Fulidhoo is a small economic island that we recently visited in the Maldives, as well as the Island of Dhigurah, which we loved for its beaches and its sandbar.
Besides scuba diving, the main attraction of Fulidhoo is the shark and stingray beach, where you can see nurse sharks, sea turtles and stingrays in shallow waters and even have your photo taken with them.
Of course, Fulidhoo also has the white sand and clear blue waters typical of the Maldives, and there are family hotels for only 60 a night, so it’s a good Option if you want to get to know the tropics without spending a lot of money.
This guide will tell you how to get to Fulidhoo Island, what to do there, where to stay and everything you need to know before you go!
How to get to Fulidhoo Island
There is no airport in Fulidhoo, so first you need to get to the capital of the Maldives at Male International Airport (MLE), about 55 kilometers (35 mi) from Fulidhoo.
From Male, you can take a speedboat or a ferry directly to Fulidhoo.
By public speedboat
The main road to Fulidhoo is by public speedboat, and this is how we drove. There are daily morning and afternoon departures from Male Airport and the city.
The speedboat ride to Fulidhoo takes just under an hour and a half each way. It’s been very bumpy in our experience, but I’m sure it depends on the weather.
On the plus side, the boats are new and the seats are comfortable. They also have toilets and plenty of space to store luggage and they will give you free bottled water while you drive.
The boats from Male to Fulidhoo leave at 10 in the morning and at 4 in the evening (only at 9:30 on Fridays). And the boats return from Fulidhoo to Male at 7:30 am and 1:30 am (only 7 am on Fridays).
Keep in mind, however, that there are several speedboat companies that operate this route and the schedule seems to change from time to time, so I would check the schedule with your hotel before leaving.
You can ask your Fulidhoo hotel to reserve the speedboat for you and then pay for it with your room bill on arrival. That’s what we did, and paying by credit card saved us from having to carry a lot of money everywhere we went.
By private speedboat
A private speedboat rental costs much more than public speedboats, but it can be more convenient if you are traveling in a group of at least 4 or 5 people and need a direct connection to Fulidhoo Island.
You should be able to agree this with your hotel in Fulidhoo.
By public ferry
You can also take the public ferry from Male to Fulidhoo. This option is a little slower than speedboats, but much inexpensiveer. The ferry ride to Fulidhoo takes about 4 hours and costs 5 for a one-way ticket.
This route connects Male to Fulidhoo on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 10 am. It returns from Fulidhoo to Male on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:30 am.
The ferry timetables may change occasionally, so you must confirm the current timetables with your Fulidhoo hotel. However, you can’t book tickets in advance, so it’s a good idea to show up a little earlier to make sure you get a seat.
The ferry departs from Hulhumale Ferry Terminal in Male City. It is important to note that this is not the Hulhumale ferry port, but the ferry port of the same name in Male City. You can get there in 10 minutes by taxi from the airport.
