-1 C
New York

Shark & Stingray Beach In Maldives

Published:

Fulidhoo is a small, budget-friendly native island we visited simply recently throughout the Maldives, along with Dhigurah island, which we cherished for its seashores and sandbar.

Apart from scuba diving, the prime attraction in Fulidhoo is the shark and stingray seashore, the place you might even see nurse sharks, sea turtles, and stingrays throughout the shallow water and even get your picture taken with them.

In spite of everything, Fulidhoo moreover has the white sand and clear blue water that’s typical of the Maldives, and there are family-owned motels for as little as $60 USD per night, so it’s an excellent selection whenever you’re wanting to get your restore of the tropics with out spending some big money.

This journey info will make clear learn to get to Fulidhoo island, what to do there, the place to stay, and all of the issues else it’s advisable to know sooner than you go!
 

The place To Maintain In Fulidhoo

 

How To Get To Fulidhoo Island

There’s no airport in Fulidhoo, so that you just first should fly into the capital of the Maldives at Male Worldwide Airport (MLE), which is about 55 kilometers (35 miles) from Fulidhoo.

From Male, chances are you’ll take a speedboat or ferry on to Fulidhoo.
 

Woman swimming with a stingray in Fulidhoo Maldives

Swimming with a stingray in Fulidhoo!

 

• By Public Speedboat

The first choice to get to Fulidhoo is by public speedboat, and that’s how we went. There are every day departures throughout the morning and afternoon from Male airport and city.

The speedboat journey to Fulidhoo takes slightly lower than 1.5 hours and costs about $40 USD per particular person a method. It was very bumpy in our experience, nonetheless I’m sure it’s dependent upon the local weather.

On the extreme side, the boats are new and the seats are cozy. As well as they’ve a bathroom and a great deal of room for storing baggage, they often offer you free bottled water by means of the journey.

The boats from Male to Fulidhoo depart at 10 AM and 4 PM (Fridays 9:30 AM solely). And the boats return from Fulidhoo to Male at 7:30 AM and 1:30 PM (Fridays 7 AM solely).

Nonetheless, contemplate there are a variety of speedboat corporations working this route and the timetable seems to change typically, so I’d double confirm the timetable collectively along with your lodge sooner than you go.

You’ll ask your lodge in Fulidhoo to e-book the speedboat for you, after which pay for it collectively along with your room bill when you arrive. That’s what we did, and paying by financial institution card spared us from having to carry a number of cash in all places.

Drone picture of a speedboat at the stingray beach in Fulidhoo island Maldives

Tour boat wanting on the stingrays in Fulidhoo

 

• By Private Speedboat

A personal speedboat structure is perhaps rather more expensive than most people speedboats, nonetheless it might be further helpful in situations the place you’re touring in a gaggle of on the very least 4 or 5, and need a direct connection to Fulidhoo island.

It’s best to be succesful to organize this collectively along with your lodge in Fulidhoo.

Group of stingrays swimming in shallow water

Lots of stingrays on the seashore!

 

• By Public Ferry

You’ll be able to too take most people ferry from Male to Fulidhoo. This characteristic is a bit slower than the speedboats, however it’s hundreds cheaper. The ferry journey to Fulidhoo takes about 4 hours and costs $5 USD for a a method ticket.

This route has departures from 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 events might change typically, so that you just’ll have to affirm the current schedule collectively along with your lodge in Fulidhoo. You’ll’t e-book tickets upfront though, so it’s a very good suggestion to level out up a bit early to make sure you get a seat.

The ferry leaves from the Hulhumale ferry terminal in Male metropolis (map here). It’s important to note that’s not the ferry terminal in Hulhumale, it’s the ferry terminal of the an identical determine in Male metropolis. You’ll attain it with a ten minute taxi journey from the airport.

Side phrase: Within the occasion you’re coming from Maafushi island, chances are you’ll take the ferry on to Fulidhoo, that method you don’t must transit in Male.

Drone view of Fulidhoo island from above in the Maldives

Drone view of Fulidhoo from above. It’s a very small island.

 

How To Get Spherical The Island

Fulidhoo is a very small island, so chances are you’ll stroll anyplace it’s advisable to go.

They actually don’t even have cars on the island, there are only a few small electrical buggies for carrying baggage forwards and backwards from the pier to the motels.

The island is just about 700 meters prolonged and 250 meters big, which suggests chances are you’ll stroll from any lodge to the seashore or pier in 5 minutes, or circle your entire island on foot in decrease than half-hour. That’s pretty helpful.

