Hithadhoo island guide: Addu City, the wetlands, the British Loyalty wreck and where to stay
In this article
Hithadhoo is the capital of Addu City, the southernmost atoll of the Maldives, about 530 kilometres south of Malé and just south of the equator. It is joined by a road of causeways to Maradhoo, Feydhoo and Gan, where Gan International Airport, once the British base RAF Gan, is a flight of about 70 to 90 minutes from Velana.
This is the Maldives' second city in all but name: nearly fourteen thousand people on one island, with schools, a regional hospital, banks and cafés, plus one of the largest wetlands in the country. It suits travellers who want to see a real Maldivian town, dive a famous wartime wreck and explore by bicycle, rather than lie on a bikini beach.
Hithadhoo at a glance
Population and island life
The 2022 census counted 13,759 people on Hithadhoo, up from 10,398 in 2014, one of the largest populations outside the Malé area. At about 540 hectares it is one of the largest islands in the Maldives, and it is the administrative heart of Addu City, with schools, a college, Hithadhoo Regional Hospital and the services of a regional town. The south of the island is green with palms; the north is scrub, reached on narrow trails.
Addu has its own dialect of Dhivehi and a history unlike the rest of the country. In the Second World War the Royal Navy built a secret fleet base here, Port T, and from 1957 to 1976 Gan was the Royal Air Force station RAF Gan. When the British left on 1 April 1976 the airfield became today's Gan International Airport, and much of the old base became the Equator Village resort.
The Ministry of Tourism register lists five guest houses on Hithadhoo with 62 rooms between them, plus two home stays, and more along the Link Road on Maradhoo and Feydhoo. Rekidhiye Inn, with 18 rooms, and Abuharee Grand, with 15, are the largest on Hithadhoo.
How to get to Hithadhoo from Malé airport
Domestic flight to Gan
Domestic flights from Velana to Gan International Airport take about 70 to 90 minutes and run several times a day. From Gan, Hithadhoo is a drive of about half an hour along the Link Road, the chain of causeways that joins Gan, Feydhoo, Maradhoo and Hithadhoo. Guest houses arrange the pick-up.
By sea
Addu is too far from Malé for a practical speedboat transfer, and the flight is the way in.
The short version. Fly to Gan, drive to Hithadhoo, and get around by bicycle, scooter or taxi. Give Addu four nights or more to see the wetlands, the history and the diving.
Island rules worth knowing
Alcohol. None is sold or served on Hithadhoo, and it may not be brought onto the island. The resorts of the atoll serve it on a day pass.
Dress and the beach. Hithadhoo is a town, and swimwear is not worn in the streets or on its village beaches. Ask your guest house where a designated swimming area or a sandbank trip is available, or spend a beach day at a resort.
Fridays. Shops and offices close around midday prayers, and Addu Nature Park keeps shorter hours.
Things to do in Hithadhoo and Addu City
Addu Nature Park
At the northern end of Hithadhoo, Addu Nature Park protects the wetland of Eedhigali Kilhi, one of the largest in the Maldives, with mangroves, freshwater pools and boardwalks. It is a place for birdwatching, including the white tern, known locally as dhondheeni and found only in the south, and for canoeing and cycling. The park closes for Friday prayers.
The Link Road and the wartime history
The causeways of the Link Road run for about 16 kilometres from Hithadhoo through Maradhoo and Feydhoo to Gan, and they make an easy ride by bicycle or scooter. On Gan, buildings of the old RAF station still stand around the airport and the Equator Village resort.
Diving
Addu's channels are sheltered enough to dive through most of the year. The best-known site is the British Loyalty, a tanker sunk in the Second World War and now one of the largest wrecks in the Maldives, lying at around 30 metres and suited to experienced divers. Mantas visit a cleaning station in Maa Kandu, and grey reef sharks rest on the sand at a site known as Shark Point. Dives are arranged through the guest houses with operators in the atoll.
