Looking for paradise on earth? The Maldives comes to mind, I know. But… where in the Maldives to go. There are many atolls and islands to choose from. Islands we all know, but what are atolls? I’ll tell you:
An atoll is a ring-shaped coral reef which normally includes some coral rims and edges. The reef encircles a lagoon partially or completely and there may be coral islands, sandbanks, or cays on the rim of the coral reef. The Maldives are lucky enough to have between 22 and 26 natural atolls (26 seems to be the official count). The count depends on exactly how an atoll and a sub-atoll (atoll within an atoll) are counted. Nevermind the exact number… there are enough atolls to make anyone confused about which atoll to explore.
Can’t decide which one to choose? Drop a coin on the map and choose where it falls. I bet you won’t be disappointed (See below for the atoll map).
Ever dreamt about the most beautiful remote islands with palm trees, pure white sand, and crystal clear water?
The Maldives has it all.
My coin fell on Goidhoo Atoll, also known as Goifulhafehendhu Atoll, which lies at the southern fringe of the Southern Maalhosmadulhu Atoll, with code letter “BAA” – hence popularly known as BAA Atoll.
Before we explore the islands, let’s first talk about the Maldives and its capital, Malé.
Why travel to Goidhoo Atoll of the Maldives?
- The low-down: The Maldives has among the most beautiful beaches and clear turquoise waters on the planet. Add to that the many thousands of small islands, sandbanks and atolls, and you have paradise on earth. Here you can easily spend the entire day alone, or with whoever you choose to be, with no sight of other people!
- The brightest highlight: The beaches and crystal clear turquoise waters – surreal.
- Intrepid destination: It is very easy to get to islands with no development and no tourists. Just get a small boat to take you there and pick you up at sunset. Avoid the touristy islands with luxurious and expensive accommodation filled with rich people, and pumping money into the bank accounts of international hotel groups. Rather, find a locally owned guesthouse and live close to the friendly locals and nature with few tourists around you.
- Globerovers score (10 is highest): As one of the most beautiful places on earth, the Maldives can’t get less than 9.9/10.
Table of Contents
About the Maldives
The Republic of the Maldives, better known as The Maldives, is a chain of 26 atolls situated in the Indian Ocean about 700 km (430 mi) southwest of Sri Lanka and 400 km (250 mi) southwest of India’s Kerala State.
With a population of about 400,000 people, about 25% of the people live on Malé, the small island capital.
The Maldives is ruled by a rather repressive and conservative Muslim government, so take that into account when outside your resort or guest house.
While most people who have seen photos of the Maldives will think of super expensive luxurious resorts consisting of rows of wooden villas and lodges perched on stilts surrounded by turquoise smooth waters, fit for a king, this is not the only way to enjoy the Maldives. There are some lovely non-luxurious alternative ways to enjoy time in the company of the locals on a far-away island void of any, or many, tourists, as well as islands free of any kind of human settlements. This is the best way to explore the Maldives!
Arrive by your favourite airline on Hulhule Island where the international airport is located. The airport is an outdated facility but in minutes you will be on your way via a private pickup (car or minivan) arranged for free by your hotel located on the nearby island of Hulhumale, which is connected by a causeway to the airport’s Hulhule Island.
Alternatively, and highly recommended, is to take the 10-minute ($1) frequent ferry from immediately outside the airport arrivals hall to Malé island where the capital city, Malé, is located.
From the ferry pier on Malé island you can walk to your hotel anywhere on the island, or if sadly you are lugging around a barrel with fancy clothes, then catch one of the many small taxis (or a little pick-up truck taxi) which will have you at your hotel for a standard fee of $2 or $4.
Quaint Malé City
Spending a day or two in this very densely populated island (rock) city is highly recommended. Wander around the tree-covered lanes, old historical buildings, and of course the friendly locals and their tasty cuisines.
While most restaurants of international standard have a “special English menu” for tourists with highly inflated prices, you should insist on the local menu which will save you at least 50% to 70%. Some great lunch buffets ($8 including all taxes) with local curries are served up along the waterfront (Pier 4 to the fish market).
You should not fear and try one of the truly authentic local restaurants. Pick one with many locals so you know it is a winner among them. Here a spicy and tasty meal with three curry dishes, dal, and rice will cost about $2.50 per person.
There are several mosques to visit, the Presidential office building, modest Presidential residence, and a couple of nice restaurants.
Get up early in the morning and head for the very interesting green market with a lively fish market to buy a few kilos of freshly caught tuna and other fish, squid and cuttlefish. Make sure to take home some fresh tuna.
You may end up staying more than a day or two in this compact, friendly and quaint city.
An atoll is a ring-shaped coral reef, including a coral rim, that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. To better understand it, you should go see it!
Goidhoo Atoll inside the Baa Atoll
While there are many atolls and islands to choose from, one of the best is Goidhoo Atoll which lies to the south of the much larger Baa Atoll.
Goidhoo Atoll has only two islands with tourist accommodation – Fulhadhoo and Goidhoo.
Around the atoll are several uninhabited islands with palm trees as well as many pure-white sandbanks which stay above water all the time, though they may disappear in the next few years.
Now, this is really paradise as the waters around these sandbanks are truly heaven-made. Just relax, roll in the crystal clear turquoise waters, roll on the sandbank, roll from the sandbank into the crystal clear waters, keep rolling.
Goidhoo Island
Goidhoo Island traces its history back to the 19th century when the local king released his female African slave, called Salaamaa, which he brought from his Hajj trip to Mecca. Before release, she served for many years at the king’s palace in Malé, the Maldivian capital, before the ailing king released her in order to gain merit in the afterlife. After release, she settled on Goidhoo Island and procreated. Today some of the families on Goidhoo Island can still trace their descendency to Salaamaa.
