Well, we thought we came prepared. My friend had printed out all bus schedules and routes, the ferry information and we got the national currency as we the advice to just get US Dollars wasn’t quiet right. Just in case we exchanged some money. But let’s start at the beginning. After coming from the resort, we ended up in Hulhumalé which is an artificially build island next to Malé connected by bridges with the airport in the middle.
There are several ways to get to the other island, as we know now.
- OMG, there is a direct bus ? (we didn’t know that, we thought we have to take the ferry for sure)
- The neighborhood bus lines ? that go in circles that will eventually stop at the harbor**+ ferry
** - I guess you could take a taxi ?, however be prepared, seatbelts are not mandatory as it seems and our driver didn’t even know the island. He was checking out maps to figure out where to go.
Our first attempt:
- Find the bus station
- Take the bus, … here it comes… wait, why didn’t that bus stop, rude
- ok, next bus, … yeeesss, it stops… wait, you don’t want to take us?! But we have ?. Oh, you want a bus card (Like the Oyster card in London) and you won’t tell us where to get that, thank you
- Ok, friendly old local who had chatted us up offered to take us on his bus card. We gave him the ? and of course he ripped us off, but it was only like a dollar so, we got out of the heat and off to Malé, totally worth it.
We came back by ferry (easy, just buy a ticket). Couldn’t figure out which bus to take from the ferry, so we walked back, which wasn’t that bad, the locals were wrong, we explored the area and found some places to get groceries. I mean ok. If I’d lived there I would also not walk, but as a tourist you are eager to explore anyway and see stuff and not be moving past stuff quickly in a car.
Well, ok, if it was on a road trip , that would be different. Back to this. This is how it works:
- There is one bus stop which also sells bus cards in Hulhumalé.
- You pay I think something like $8 to $10 and have already money on it.
- You can take all buses.
- Neighborhood buses are for different neighborhoods and stop almost at any stop if it’s in the neighborhood (super cheap, like 10 Cents or so)
- Express buses stop only at certain stops, from feeling that’s every other stop and those will bring you to the other island
Ok, now ferries
- Get to harbor
- Go to air conditioned Terminal and by a ticket, seriously they are so cheap, it’s ridiculous under a dollar
- Wait in air conditioned Terminal, no need to try the WiFi
- Get on air conditioned Ferry, still no need to try the WiFi
- Ignore the motor oil smell
- Read a book for 15min ish as the installed TVs are showing just scrambled TV program
- Get off the ferry
- Done, Easy
All in all, we can recommend the local public transport, you just have to figure it out and then it’s easy and really, there are only so many places the bus can go on those 2 islands. Keep your gps on, track on maps where you are and you are fine. Worst case, ask, you’ll always find someone that speaks English, just stay away from the tourist souvenir shops, like everywhere they will sell you a duck for a horse. ?
