal plan. We quote it as one rand figure per person sharing.

What isn't always in it:

• The green tax, USD 12 per person per night at resorts. Some packages include it; check your quote.
• Anything outside your meal plan, charged at resort prices plus 17% tax and a service charge.
• Excursions, diving and spa treatments.
• A night near the airport, if your flight lands too late for your seaplane.
• Your own travel insurance, which you still need.

The departure tax and airport development fee, USD 100 per person in economy, are collected in your air ticket.

2026/27 prices at a glance

What our live Maldives packages cost per person sharing, with return flights from Johannesburg and the meal plan shown. These are the prices on sale on 11 November 2026: From is the lowest, rounded down, and To the highest, rounded up, to R1,000. The 5-night packages include resort transfers.

Five nights is a short stay for a journey that takes most of a day each way. Most of our Maldives clients stay seven nights, and we suggest at least that. For your dates and length of stay, ask us for a quote.

How it compares, on the same day and on the same basis (5 nights with flights from Johannesburg): our cheapest Mauritius package was R14,000 and our cheapest Seychelles package R17,375. The Maldives started at R33,930.

How the season moves the price

The season matters more in the Maldives than on any other island we sell. On our live packages, January to mid-March, the dry season, costs about a quarter more than May to September at the same resort. Christmas and New Year cost about a third more again than early December.

The same 5-night package, per person sharing, by travel date:

Our live packages on 11 November 2026: 5 nights, return flights from Johannesburg, resort transfers and the meal plan shown. Adaaran Select Hudhuranfushi's and Riu Atoll's May-September prices run to the end of July.

What the table shows:

• May to September is the cheapest time at all six, and prices usually drop from April. That's the wet south-west monsoon, but it's still 30°C to 32°C. See the best time to visit the Maldives.
• January to mid-March, the driest weather, costs about R6,600 to R13,900 more per person than May to September at these resorts.
• Christmas and New Year cost the most: Siyam World is R29,500 more per person than in early December.
• Book-by dates: many of these prices must be booked by 30 November 2026. After that, the tour operator's next prices apply.

Seaplane, speedboat or domestic flight: what the transfer adds

Every Maldives resort has its own island, so you need a transfer from Velana International Airport, next to Malé. Our 5-night packages include it. When you book a resort on its own, it's one of the biggest extras.

What resorts charge, return, per adult, before tax:

• Speedboat, for resorts in North and South Malé Atolls: USD 175 (about R2,900) at Adaaran Select Hudhuranfushi, 30 minutes away, and USD 260 (about R4,300) at Sun Siyam Olhuveli.
• Seaplane, for the farther atolls: USD 490 (about R8,000) at Siyam World, and USD 725 (about R11,900) at Kandima from 11 January 2027.
• Domestic flight and speedboat: from USD 414 (about R6,800) at Kandima.

For two adults, a seaplane can add more than R23,000. That's why we suggest a speedboat resort for a short stay or a tight budget.

Two things to plan around:

• Seaplanes fly in daylight only. Trans Maldivian Airways, the main seaplane operator, asks guests to land in Malé by 15:30 to reach their resort the same day. Land later and you spend a night in Malé or Hulhumalé, which costs extra. We match your flights to your transfer before we quote.
• Baggage: Trans Maldivian allows 25 kg per person on its seaplanes, 20 kg checked and 5 kg hand luggage. Pack lighter than your international allowance.

On our 8-night May 2027 packages, transfers are extra at 8 of the 20 resorts, including Sun Siyam Olhuveli and Siyam World. Your quote shows the full price.

Meal plan: why it matters more here

On a resort island, everything outside your plan is charged at resort prices, plus 17% T-GST and the resort's service charge. There's nowhere else to eat. So the meal plan shapes your real cost more than in Mauritius or the Seychelles.

