Fulidhoo

Fulidhoo is a village island in Vaavu Atoll of a few hundred people, small enough to walk across in ten minutes, with a sandbank running off one end and a bikini beach set aside for visitors as local islands require. Stingrays come into the shallows by the harbour most evenings when the fishing boats clean their catch, and nurse sharks follow them. Guesthouses have operated here since the law changed to allow them on inhabited islands.

What you actually see

• The stingrays - the animals coming into the harbour shallows most evenings.
• The sandbank - the strip of sand running off the end of the island.
• The bikini beach - the section set aside for visitors on a local island.
• The village - a settlement of a few hundred people walkable in minutes.

When to go

November to April is the dry season with the calmest crossings. Ferries run on limited days. The monsoon from May brings rougher water.

Honest expectations

Local island rules apply: modest dress outside the designated beach and no alcohol on the island. Public ferries run only on certain days. Guesthouses are simple.

Nearby

Thulusdhoo is north, and Malé is northwest.