The Maldivian dream island: Thulusdhoo

Thulus­dhoo is one of over 1,000 islands in the Maldives, surrounded by breath­taking turquoise water. You can relax here without spending a fortune. Discover every­thing you need to know about this beau­tiful island.

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The Location of Thulusdhoo

Thulus­dhoo is a local island, meaning that instead of visiting resort islands built espe­cially for tourists, you are visiting an island inhab­ited by locals. It is part of the North Male Atoll in the Maldives and is easy to reach by boat or ferry due to its prox­imity to the airport. Thulus­dhoo is pretty small and peaceful so it’s the perfect desti­na­tion to chill. With a bit of plan­ning, you can enjoy the peaceful and beau­tiful island life.

How to get there?

From the Airport it’s a 45 min boat ride or a two-hour trip with the local ferry. The speed­boats depart multiple times daily, and the prize is around $25. You have to book the speed­boat in advance and I recom­mend Odi App for book­ings and timeta­bles. 

The ferry departs once per day (not on Friday) from Malé to Thulus­dhoo at 14:30 and from Thulus­dhoo to Malé at 7:10 in the morning. It is only 22 MVR ($1.5). You have to pay directly on the ferry in cash. From Malé you can take the airport ferry (10 min) which runs every 15 minitues.  

Explore the island

As there is no traffic on the island (apart from a few scooters), you can take a nice walk around the island if it’s not too hot. There are lots of cute little houses, a few boutiques and a Coca-Cola factory. There is also a small island off the coast from where you can enjoy a beau­tiful view, watch the sunrise or do a little yoga. As the island is very small, I won’t give you detailed direc­tions, but it’s worth going on a little explo­ration tour your­self. 

I would like to mention that the Maldives are a Muslim country and you should there­fore respect the rules on the island. Specif­i­cally, this means that shoul­ders and knees should be covered (all genders) as long as you are not on a Bikini Beach. I simply wore long, airy pants and had no nega­tive expe­ri­ences at all.

The Bikini Beaches

There are two bikini beaches on Thulus­dhoo where you are allowed to wear swimwear. One is close to the accom­mo­da­tions and cafes. There you can relax perfectly on a lounger under the palm trees and snorkel around the rocks. Although stone walls have been built in the water to protect the beach from storms, the water remains breath­tak­ingly clear.

The other bikini beach, known as Dream Beach, is located near the pier. The view of the sea is stun­ning, and the shallow water is perfect for cooling off. Swim­ming in this place felt surreal, and I expe­ri­enced a deep sense of inner peace. The water is just as bright turquoise and clear as it appears in pictures. 

A perfect sunset on a sand bank

At the southern end of the island, there is a small sand­bank that gives you a panoramic view of the sunset. Towards evening, when the sun is less intense, you can take a nice walk around the island. Of course there are a few people there to take photos, but I didn’t find it too crowded. In general, the island didn’t seem over­crowded with tourists. Let’s see how this develops in the future when larger hotels are built. 

Wateractivities

The Maldives are known for their rich under­water world. Thulus­dhoo itself doesn’t have a house reef that you can explore from the beach, but that’s not a bad thing as there are plenty of excur­sions to stun­ning places. 

We ourselves went on the shark and stingray tour, where we saw lots of colorful fish, rays, sharks and turtles. The prize for this tour is $40 per person. You travel by speed­boat in a small group to the snor­keling point, where the guide goes into the water with you and helps you spot reef sharks and other animals. The boat trip to the snor­keling points alone is worth it, as the sea is so incred­ibly blue. What is also special about Thulus­dhoo is the oppor­tu­nity to surf and of course, there are also diving schools on site.

Where to stay?

If you are consid­ering visiting a local island, I recom­mend booking your accom­mo­da­tion a few weeks in advance. In my expe­ri­ence, prices go up if you book at short notice or the cheaper alter­na­tives are sold out. The loca­tion of your guest house doesn’t matter as the island is so small and you can walk every­where. I can recom­mend Sun&Surf on Thulus­dhoo.
Here we paid $55 per day for a double room, including break­fast.

The food on Thulusdhoo

There are restau­rants, espe­cially for tourists, where the prices are a little higher (euro­pean level) and local restau­rants where you can eat for under 10 €. Simpler (but still filling) dishes such as fried rice are also avail­able for under 5 €. Other­wise, you can eat fresh fish or sand­wiches, burgers and curries. Other­wise, there are only a few mini-markets for snacks on the island. We usually kept our heads above water during the day with snacks we brought from home and then went out to eat in the evening. Cheap restau­rants that I can recom­mend are:

  • Bandaha Cafe
  • Aqua beans
  • RG Restau­rants

Note: On the local islands the sale and consump­tion of alcohol are strictly prohib­ited. This means you won’t find any alcohol in local shops, restau­rants, or guest­houses.

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Hi, I am Anna 🙂

I love being surrounded by greenery and the sea, so I travel when­ever I can. Join me as I show you colorful places and share tips on how to explore the world on a budget by your­self.