Goidhoo Island has about 500 residents and a few guesthouses and resorts such as Olive Goidhoo and Horsburgh Island Guesthouse.
You can split your stays between Goidhoo Island and Fulhadhoo Island.
Fulhadhoo Island
Along the northern rim of the atoll (6 km / 3.7 mi west of Goidhoo island) lies Fulhadhoo Island This long skinny island has beautiful beaches and sandbanks at the far edges while the rest of this island is covered in lush trees such as palms, coconut, banana, breadfruit, Indian mulberry, country almond, banyan trees and other lush vegetation.
Fulhadhoo has a small village with about 300 residents, located at the far eastern side of the island.
Only two small convenience stores provide this community with their household necessities. Food seems to be quite scarce with limited frozen foods and not much in terms of fruit and vegetables. The community grows some fruits (star fruit, bananas, water apples, etc.) and limited vegetables in their gardens. Irrigation is a challenge as rain is limited to only a few months of the year when every drop possible is collected into large drums to serve as drinking water for the dry months. No water can be “wasted” on irrigation.
There are limited and shallow hand-dug wells around the village but the water is brackish and not fit for human consumption or for gardens. This source is mainly used for washing and cleaning.
Fulhadhoo has a small clinic, a mosque or two, and at last count, it had one small and very comfortable guesthouse with four rooms.
It is a lot of fun spending time with the local islanders. However, these people are quite introverted and keep to themselves.
Reminiscent of nearby nations such as Sri Lanka, India, and Bangladesh, the Maldivian people are known for their hospitality and big smiles. The locals are friendly, highly respectful of foreign visitors, and some speak English quite well.
Note that there are many Bangladeshi people employed across the islands.
As expected in this Muslim society, alcohol is officially banned and clothing is very conservative. The odd tourist on the island is also expected to dress respectfully and not show any intimate behaviour (i.e. hugging and kissing, etc.) of any kind while walking around the villages.
Half the western side of the island has been dedicated to “free behaviour by the odd tourist.” Skinny dipping is fine as you most likely won’t see anybody while you enjoy the white beaches and sandbanks, not to mention the amazing snorkelling!
While staying at Fulhadhoo, make sure to spend a full day on the uninhabited Innafushi Island where you most likely will be the only person on the island. Think Robinson Crusoe and the Cast Away movie with Tom Hanks and his coconut-volleyball friend – Wilson!
Innafushi Island
Now you also did not come to the Maldives to only visit one island, and especially not just an inhabited island. No problem.
Ask your guesthouse on Fulhadhoo or Goidhoo Island to arrange their speedboat to take you to one of the nearby uninhabited islands such as Innafushi Island. Innafushi island lies 4.47 km (2.78 mi) from the far-western top of Fulhadhoo Island.
Here you can relax under the sun for the entire without seeing another soul. From 8 am to 5 pm the sun is scorching hot, so bring lots of SPF80 and spend time under the palm trees. Make sure to bring enough food and drinks as there are no facilities, and most likely nobody else on the island.
The snorkelling is good though far from perfect. Regardless, there are some lovely reef fish, small black-tip reef sharks, stingrays, octopus, and many colourful smaller creatures.
Fehendhoo Island
About 1.86 km (1.16 mi) east of Fulhadhoo Island lies Fehendhoo Island of similar size (though longer and even more skinny) but with a smaller village of just about 75 residents at its far eastern edge. This is another quaint and peaceful island quite similar in nature as Fulhadhoo Island.
What else to do?
After a few days in paradise you may want to go home. If you stayed in a guesthouse, you may want to leave as even guesthouses are not cheap by international standards. However, if you brought your own tent and camped out, you may want to head back to civilisation to get a non-salty shower and charge your camera batteries. Head back to capital city, Malé.
Done with Malé but still a day or two left before you fly out? Head over on a short ferry trip to the tranquil Villingili Island (or Vilin’Gili). Not to be confused with a further away island of the same name with a big resort. The small island of Villingili is just 10 minutes by ferry from Malé and similar to Malé, it is 90% covered with residential buildings. There are a few nice beaches where the locals cool off. You may spend a day here and see very few tourists.
Time to head out of the Maldives. Have a safe flight and don’t tell anybody about your secret piece of paradise.
Essential Information
Getting There
Many airlines fly into Hulhule Island next to the capital city, Malé, from where a small seaplane can be boarded to far outlying islands.
When to Go
The Maldives is an all-year destination. The rainy season is during July, August and again November to March. May to October have more clouds, some rain, and choppy waters with limited visibility. December to April is cooler and dry, but this is the high season with the greatest number of tourist arrivals.
Getting Around
From Malé are several options to reach the island of your choice. Regular ferries connect popular and closer islands, while less popular islands are best reached via speedboat. The further destinations are served by expensive seaplanes.
Where to Stay
The Maldives are known for their idyllic, full-board resorts, which do not come cheap. For those who prefer to be away from the fancy resorts and to mingle with the locals, there are small guesthouses on islands with local communities.
Cost of Travel
The full-board resort option can be quite expensive. Staying in a guesthouse is considerably cheaper. The Maldives offers many options to blow a lot of money, or to spend less money while mingling with the locals.
☛ Read more: Blog posts of Islands
Further reading
Blog post and photos by Peter who has been travelling almost full-time since 2005 and has been to over 122 countries. He visited several countries, such as Japan, more than 20 times. Peter is Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of GlobeRovers Magazine, an independent travel magazine focused on intrepid destinations.