Best Local Islands Maldives

If you haven’t been to local islands in the Maldives, you are missing out! I’ve been to at least 13 of them and that’s excluding uninhabited islands! I’m a divemaster and I worked in the Maldives for 18 months, exploring the wonders of the local islands and wondering why more people didn’t visit them! Especially if you aren’t interested in pricey resorts and you just want ocean magic instead and an authentic Maldivian experience!

I’ve picked the best local islands for marine life, beautiful beaches and accessibility to Male international airport to help you decide which local island is best suited for you – from turtles to manta rays!

Which Island Should You Choose?

First things first, think about your budget and how long you’ve got. There are 1125 islands (yes really!) across the Maldives and around 200 of these are inhabited and are divided into local islands and resort islands. The islands are grouped into atolls.

Some of these are reachable by speedboat from Male Velana international airport and some of them require a second flight. Even if you go by domestic flight (and not seaplane) this can add on a couple of hundred dollars to your trip so bear that in mind of you’re on a budget!

Where to Spot Sea Turtles

Thoddoo island is the best island to snorkel with turtles in the Maldives, just off of the bikini beach. When I went, I just swam out and within about 2 minutes of snorkelling I’d seen my first green turtle!

Everytime I went in the ocean I saw one! They feed in the area and are used to a handful of snorkellers nearby so were not phased at all! For my full guide to Thoddoo island, read more here. 

It’s great because you can take a speedboat from Male to get there so no need for a domestic transfer. It’s near Rasdhoo too so you could combine these on your Maldives trip!

Top Bikini Beaches in the Maldives

So Thoddoo, the above island has an amazing bikini beach which I think is one of my favourites! Think huge stretches of white sand and nothing but ocean glittering on the horizon. Bonus was coconuts being sold nearby when I visited!

Gulhi also has a lovely bikini beach although the snorkelling from it was not as good as at Thoddoo! Here is my full Gulhi guide. It’s got swing chairs in the water for all your insta pics, soft white sand and turquoise waters – exactly what you expect from the Maldives.

Best Local Islands for Scuba Diving

There are so many great scuba diving spots in the Maldives. Fuvahmulah has to be the best island in Maldives and it’s still so unknown!

When I dived there in just 5 days I saw tiger sharks, whale sharks, oceanic mantas and thresher sharks – absolute ocean magic and the reason I’m so in love with Fuvahmulah! (Pronounced a bit like ‘formula’).

All of these ocean visitors make Fuvahmulah one of the best local islands for scuba diving and it’s pretty reasonable for the Maldives at around $30-50 a dive. Some of the dives can be deep so it’s best to be an advanced diver.

Fuvahmulah is a big island by Maldives standards, contains two freshwater lakes and requires a domestic flight from Male airport to get to Fuvahmulah. For my in depth guide to Fuvahmulah island including where to stay read here.

Top Islands for Diving near Male

Honestly, Hulhumale the island next to the airport has incredible diving just off of the harbour and nearby resort islands! I saw a huge bull shark and crazy amounts of sting rays (I’m talking hundreds!) on the harbour dive.

I also loved diving from Thulusdhoo, Guraidhoo and Gulhi and these all access similar dive sites which are just lovely including a wreck and some reefs with lots of reef sharks and eagle rays!

Islands with Amazing Coral Reefs

I really enjoyed diving off of Rasdhoo which had some lovely reefs, lots of marine diversity and manta rays! They supposedly get hammerheads there too but I was not lucky enough to see one (this time around!).

Top Surfing Islands

I’ve stayed at both Thulusdhoo and Himmafushi which are known as famous surf spots in the Maldives. However, I am not a good surfer, very much stuck in beginner to intermediate phase and the waves at Thulusdhoo were huge and not for me! If you are advanced then it’s a great place to be!

Thulusdhoo has one of my favourite rooftop infinity pools in the Maldives but the beaches were not so good for swimming because of the huge waves. I even saw dolphins going past when I was chilling in the rooftop pool! For my full Thulusdhoo guide and where to stay for the best infinity pool read here.

Himmafushi was better for less confident surfers like me. We hired a local surfer and his boat and he would take us out to waves at nearby islands and then the boat collects you after each (successful or unsuccessful!) wave that you catch! Not gonna lie, it was much harder work than other places I’ve surfed like Bali and Portugal!

Closest Local Islands to Male (for Short Trips)

Hulhumale is great for diving and a last minute stay while waiting for your international flight. I wouldn’t recommend it for longer (unless seeing friends like I was). This is because there is no bikini beach so you have to be covered up if you want a swim and there isn’t much to see snorkelling (at least not in the parts where I tried!).

There are some chill little rooftops with lovely views though which I always enjoy staying at!

Maafushi has become a more wellknown local island in the Maldives over the years. It offers a lot of water sports like jetskis at reasonable prices and it’s very close to Male so tourists often visit there. I enjoyed my stay but found it much more crowded than other local islands. My ultimate Maafushi guide is here.

Dhiffushi is a tiny island not far from Male that I enjoyed staying at. You can walk around the whole island in around 30 minutes and they still have lots of seagrass for snorkelling (yay!).

Seagrass is essential for the health of the ocean (and our planet, it’s a huge carbon sink meaning it takes carbon out of the atmosphere so helps the climate crisis!). I’m always really happy when it is protected and there to see. In contrast some resort islands have been known to pull it out and destroy it because ‘it doesn’t look nice for the guests’ – ergh.

I really enjoyed staying on Guraidhoo as I had an excellent time diving there and lovely affordable rooms. They do have a bikini beach there although it’s not quite as lovely as some of the other larger white sand beaches (and I am a beach snob! sorry!).

My Favourite Maldives Island

It’s really hard to pick! I hate pitting islands against each other, ha, but I would definitely recommend Fuvahmulah for diving and Thoddoo for the beaches and turtle snorkelling.

Ready to Plan Your Maldives Vacation?

Find more of my free travel resources below:

More Maldives Travel Resources

• Everything you need to know about the Maldives & FAQs
• Kihaa Resort Review
• Best Scuba Diving spots in the Maldives
• Where to swim with manta rays
• Where to stay to see mantas in Hanifaru Bay
• Maldives packing list
• What to expect on local islands in the Maldives
• Best Island for Scuba Diving
• One Week Maldives Itinerary
• Thoddoo Island – beaches and turtles
• Tiny Dhiffushi Island
• Thulusdhoo – surfing & infinity pool
• Gulhi – best bikini beach
• Maafushi – island close to Male