When we started planning our honeymoon a few months ago, the first destination was obvious – MALDIVES. It sounds so simple – this is the paradise with the white sand and beautiful turquoise water. But do you know how many islands the Maldives consists of? The Maldives consists of a total of 1190 islands, more than 160 of which are inhabited and accessible to tourists.
You’ll find local islands where the locals live, but also resort islands that offer the ultimate in luxury. Some can only be reached by seaplane, others are easily accessible by boat. Can you see why it wasn’t so easy?
Let’s go in order. Why Dhigurah Island? We are adventure enthusiasts, so you’ll understand that we simply couldn’t miss the charm of the local island. So the choice was clear on this one.
Dhigurah island is also one of the longest islands and offers the opportunity to observe spectacular underwater life all year round. Since we like action-packed excursions and lying on a sun lounger all day is not for us, we were looking for an alternative where we can combine relaxation with an active holiday and this island offered us just that.
How to get to Dhigurah?
We went to the Maldives from Vienna, where we took a 5-hour flight to Abu Dhabi with Etihad. We waited there for 5 hours for the next flight directly to the main island of Male. From Male you can reach every single inhabited island in the country. However, you have several alternatives to choose from:
- Ferry – a trip by local boat, which is the cheapest, but the longest one. Although the trip to Dhigurah would cost only a few dollars (about 5USD), it would take more than 7 hours. That’s out of the question for someone like Domi, who takes kinedryl (local pills) when she sits in the back of the car 😀
- Seaplane – an adventurous ride over the Maldivian islands is something everyone would like to experience. But be prepared to pay a hefty price for it. A round trip to Dhigurah would cost USD 500 per person. It sure would have been beautiful and would have taken about 25 minutes, but since we’re not millionaires YET, we were looking for other options.
- Speedboat, the golden choice – the speedboat offers a cross-section between the time saved from the first choice and the money saved from the second. For USD 120 per person, you can buy a return ticket to Dhigurah. The drive takes about two hours and for us it’s definitely the best way to get from Male to Dhigurah relatively cheaply and quickly.
Where to stay on Dhigurah?
Even though Dhigurah is a local island, since 2009 these islands have also been opened to tourists and today you can find a lot of beautiful hotels on these islands. There are several beautiful accommodations to choose from on the booking site, which also offer the option of meals.
We opted for Hotel Dhiguveli Breeze with breakfast and we recommend it with all 10! The hotel rooms are nice, clean and most importantly – air-conditioned. They also have smaller terraces and offer a relatively stable internet connection. Relatively, because you have to understand the nature of being literally at the end of the world, so you have to take into consideration slower internet and minor outages, but they were easily manageable. Who on earth comes to the Maldives to surf the internet?
We recommend contacting the hotel a few days before arrival, they will book the speedboat according to your arrival in Malé and come for you by car to Dhigurah harbour. So you don’t have to worry about anything. The staff is extremely nice and helpful. And that breakfast – YUM!
Last but not least, it should also be mentioned that the hotel is located about a minute’s walk from the beach. Simply a dream. However, there are other very nice and well-rated hotels on the island, so it’s up to you which one you choose.
All accommodation options on Dhigurah Island can be found on this page.
Gastronomy at Dhigurah
One of the things we love most about foreign countries is the cuisine. That’s why we decided to choose the breakfast-only option at the hotel. If you think there’s not much to choose from on the local 3 km long island, you’re wrong. There are several tasty restaurants, which differ not only in their offer, but also in their prices.
It very much depends on whether it is a restaurant belonging to one of the hotels or a local establishment. However, time is very limited. Lunch is served from 12 to 14, dinner from 19 to 21, so you have to adjust your schedule accordingly. We’ve tried both and we really have to say that we’ve never once had a meal we didn’t like. Our favourite places include:
Malaveli Restaurant
A restaurant that belonged to our hotel. It is located on the roof of the hotel, so you have a beautiful view of the island during the day. They offer a wide selection of dishes from seafood specialties, to pizza, burgers and some of the classics in the form of fish and chips.
We recommend the fritters, which are served with rice and Indian “papadam” – these are very tasty Indian chips that serve as a side dish. They have pans for all kinds of things – chicken, beef, shrimp or tuna. As guests of the hotel, you can also book a special dinner in advance. It is fresh fish with side dishes and sauces of your choice. Dinner for two is $45 and also includes two desserts.
Bonthi Restaurant
A very nice place that we visited twice. The choice was always clear – noodles with chicken for $4 and seafood for $8. As a bonus, they also make great espresso. Do you know why we came back?
Hermit’s Restaurant
In our opinion, one of the most “fancy” restaurants on the island, which is clearly visible in the price of the dishes. We tried the local chicken wrap, which was very tasty, and also fish and chips. We paid 30 USD for lunch at this place along with a bottle of water.
Dune Café
Local restaurant, which was the biggest surprise for us. We went there based on google reviews. But when we got there, we were a bit scared 😀 It didn’t look appealing at all. It was literally such a small shack, with a poofy terrace that yawned with emptiness.
Eventually, we threw away all preconceptions and ordered our food. YUMMY! It was totally worth it. And we really mean it! We ordered KOTHUROSHI, a dish that originated in Sri Lanka but is very popular in the Maldives. It was great and cost less than $4. We definitely recommend this place.
Many people associate a holiday in the Maldives with a holiday in Sri Lanka. So if you’re also going to Sri Lanka, we’ve prepared a 14-day itinerary to exotic Sri Lanka – discover the best Sri Lanka has to offer!
Things to do in Dhigurah
As we have already mentioned, most people go to the Maldives to relax. It was no different on our island. However, there are also other options.
