Your Desert Island Awaits!
Fulidhoo sits on the northern edge of Vaavu Atoll and lies at 3°40’48.65”N 73°24’56.92”E, just a few hours north of the equator.
The island feels remote, but it’s actually surprisingly easy to get to. It’s a far-flung desert island in a convenient location! Situated just south of South Male Atoll, on the northern perimeter of Vaavu Atoll, it takes just over an hour by speedboat to get there from Male’ International Airport.
Despite being so accessible from the airport, there are very few resorts in the area, which means that dive sites are often completely deserted and boat traffic is considerably less than in the Male’ atolls.
By Speedboat
Please note: We are not a speedboat company, nor do we operate a speedboat. We only arrange transfers for those who book a dive and stay package. If you are not booking your accommodation through us, then you will need to contact your guesthouse to book seats for you. Unfortunately we do not have the capacity to reply to enquiries which are only about how to get to Fulidhoo and not about diving – you will have to contact your guesthouse about this.
Taking a speedboat is the most convenient way to get to Fulidhoo. A one-way ticket costs 40USD and the journey will take 1 hour 10 minutes. There are speedboats departing Male’ and Fulidhoo every day of the week (twice a day every day, except Friday, when there are only morning transfers.) If you book a dive and stay package through us, we’ll book your seats for you, and you can either pay directly to the speedboat captain when you board or to the guesthouse when you arrive. As timetables are subject to change, please contact us for the latest speedboat information. We can also arrange for the speedboat to collect you directly from the airport. You will need to contact us with your flight details before booking in order to check compatibility with the speedboat schedule as it can change from time to time.
We recommend booking a flight that does not land later than 14:30pm as the last speedboat is at 16:00 and you will need time to get through customs/immigration etc.
On Fridays at the moment there is only one speedboat each day in each direction, leaving in the morning.
There are currently two speedboat companies that serve Fulidhoo (with the same schedule) – Dream Speed and Goma.
Pick up points – you can be met at the airport meeting point by the crew of the speedboat, which is the airport information desk, or you can join the speedboat at the jetty opposite the Maldives Monetary Authority in Male (see Google Map below.)
By Ferry
A government-run ferry leaves Male’ from Hulhumale Ferry Terminal three times a week and takes 3.5 hours to reach Fulidhoo on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday at 10am. It costs approx. US$4 for a one-way ticket and stops in Maafushi Island along the way. For those in no rush, this is a great budget option. After stopping in Fulidhoo, it then continues on to the other islands in Vaavu Atoll.
The ferry leaves Male from Hulhumale Ferry Terminal. This can be a cause for confusion because there are TWO ferry terminals called Hulhumale Ferry Terminal. There is one in Male and one in Hulhumale. The one you want to go to to catch the ferry is the one in Male. It will take about 10 minutes to reach it from the airport.
You cannot prebook tickets on the public ferry so make sure you are there as early as you can. The ferry leaves on time so don’t be late!
Departing Fulidhoo, the ferry departs at 10:45 and again stops in Maafushi on its way back to Male – on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
There is no ferry in either direction on Fridays.
Male’ to Fulidhoo
Fulidhoo to Male’
Getting Here from Other Islands
Generally, it is quite easy to island hop within the same atoll, due to the atoll ferries and speedboats connecting the islands. But getting between atolls is trickier, and will often result in having to transit in Male’.
However! You can get directly to Fulidhoo from Maafushi Island (which is in South Male’ Atoll) as the public ferry stops there.
Maafushi to Fulidhoo
Fulidhoo to Maafushi
As well as getting to Fulidhoo from Male’ and Maafushi, you can also get here from other islands within Vaavu Atoll as they are all connected by the government ferry and speedboat.
Please note: While the scheduled speedboats stop at several islands in Vaavu Atoll, they do not stop in Maafushi. The only option to travel between Maafushi and Fulidhoo is to take the slow ferry.
Private Speedboat Hire
If you are travelling in a group, it might make sense for you to hire a private speedboat, especially if your flights times don’t work with the scheduled speedboat timings. This is a fairly expensive option so we wouldn’t recommend it unless there are at least 4 or 5 of you travelling. Again, we can only arrange this for you if you are booking a stay and dive package with us.