Dharavandhoo island guide: Hanifaru Bay mantas, flights and where to stay
In this article
Dharavandhoo is the Hanifaru island: the inhabited island beside Hanifaru Bay in Baa Atoll, where reef mantas, and sometimes whale sharks, gather to feed in the southwest monsoon, at times in their hundreds. It has Baa's domestic airport, a flight of about 35 to 40 minutes from Velana, and the bay is about five minutes away by boat, so no other guest-house island gets closer to it.
Outside manta season it is a quiet village island with a long bikini beach on the north shore and a reef that slopes gently off the beach. Most of Baa Atoll's resorts, sandbanks and dive sites are within a short boat ride.
Dharavandhoo at a glance
Population and island life
The 2022 census counted 997 people on Dharavandhoo, up from 744 in 2014, and the island has grown quickly since its airport opened on 17 October 2012. It is a compact island, about 1.3 kilometres long, with the village and harbour at one end, the runway along one shore and palm forest in between.
Baa Atoll is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and Hanifaru Bay, a small, shallow inlet in the reef close to the island, is its most strictly protected site. The village has a Friday Mosque, the Baa Atoll School, a health centre and pharmacy for minor problems, small shops and a handful of local cafés.
The Ministry of Tourism register lists twenty guest houses with 153 rooms between them, and one home stay. Kiha Beach, with 20 rooms, is the largest; most of the rest have between four and twelve.
Cash. The island's Bank of Maldives ATM is at the airport. Carry some US dollars or rufiyaa for cafés and small shops, which rarely take cards.
How to get to Dharavandhoo from Malé airport
Domestic flight
Maldivian and Manta Air fly from Velana to Dharavandhoo, and the flight takes about 35 to 40 minutes. There are only a few flights a day, with the last departures in the late afternoon, so an international arrival after about 16:00 usually means a first night in Hulhumalé. Guest houses book the flight and meet you on arrival.
Shared speedboat
Shared speedboats run from Malé on a limited schedule and take two hours or more in open water, depending on the boat, the stops and the sea. They are the cheaper way in, but less predictable in rough weather; book the seat through your guest house.
The ferry
A slow ferry runs between Malé and Dharavandhoo about once a week and takes most of a day. It is not practical for a holiday with an international flight at each end.
The short version. Fly. The flight is the reason Dharavandhoo is the easiest island in Baa to reach, and it keeps a first-day connection simple. Book it with the guest house so the timings match your international flight.
Island rules worth knowing
Alcohol. None is sold or served on Dharavandhoo, and it may not be brought onto the island. A resort day trip is the usual way to have a drink.
Dress and the beach. Swimwear is allowed only on the bikini beach and on excursion boats. In the village, cover shoulders and knees, men as well as women.
Hanifaru Bay. The bay is a protected area with its own rules, set out below. Scuba diving there is banned, and visits must go with a licensed guide.
Fridays. Shops and cafés close around midday prayers, and the shared boats do not usually run.
Hanifaru Bay: the mantas
In the southwest monsoon, currents push plankton into the funnel-shaped bay, and reef mantas gather to feed, at times in large numbers, with whale sharks on some days. Aggregations can happen from about May to November, sometimes into December, and the best period is usually late July to early October, around the full and new moons, when the tides are strongest. Nothing is guaranteed: the mantas follow the plankton, and some days the bay is empty.
How a visit works. Hanifaru is snorkel only. Each visitor needs a token, which covers 45 minutes in the water, and must go with a guide licensed by the Biosphere Reserve; each guide takes up to ten snorkellers. Only a limited number of boats and people are allowed in the bay at once, and rangers enforce the rules. Guest houses and dive centres on Dharavandhoo arrange the token, the guide and the boat. The token money goes to the Baa Atoll Conservation Fund.
In the water. Keep your distance, do not touch or chase the animals, and do not dive down onto the mantas from above. Fins are needed, as the current that brings the plankton can be strong.
How long to stay. In manta season, give it at least four nights, so the bay can be tried on two or three days. Outside the season, three nights is enough for the beach, the reef and a dive or two.
Things to do on Dharavandhoo
The bikini beach
The bikini beach runs along much of the island's northern shore, with sunbeds, hammocks and swings set out by the guest houses. It is a short walk from the village.
The house reef
The reef can be reached from the shore and slopes gently away rather than dropping off sharply, which suits beginners. Reef fish, rays, turtles and juvenile reef sharks are regularly seen, and the water is clearest in the dry season, roughly December to April.
Diving
Divers cannot enter Hanifaru Bay, but Dharavandhoo Thila, just outside it, and the manta cleaning stations of the atoll are dived in season, and the rest of Baa's reefs are within reach all year. The island's dive centres run courses as well as guided dives.
Excursions from Dharavandhoo
Sandbanks and fishing. Picnic trips to the sandbanks of Baa Atoll, sunset fishing and big-game fishing can be arranged through the guest houses.