Sandy street with colorful flowers in Fulidhoo town

Greek-ish street vibes in Fulidhoo metropolis

 

Shark & Stingray Seashore

The first attraction at Fulidhoo is the shark and stingray seashore. That’s the prolonged seashore that covers the southwestern side of the island, and it’s marked on Google Maps as ‘stingray commentary degree.’

The stingrays come to this seashore day by day and night searching for the fishermen’s scraps to eat, and usually a nurse shark or sea turtle will current up as correctly!

In spite of everything there’s no guarantee they will come, nonetheless throughout the 2 days we spent on the island there have been nearly always stingrays on the seashore, and totally different people have reported the an identical experience.

We seen higher than a dozen rays at a time! It was a gratifying experience. You’ll watch them from the shore, or get your picture taken with them throughout the shallow water. Please don’t contact them, however it’s okay within the occasion that they contact you.

Woman swimming with a shark and stingrays on the beach in Fulidhoo Maldives

Shark & stingray seashore

 

Is It Safe?

This was what we’ve been questioning sooner than coming proper right here. Is it safe to be near sharks and stingrays like this? Good question. To be sincere, the sharks spherical Fulidhoo are nurse sharks, which might be pretty harmless to individuals.

What regarding the stingrays? Sadly all of us take into account what occurred to Steve Irwin, nonetheless I really feel that state of affairs was a bit little bit of a freak accident. Steve was following the ray throughout the water to film it, and it apparently seen him as a danger.

Stingrays are mild animals for primarily probably the most half, and as long as you’re cautious to not step on them, chase them, or make them actually really feel threatened or harassed in the end, they aren’t extra prone to hurt you. To not level out, the water proper right here is totally shallow.

It’s unattainable to say it’s 100% safe in reality, nonetheless various vacationers come to Fulidhoo day by day to see the stingrays and take footage with them, and we’ve in no way heard of any harmful incidents.

Woman swimming with stingrays on the beach in Fulidhoo Maldives

Drone pic with the stingrays

 

Additional Points To Do In Fulidhoo

  • East Seashore / Bikini Seashore: The first seashore in Fulidhoo is the jap seashore, which has good white sand and turquoise water. That’s the island’s designated ‘bikini seashore’ the place vacationers are welcome to placed on swimsuits and go suntanning. The waves are calm enough for youngsters to swim, although there’s not various shade.
  • Sunset View Degree: When you want to go for a stroll, the western end of the island has an excellent view of the sunset.
  • Banyan Tree: Throughout the coronary heart of the island there’s an earlier and spectacular banyan tree with large roots. It shades a volleyball courtroom, and whenever you carry on the Huvan Inn like we did, this tree is definitely correct outside the lodge.
  • Scuba Diving: The Fulidhoo house is trendy for scuba diving, and you will stand up shut with reef sharks, manta rays, octopuses, and totally different animals. For dive retailers, attempt Fulidhoo Dive and Divers Lodge.
  • Resort Excursions: The motels in Fulidhoo can put together a half day tour to one in every of many shut by luxurious resorts, which is a gratifying choice to experience one in every of many Maldives’ fancy motels with out paying full worth. These packages typically embrace transport there and once more, plus entry to providers identical to the resort pool and spa, and an allowance for meals and drinks on the resort whenever you’re there.
  • Completely different Actions: There are snorkeling excursions in Fulidhoo the place they take you to a shipwreck, or you might have a picnic on a sandbar. As well as they’ve excursions to see whale sharks and dolphins.
Drone picture of the beach

Seashore views at Fulidhoo

Stingrays swimming on the beach in Fulidhoo Maldives

Stingray seashore

 

How Prolonged To Maintain

Fulidhoo is a very small island, so I really feel most people might be proud of 2 or 3 days, although it wouldn’t hurt to stay longer. We stayed 2 days and that was enough for us. Decrease than a day is simply too temporary personally.

A number of individuals come proper right here on excursions from totally different islands to see the sharks and sting rays, nonetheless we watched these tour groups from a distance they often appeared very rushed.

Lots of the tour groups have been leaving after merely half-hour on the island, which isn’t even enough time to walk spherical or get good footage. We’ve been glad we didn’t do that. I really feel it’s greater to stay on the very least 1 or 2 days on the island.

