Guraidhoo island guide: getting there, diving and where to stay
In this article
Guraidhoo is a small inhabited island on the eastern rim of South Malé Atoll, about 30 kilometres south of Malé and 35 to 45 minutes from Velana International Airport by speedboat. It sits on one of the best-known diving channels in the Maldives, a short hop from Maafushi and Gulhi, with a fishing village at its heart and a handful of guest houses around it.
It is quieter than Maafushi and a little livelier than Gulhi. Come for the reefs, the sharks in the channel and the surf in season, and for a village that still runs on fishing and home gardens.
Guraidhoo at a glance
Population and island life
The 2022 census counted 1,743 people on Guraidhoo: 1,568 Maldivians and 175 foreign nationals. It is a traditional fishing community, and the lanes behind the harbour are lined with home gardens growing breadfruit, moringa and water apple. Local tradition holds that the sultans of Malé once sheltered here in troubled times, because the tangle of reefs around the island kept foreign ships away.
The island is also home to a long-established care home, opened in 1976 and now run by the Ministry of Health. Like every inhabited island in the Maldives, Guraidhoo is Muslim, and Dhivehi is the language at home. English is spoken at the guest houses, dive centres and cafés.
Tourism came later here than on Maafushi. The Ministry of Tourism register lists 17 guest houses with about 210 rooms, from three-room family houses to h78 Guraidhoo, which has 45 rooms, a pool and its own beach.
How to get to Guraidhoo from Malé airport
There is no seaplane or domestic flight. Two kinds of boat make the crossing.
The shared speedboat
Hotels and guest houses book a seat on a shared speedboat from the jetty at Velana International Airport, and the crossing takes 35 to 45 minutes. The boats run to a timetable, not to your flight. h78 Guraidhoo's boats leave the airport at 09:00, 13:00 and 17:00, so landing by about 16:00 is the safe rule. Other guest houses use their own boats or public speedboats, with similar mid-morning, early-afternoon and early-evening departures. Anyone landing late at night needs a private speedboat or a first night in Hulhumalé.
From India, this suits the usual flights. The direct IndiGo flight from Bengaluru lands at Velana at 15:00 in winter and 14:15 in summer, in time for the last afternoon boat.
The public ferry
The government MTCC ferry runs from Malé city, not from the airport, in about two hours, every day except Friday, usually leaving Malé in the mid-afternoon and Guraidhoo early in the morning. Some sailings call at Gulhi and Maafushi on the way. Since March 2026 the atoll ferries have left from the Villingili and Hulhumalé terminals rather than Henveiru, so check the current MTCC timetable before relying on it.
Coming home
Boats back to the airport leave Guraidhoo from early morning; h78 Guraidhoo's run at 05:30, 10:30 and 16:00, and the hotel picks the one that reaches the airport two to three hours before your flight. In the wetter months a rough sea can slow small boats, so leave a comfortable margin.
The short version. Land at Velana by mid-afternoon and the shared speedboat has you on Guraidhoo before dark. Landing in the evening means a private boat or a first night in Hulhumalé.
Island rules worth knowing
Alcohol. None is sold or served on Guraidhoo, and none may be brought onto the island. A resort day pass is the usual way to have a drink.
Dress and the beach. Guraidhoo has no large bikini beach like Maafushi's. Swimwear is worn on the designated tourist beach areas, including h78 Guraidhoo's own beach, on Lhosfushi, the small uninhabited island joined to Guraidhoo by a footbridge, and on excursion boats. In the village, cover shoulders and knees, men as well as women.
Fridays and prayer times. Friday is the weekly holy day. The public ferry does not run, and shops and cafés close around midday prayers.
Money. Carry some cash in US dollars or rufiyaa. There are only a few cafés and shops, and card acceptance away from the hotels is patchy.
Things to do on Guraidhoo
Diving the channel
Guraidhoo's real draw is underwater. The channel beside the island, Guraidhoo Kandu, has been a protected marine area since 1995 and is recognised as an Important Shark and Ray Area. Guraidhoo Corner is a classic drift dive from about 5 to 30 metres, where grey reef sharks and eagle rays gather when the current runs in. Kandooma Thila, a pinnacle with its top at about 12 metres, has a shark cleaning station and suits intermediate and experienced divers. Cocoa Corner and Kandooma Caves are a short boat ride away. Dive centres on the island run try-dives and full courses for beginners.
Surfing
The South Malé breaks are close by. Riptides is a long right-hander in a channel with strong current, for intermediate surfers and up. The season runs from about April to October, with the most reliable swell in the later months. Some breaks near Guraidhoo are reserved for guests of the resorts beside them.
The beach and the lagoon
Most guests swim from the hotel and tourist beaches, or cross the footbridge to Lhosfushi. Snorkelling straight off Guraidhoo is limited by dead coral and shallow reef flats, so the best snorkelling is reached by boat.
The village
The island takes ten minutes to cross. A walk past the harbour, the fishing boats and the home gardens, ending with tea and short eats at a local café, shows the side of the Maldives that resorts never do.
Excursions from Guraidhoo
The same day trips are sold on Guraidhoo as on Maafushi and Gulhi, and some operators collect from all three islands.
Snorkelling and sandbank. A half day to the nearby reefs, often with turtles, then an hour on a sandbank.
