Maldives vs South Africa

Overwater bungalow with thatched roof at Cinnamon Hakuraa Huraa Maldives, featuring a furnished deck with loungers and colorful cushioned seating.

Maldives and South Africa, side by side: live travel advisories, our resort catalog's real guest data, and each destination's honest weather picture. Everything you need to break the tie.

Maldives guide · South Africa guide · How we score

By the numbers

Maldives compared with South Africa
Maldives	Measure	South Africa
Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution	U.S. travel advisory	Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
34	Resorts in our catalog	0
★ 4.7	Average guest rating	–
$127–$1495/night pp	Nightly rates	–
4 of 34	Adults-only resorts	0 of 0
No hurricane season	Hurricane exposure	No hurricane season
May–November (southwest monsoon), wettest September–November	Rainy season	November–March (southern-hemisphere summer thunderstorms)
January–March	Sweet spot	April–September for dry, mild weather; also prime safari season inland
Dhivehi (English widely spoken)	Language	11 official languages – English widely spoken
Rufiyaa; resorts run on USD	Currency	South African rand (ZAR)
230V, UK-style Type G/D plugs	Power	230V, large Type M/N plugs (special adapter needed)
Malé (MLE)	Main airport	Durban (DUR) or Johannesburg (JNB)
Long-haul, usually one connection	Flight time	~15–17h from the US East Coast (often via Europe or the Gulf)

Advisory levels sync from travel.state.gov; catalog figures reflect the resorts we've researched, not every hotel in the country.

On the map

Maldives

No mapped resorts yet

South Africa

Weather, month by month

Month-by-month average high temperature and rainfall for Maldives and South Africa
Measure	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Maldives · high °F	86	87	88	88	87	86	86	86	86	86	86	86
South Africa · high °F	82	83	82	79	77	74	73	74	75	77	79	81
Maldives · rain (in)	4.5	2.0	2.9	5.2	8.5	6.5	5.8	6.9	9.6	8.7	9.1	9.0
South Africa · rain (in)	5.3	4.8	4.8	2.9	2.2	1.1	1.5	1.9	2.9	4.3	4.8	4.0

Approximate climate normals for Malé atolls and KwaZulu-Natal coast (Durban): planning guidance, not a forecast. Deeper gold = hotter; deeper teal = wetter.

Where you'd actually stay

Best of Maldives

Full Maldives guide

Chains here: Crown & Champa Resorts · Anantara · Niva Kuramathi Maldives

Best of South Africa

No South Africa resorts in our catalog yet.

Full South Africa guide