Nurse shark swimming at Fulidhoo island in the Maldives

Nurse shark throughout the shallows

 

Completely different Concepts For Visiting Fulidhoo

  • Permits: A journey enable is not required to go to non-resort islands throughout the Maldives, along with Fulidhoo.
  • ATM: There’s no ATM on Fulidhoo island however, so that you just’ll have to ship enough cash in your preserve, or else use the ATM on the airport in Male.
  • Foreign exchange: US {{Dollars}} are accepted in all places on the island, although you’ll usually get barely greater fees with Maldivian Rufiyaa. Merely contemplate Rufiyaa can’t be used outside of the Maldives, so that you just don’t have to have any left over on the end of your journey. There isn’t a money commerce in Fulidhoo, so it’s biggest to try this in Male airport.
  • Credit score rating Taking part in playing cards: You’ll have to double confirm, nonetheless many motels in Fulidhoo help you to pay your full bill by financial institution card, along with the speedboat transfers. Ours enable us to do that. There may be a value for this (like 3 to 5 %), nonetheless personally it’s worth it to steer clear of having to ship fairly some huge cash. Nonetheless, contemplate the consuming locations and minimarkets in Fulidhoo usually don’t accept card, so chances are you’ll’t go totally cashless proper right here.
  • Alcohol: Maldives is a Muslim nation, in order that they don’t allow alcohol on the native islands like Fulidhoo, although chances are you’ll get it whenever you do a day journey to one in every of many shut by resort islands.
  • Robe Code: They’ve a conservative robe code in Fulidhoo since there are principally locals residing proper right here. You’re not alleged to placed on swimsuits or revealing clothes apart from on the designated ‘bikini seashore,’ although we seen a great deal of people breaking this rule, so it doesn’t look like strictly enforced. Nonetheless, in the event you want to preserve out of trouble, it’s biggest to adjust to this rule and cover up when you’re not on the seashore.
  • Mosque: There is a mosque on the island, however it was quiet. We in no way heard any noise from it.
Souvenir fridge magnets with palm trees

Memento fridge magnets available on the market

 

  • Electrical vitality: We stayed in a value vary lodge on Fulidhoo and nonetheless had 24/7 electrical vitality, so that you just don’t have to stress about outages proper right here.
  • Cell Service: Our telephones had first fee 4G reception with Ooredoo (by way of T-Mobile) in all places on Fulidhoo island.
  • WiFi: There could also be fast and reliable WiFi in Fulidhoo, even throughout the value vary motels.
  • Drones: Lots of the fancy resorts in Maldives don’t allow drones the least bit, nonetheless since Fulidhoo is a neighborhood island, I was able to ship and use a drone with no factors.
  • Mosquitoes: We seen some mosquitoes on the skin consuming locations, nonetheless not on the seashore or throughout the lodge. We wore bug spray after we’d go eat, nonetheless aside from that we didn’t need it.
  • Malaria: The entire nation of Maldives has been malaria free since 1984, so that you just don’t have to stress about that, although there may be some dengue fever.
  • Safety: Sometimes, Maldives is a very safe nation, with one in every of many lowest murder fees on the earth. We always felt safe proper right here, and I haven’t heard of any harmful incidents on the island.
  • Hospital: There’s a small properly being coronary heart in Fulidhoo, nonetheless for a extreme emergency you’d must go to the hospital in Malé.
  • The place To Eat: There are a selection of excellent consuming locations in Fulidhoo with native and western meals for comparatively low prices. Strive Cafe De Orzo, Faru Cafe, and Bougainvillea Beach Restaurant.

 

Fulidhoo Resorts

 

Biggest Time To Go to The Maldives

The dry season throughout the Maldives is from January to April. That’s the perfect time to go to Fulidhoo on account of the local weather is far much less moist and additional sunny.

There are further vacationers throughout the Maldives in the mean time, nonetheless the island in no way felt very crowded after we visited in January.

The wettest months throughout the Maldives are from September to December. You’ll nonetheless go to Fulidhoo in the mean time, nonetheless you’re further extra prone to have some rain.

Woman wading in the water with a shark and stingray

We had an excellent carry on Fulidhoo island

 

Additional Maldives Journey Guides

Thanks for wanting! I hope you liked this journey info for Fulidhoo island throughout the Maldives. We had gratifying seeing the nice sharks and sting rays on the seashore.

Don’t overlook to check out my info for Dhigurah island, the other native island we visited on our journey to the Maldives. We favored Dhigurah rather more than Fulidhoo!
 
Pinterest Fulidhoo Island Travel Guide For The Maldives

Related articles

Recent articles