Resort days. Several Baa Atoll resorts are a short boat ride away, and a day pass is the usual way to spend a day off the island.
Goidhoo Atoll. Across the channel to the south lie Fulhadhoo, with one of the finest beaches in the country, Fehendhoo and Goidhoo. Their guest houses use Dharavandhoo's airport, and a day on Fulhadhoo's beach is an easy add-on.
Kamadhoo. A small village island a short boat ride away, with a bikini beach on its southern side and the same Hanifaru Bay trips. The Kamadhoo island guide covers it.
Maalhos. A smaller village about 20 minutes away by speedboat, with a bikini beach and a house reef from it. The Maalhos island guide covers it.
When to go
For the mantas, the southwest monsoon, roughly May to November, with the best odds usually from late July to early October. It brings more rain, wind and choppier crossings, so the flight is the better choice in this season. For calm seas, the clearest water and beach days, the dry northeast monsoon, roughly December to April, is the better time, but Hanifaru is then quiet.
Guest houses on Dharavandhoo
Dharavandhoo has twenty registered guest houses and one registered home stay. None is on this site yet, but any of them can be priced on request.
Every registered guest house on Dharavandhoo
The Ministry of Tourism register lists these guest houses and home stays on Dharavandhoo, with the number of rooms each is licensed for. Names link to the hotel's page on this site as they join, and the rest can still be priced on request.
- Aire Dharavandhoo11 rooms
- Anam Villa4 rooms · home stay
- Athirige5 rooms
- Bageecha Stay7 rooms
- Biosphere Beach8 rooms
- Biosphere Inn7 rooms
- Chak'z 1964 Beach12 rooms
- Dharavandhoo Fishing Club4 rooms
- Dimora Blu4 rooms
- Faima Fishing Lodge6 rooms
- Fen Villa9 rooms
- Hanifaru Transit Inn4 rooms
- Island Ufaa Dharavandhoo7 rooms
- Kiha Beach20 rooms
- L.V.I.S Blancura11 rooms
- L.V.I.S Pool Villa14 rooms
- L.V.I.S Village6 rooms
- Manta Sky Inn4 rooms
- Oceara Dharavandhoo5 rooms
- Reposo View4 rooms
- Turtle Inn Dharavandhoo5 rooms
Source: Ministry of Tourism, Maldives, register of tourist guest houses and home stays, October 2026. Room counts are the licensed totals and change as properties expand.
Every guest house on this site, on Dharavandhoo and the other local islands, with live prices for your dates, is on the guest houses and city hotels page.
Who Dharavandhoo isn't for
Anyone set on the mantas outside the season. From about December to April, Hanifaru is usually empty; Rasdhoo in North Ari has a manta cleaning station busiest in those months.
Anyone who wants the best beach in Baa. Dharavandhoo's beach is good, but Fulhadhoo, across the channel, is the beach island.
Anyone who wants restaurants, nightlife, a drink or an over-water villa. The trade-off is set out in local island or resort island.
Comparing islands? The Maldives local islands guide sets every island guide on this site side by side, by transfer time from the airport and what each island does best.
Common questions
How do I get to Dharavandhoo from Malé airport?
By domestic flight with Maldivian or Manta Air, about 35 to 40 minutes from Velana to Dharavandhoo's own airport. There are only a few flights a day, ending in the late afternoon, so a late international arrival means a night in Hulhumalé. Shared speedboats take two hours or more, on a limited schedule.
When is the best time to see mantas at Hanifaru Bay?
Manta gatherings happen in the southwest monsoon, from about May to November, with the best odds usually from late July to early October, around the full and new moons. Sightings depend on plankton and tides and are never guaranteed, so allow two or three chances in a stay of four nights or more.
Can you dive in Hanifaru Bay?
No. Hanifaru Bay is snorkel only. Each visitor needs a token for 45 minutes in the water and must go with a licensed guide, who takes up to ten snorkellers. The number of boats and people in the bay at once is capped. Divers can visit Dharavandhoo Thila, just outside the bay.
Does Dharavandhoo have a bikini beach?
Yes. The bikini beach runs along much of the northern shore, a short walk from the village, with sunbeds and hammocks set out by the guest houses. Swimwear is allowed only there and on boats; in the village, cover shoulders and knees. The house reef can be reached from the beach.
How many guest houses are there on Dharavandhoo?
The Ministry of Tourism register lists twenty guest houses on Dharavandhoo, with 153 rooms between them, plus one home stay. Kiha Beach is the largest with 20 rooms. The full list is on this page, and any of them can be priced on request.
Dharavandhoo is the front-row seat for Hanifaru Bay: a short flight from Velana, a five-minute boat ride to the mantas in season, and a quiet village island with a long bikini beach the rest of the year. Fly in, give it four nights in manta season, and every guest house on Dharavandhoo can be priced for your dates through the guest houses and city hotels page.