Excursions and snorkelling
Each hotel offers special excursions, which must always be booked a day in advance. For example, our hotel offered snorkeling with whale sharks, rays, turtles, or catching fish during sunset. The price of excursions is around 80-100 USD. We opted for manta rays, as we have been tempted for a very long time. The excursion was perfect, it lasted for about 3 hours, we saw huge manta rays and enjoyed a great morning on the boat. The excursion also included water, fruit juices and some small snacks.
Since we visited the island in off season, there were only four of us on the boat, so it was really great. However, be prepared for lots of boats and people with gopro cameras in the individual snorkeling spots. It’s literally a fight for survival 😀 However, you can snorkel outside the excursions and it’s really worth it. Right next to the beach there is a lot of coral reefs, where you can see colourful fish of all kinds.
Walk on Dhigurah sandbank
The most beautiful place on the island is definitely Sandbank. Its length depends on what time of year you are on the island. The longest and most beautiful is supposedly around May, but we were there in October and it also had its own charm.
There are three ways to get to the sandbank. It takes about 30-40 minutes on foot from most hotels. You have a choice to get there along the beach or through the jungle. Both have their charm.
The second option is the tuktuk. The hotel can book this for you for a specific time. The price for one trip is 10 USD (it doesn’t matter if you go two or four, so we recommend taking someone else from the hotel to save money). We usually did it by taking a walk on the way there and booking a ride back in advance. Keep in mind that when the sun goes down, it is very dark on the island, the beach becomes a crab valley and the jungle is literally teeming with horror scenes. The third option is bicycles, but we’ll talk about that next.
Bicycle rent
There are two places on the island from which you can rent a bicycle. The rental cost is $5 for 3 hours and $10 for 6 hours. However, you have to take into account that the bikes are really in very bad condition, the brakes don’t work and it’s generally very difficult. While it saves time during the move, we don’t think it’s totally worth it. This is the third option to get to the sandbank, which is located at the end of the island. It will take you about 15 minutes by bike from the city.
Sunset watching
The sunsets in the Maldives are incredible! Even though the sun sets very early and the whole sunset lasts shorter than we are used to, it always has its charm. Whether you choose to watch it from your balcony, from the beach or from the sandbank, you’re will have a beautiful end to the day for sure.
The most beautiful photo spots on Dhigurah
Dhigurah itself is a paradise on earth, so there’s really no shortage of photogenic spots. However, these four are the most beautiful photospots for us:
- Sandbank at the end of the island
- Private island next to the sandbank – just to the left of the sandbank during low tide. a private islet emerges and it can be easily reached on foot. If you have a drone, photos will be really worth it.
- Reclining palm tree – we’ve seen it a few times on Instagram, but couldn’t for the life of us find it anywhere! That’s just because it’s on the opposite side of the island from everything else. You will find it on the harbour side, perpendicular to the football field (see map).
- Swings – a typical idyll of every photo series from the Maldives is a swing right in the water. There are two on the island. One is by the sandbank and one is a little closer to town (see map).
Practical tips and tricks
But what should not be forgotten and what you should be prepared for when visiting the island? We also have some tips for you.
No alcohol
First of all, it is important to remember that you cannot bring any alcohol to the Maldives. It’s forbidden there. Exceptions are made in the resorts, where of course they’ll mix you all the drinks in the world, but it’s very strict on the local islands. You won’t find any alcohol there, non-alcoholic beer or mojitos is all you can get.
Mosquitoes
Have you experienced a daytime mosquito attack? No? So get ready for it. One of the biggest surprises was that the mosquitoes on the island were biting mostly during the day and literally going to sleep at night. If you can call it pinching at all. The first few days when we didn’t have local repellent we literally felt like we were being eaten alive 😀 Our repellent didn’t help at all. You can buy local repellent in any shop on the island and we recommend you carry it with you everywhere. Be especially careful of your ankles, they like those the best 😀
Not a step in a swimsuit
There are beaches on the island where it is forbidden to wear a swimsuit. And no, it’s not about nude beaches 😀 There is a Muslim culture on the island that needs to be respected. The same goes for walking around town or visiting restaurants. Always be properly dressed.
Sun loungers and parasols
It is not possible to rent sun loungers and parasols on the island. However, there are a few sun loungers and chairs on the beach, which are free of charge. Some of them are a bit older, but they will serve the same purpose. However, it is still true that first come, first served. Sun umbrellas are located just at the end of the island by the sandbank and are also free of charge.
Shops
There are several local grocery and souvenir shops on the island. You can buy food, drugstores, household items, magnets and clothes there. If you can, we recommend bringing your own snorkel, as the shops have a very narrow selection and the snorkels are overpriced. There is also one ATM on the island. In most places, however, you could pay by card. They accept US dollars or Maldivian rupees.
Burning of waste
The only downside of the local island is that the handling of the waste is not exactly the happiest. A lot of times you will find that they burn the garbage in the middle of the island, which can be quite annoying on some parts of the beach. However, this can be easily avoided by moving a little further away so that you can enjoy your stay on the beach without the smell.
Zero crime
There is a lot of good on the island and you really have nothing to fear. The people are very friendly, kind and helpful. They won’t even give you a lock on the rented bikes because they don’t steal at all. Whenever we went to watch the sunset on Sandbank, we even left our flip flops at the beginning of the beach so we didn’t have to carry them in our hands all the time. It is simply PARADISE ON EARTH.
* All links in this article including accommodation through booking are affliliate. All in one place. It won’t cost you any extra money or effort, it will make your planning easier and save you time. We will be very happy if you book your dream holiday through them 🙂