Nurse sharks, stingrays and dolphins. A full day south to Vaavu Atoll, where nurse sharks gather around boats in shallow water. The Fulidhoo guide covers the island at the heart of it.
Whale sharks and manta rays. A long day across to South Ari Atoll, where whale sharks are seen all year. The Dhigurah and Dhangethi guides cover the islands closest to them.
Maafushi and Gulhi. Both are a short boat ride away, Maafushi for its cafés, watersports and busy bikini beach, Gulhi for a quieter beach. The Maafushi and Gulhi guides cover them.
Resort day pass, fishing and sunset cruises. A day on a nearby resort island, sunset hand-line fishing in the Maldivian way, and dolphin cruises at dusk.
How long to stay. Three nights covers a snorkelling day, a dive or a surf session and a sunset cruise. Divers and surfers in season will happily stay a week.
When to go
The dry northeast monsoon, roughly December to April, brings calm seas, the clearest water and the best conditions in the channels for divers. The southwest monsoon, roughly May to November, brings showers, wind and the surf season, with quieter guest houses and lower rates. Whale sharks in South Ari are seen in every month.
Hotels and guest houses on Guraidhoo
Guraidhoo has 17 registered guest houses and one registered home stay. One is on this site, with its rooms, meal plans and speedboat set out on its own page. The full register follows.
h78 Guraidhoo
The largest hotel on the island, with 45 rooms, an infinity pool, a jacuzzi, a spa, a gym, a kids' club, a rooftop lounge and its own beach. Sunrise Ocean rooms face the sea, and the Sunrise Ocean Prime is the best room for a couple; the two-bedroom rooms sleep four. It suits families and couples who want a pool and a proper restaurant at local-island prices. Its own speedboat leaves the airport three times a day.
Every registered guest house on Guraidhoo
The Ministry of Tourism register lists these guest houses and home stays on Guraidhoo, with the number of rooms each is licensed for. Names in bold link to the hotel's page on this site. More are added as they join, and the rest can still be priced on request.
- 29.97 rooms
- Adroit Sunset View7 rooms
- Athens View15 rooms
- Beach Heaven Guraidhoo35 rooms
- Chambao Maldives3 rooms
- Endheri Residence3 rooms
- h78 Guraidhoo45 rooms
- Iris Beach Residence11 rooms
- Ithaa Beach4 rooms
- Ithaa Seaview5 rooms
- Lumeire Sands11 rooms
- Moodhumaa Inn3 rooms
- Mujavaz Studio Homes2 rooms · home stay
- Ocean Retreat and Spa17 rooms
- Palm Lagoon9 rooms
- Rosy Villa12 rooms
- Rustic Villa8 rooms
- Valley Palm Seaview19 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 Guraidhoo and the other local islands, with live prices for your dates, is on the guest houses and city hotels page.
Who Guraidhoo isn't for
Anyone who wants a drink with dinner, or nightlife. Guraidhoo is dry and quiet after dark, with only a few cafés.
Anyone who wants a long bikini beach and shore snorkelling on the doorstep. The tourist beaches are small, and the good reefs are reached by boat. Maafushi has the bigger beach scene, and a resort has the house reef.
Families who need a full kids' club and resort facilities beyond what h78 Guraidhoo offers, and couples who want 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 far is Guraidhoo from Malé airport?
About 30 kilometres south, in South Malé Atoll. The shared speedboat from Velana International Airport takes 35 to 45 minutes and runs to a timetable, usually with morning, early-afternoon and early-evening departures. The MTCC public ferry from Malé city takes about two hours and does not run on Fridays.
Is there a bikini beach on Guraidhoo?
Not a large one like Maafushi's. Swimwear is worn on the designated tourist beach areas, including h78 Guraidhoo's own beach and Lhosfushi, the small island joined to Guraidhoo by a footbridge, and on excursion boats. In the village, cover shoulders and knees, men as well as women.
Guraidhoo or Maafushi: which is better?
Guraidhoo is smaller and calmer, with the Guraidhoo Kandu channel and its sharks on the doorstep, so it suits divers, surfers and anyone who wants a quieter village. Maafushi has far more cafés, watersports and a big bikini beach. They are a short boat ride apart and share the same day trips.
Is Guraidhoo good for diving?
Yes, it is one of the best-placed local islands for it. Guraidhoo Corner, in a protected channel, is a drift dive known for grey reef sharks and eagle rays, and Kandooma Thila has a shark cleaning station. Dive centres on the island also teach beginners, and the channel conditions are best from December to April.
How many guest houses are there on Guraidhoo?
The Ministry of Tourism register lists 17 guest houses on Guraidhoo, with about 210 rooms between them, plus one home stay. They range from three-room family houses to h78 Guraidhoo, with 45 rooms, a pool and its own beach. The full list is on this page.
Can you drink alcohol on Guraidhoo?
No. Guraidhoo is an inhabited island, so no hotel, café or shop serves alcohol, and it cannot be brought ashore. That includes the bars at h78 Guraidhoo. A day pass at a nearby resort is the usual way to have a drink during the holiday.
Guraidhoo is South Malé's diving island: a small fishing village on the edge of a protected shark channel, with Maafushi and Gulhi a short boat ride away. Land by mid-afternoon, give it three nights or a week in surf season, and spend the days in the water. The Guraidhoo hotel on this site, priced for your dates with the speedboat included, is on the guest houses and city hotels page.