• All-inclusive suits most couples. In May to September 2027, our cheapest all-inclusive package (Adaaran Select Hudhuranfushi, R34,815) cost only about R900 more per person than our cheapest full-board one (Kuredu, R33,930), at a different resort.
• Full board suits families and light drinkers: three meals a day, with drinks charged.
• Half board only makes sense if you'll eat à la carte anyway. On our live packages it's mostly at 5-star resorts such as Kandima.
• Ask what's included. All-inclusive differs from resort to resort: premium spirits, the minibar, excursions and diving may or may not be in.

The taxes: green tax, T-GST and departure tax

• Green tax: USD 12 (about R200) per person per night at resorts; children under 2 are exempt. Guesthouses on local islands charge USD 6.
• T-GST: 17% on resort bills, from 1 July 2025.
• Departure tax and airport development fee: USD 100 (about R1,640) per person in economy, collected by the airline in your ticket.

What the green tax adds up to, if it isn't in your package:

• A couple, seven nights: USD 168 (about R2,750).
• Two adults and two children aged 8 and 10, seven nights: USD 336 (about R5,500).

We'll tell you in your quote whether the green tax is included.

Flights from Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban

No airline flies non-stop from South Africa to the Maldives. You change planes once, usually in Dubai or Doha, and the journey takes about 14 to 18 hours.

• Johannesburg: Emirates via Dubai, Qatar Airways via Doha, Etihad via Abu Dhabi and Turkish Airlines via Istanbul. Our packages fly from Johannesburg.
• Cape Town: Emirates and Qatar Airways, without going through Johannesburg.
• Durban: Emirates daily via Dubai, or connect in Johannesburg; we include the connection.
• Timing: Emirates and Qatar land in Malé in the morning or mid-afternoon. For a seaplane resort, the morning arrival avoids an unplanned night near the airport.

How children change the maths

In the Maldives, children cost less at some resorts and nothing on some charges, but every child needs a flight and, usually, a transfer.

• Green tax: charged from age 2.
• Transfers: Adaaran Select Hudhuranfushi charges USD 88 per child return; Sun Siyam Olhuveli carries up to two children aged 2 to 14 free.
• Hotels: each sets its own children's rates. Kandima, for example, lets two children under 6 stay and eat free. We confirm each child's price in your quote.
• Kids clubs: Kuredu's is free; Siyam World's Kidz World takes ages 3 to 11, and Kandima's Kandiland 6 months to 12 years.

Only about 1 in 7 of our Maldives bookings include children. For young children, Mauritius is usually easier and cheaper: four hours non-stop from Johannesburg, no boat or seaplane, and at Beachcomber the all-inclusive is free for children aged 11 and under. See what a Mauritius holiday costs.

Your own travel insurance, and protecting your money

Travel insurance is a condition of booking with us: it covers you if you have to cancel before you go, and for medical costs while you're away.

Our standard cancellation scale:

• more than 60 days before you leave: you lose the deposit;
• 31 to 60 days: 50% of the package;
• 15 to 30 days: 75%;
• less than 15 days: 100%.

Some resorts and airlines are stricter, and we tell you before you book. We charge no booking fee. When Air Tanzania collapsed, in 2006 and again in 2019, we refunded every affected client from our own funds, about 200 people. More on how we handle your money: about us.

How to get the best price

• Travel from mid-April to September, the cheapest months at every resort in our table.
• Choose a speedboat resort in North or South Malé Atoll if you're watching the budget or staying fewer than seven nights.
• Go all-inclusive unless you drink little: everything else is charged at resort prices plus tax.
• Watch the book-by dates. Many of our current Maldives prices must be booked by 30 November 2026.
• Book Christmas and the Easter holiday early, and ask us to compare the same resort a week either side.
• Ask about a water villa for the last nights rather than the whole stay, if it's a honeymoon.

Related

• Maldives holidays
• The best time to visit the Maldives from South Africa
• How much does a Mauritius holiday cost from South Africa (2027)
• How much does a Seychelles holiday cost from South Africa (2026/27)
• Mauritius holidays