A first trip to a local island
The first time, the practical questions matter more than the perfect island: how you get there, what you wear, and whether you can get back in time for your flight.
Photo · Hussain Solah / Google Kaafu Atoll
Gulhi
Gulhi is a small island in southern Kaafu with fewer than a thousand residents, and its main advantage is position: it sits on…
Photo · Anil Travel Logs / Google Haa Dhaalu Atoll
Hanimaadhoo
Hanimaadhoo is the gateway to the far north. It has the regional airport, around two and a half thousand residents, and roughly…
Photo · Jadulla Hameed / Google Seenu Atoll
Hithadhoo
Hithadhoo is the largest island in Addu and, with nearly fourteen thousand residents, the second-largest population centre in the…
Photo · ibrahim nashid / Google Kaafu Atoll
Hulhumalé
Hulhumalé is not a holiday island and does not pretend to be. It is reclaimed land next to the airport, built to take the…
Photo · Rune Tollefsen / Google Kaafu Atoll
Huraa
Huraa lies in northern Kaafu with around sixteen hundred residents, close enough to Malé that the transfer is short and far…
Photo · Bilal Afzal Khan / Google Kaafu Atoll
Maafushi
Maafushi sits about 26 km south of Malé in Kaafu Atoll, and it is where local-island tourism in the Maldives first took hold at…
Photo · Mohamed Naushad / Google Alif Dhaal Atoll
Mahibadhoo
Mahibadhoo is the administrative centre of Alif Dhaal and, with over two and a half thousand residents, by some distance the…
Photo · Jenzy Ben / Google Kaafu Atoll
Thulusdhoo
Thulusdhoo is the surf island of Kaafu Atoll, and it wears that identity plainly. Two of the best-known breaks in the country sit…
What to ask before you book
- Choose an island with a speedboat connection for at least one leg. It removes the single biggest source of stress.
- Spend the last night near the airport rather than gambling on a morning transfer.
- Read the island rules once before you go — the whole thing takes five minutes and prevents every awkward moment.