Excursions from Hithadhoo
Sandbanks and snorkelling. Boat trips to the reefs and sandbanks inside the atoll.
Resort days. Day passes to the resorts of Addu, such as Canareef Resort, can be arranged through the guest houses, and are the usual way to spend a day on a swimming beach.
Meedhoo and Hulhudhoo. The islands on the eastern side of the atoll, known together as Hulhumeedhoo, have their own guest houses and some of the oldest known traces of settlement in the Maldives.
Fuvahmulah. The one-island atoll to the north, famous for tiger shark diving, is covered in the Fuvahmulah island guide.
How long to stay. Four nights covers the nature park, a cycle along the Link Road, two dives and a resort day. Divers usually stay a week.
When to go
The dry northeast monsoon, roughly December to April, brings calm seas and the clearest water. The southwest monsoon, roughly May to November, brings more rain and wind but lower rates. Addu sits almost on the equator, so it is warm all year, and its sheltered channels make diving possible in most months.
Guest houses on Hithadhoo
Hithadhoo has five registered guest houses and two registered home stays. None is on this site yet, but any of them can be priced on request.
Every registered guest house on Hithadhoo
The Ministry of Tourism register lists these guest houses and home stays on Hithadhoo, 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.
- Abuharee Grand15 rooms
- Clove Beach3 rooms
- Kilavethi Retreat5 rooms · home stay
- Lagoon Lodge12 rooms
- Rekidhiye Inn18 rooms
- Roava Beach Escape14 rooms
- The Rose Garden House4 rooms · home stay
Along the Link Road: Maradhoo and Feydhoo
These guest houses and home stays are on the islands between Hithadhoo and Gan, a short drive from both.
- Asseyri Guest House11 rooms · Maradhoo-Feydhoo
- Equatorial Inn7 rooms · Feydhoo
- Fiyala HomeStay5 rooms · Feydhoo, home stay
- Lodger Guest House5 rooms · Maradhoo-Feydhoo
- One On Inn9 rooms · Maradhoo
- Raivara Maldives7 rooms · Maradhoo
- Transit Tower5 rooms · Maradhoo-Feydhoo, home stay
- True South7 rooms · Maradhoo
Source: Ministry of Tourism, Maldives, register of tourist guest houses and home stays (Seenu), October 2026. Room counts are the licensed totals and change as properties expand.
Every guest house on this site, on Hithadhoo and the other local islands, with live prices for your dates, is on the guest houses and city hotels page.
Who Hithadhoo isn't for
Anyone who wants a bikini beach outside the guest house door. Hithadhoo is a town, and beach days mean a sandbank trip or a resort pass; Dhigurah or Fulhadhoo are the beach islands.
Anyone on a short trip. The flight is long by Maldivian standards, and two or three nights is not enough to make it worthwhile.
Anyone who wants nightlife, a drink with dinner 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 Hithadhoo from Malé airport?
By domestic flight from Velana to Gan International Airport in Addu, about 70 to 90 minutes, then a drive of about half an hour along the Link Road causeways to Hithadhoo. Flights run several times a day, and guest houses arrange the pick-up. There is no practical speedboat from Malé.
What is Addu City?
Addu City is the southernmost atoll of the Maldives, run as a city. Its districts include Hithadhoo, the capital, and Maradhoo, Feydhoo and Gan, joined by the Link Road, plus Meedhoo and Hulhudhoo on the eastern side. Gan was a British naval and air base from the Second World War until 1976.
What is the British Loyalty wreck?
A tanker sunk in Addu during the Second World War, now one of the largest wrecks in the Maldives and an artificial reef. It lies at around 30 metres, so it is a dive for experienced divers. Addu's other well-known sites include a manta cleaning station in Maa Kandu and Shark Point.
Is there a bikini beach on Hithadhoo?
Hithadhoo is a busy town rather than a beach island, and swimwear is not worn on its village beaches. Ask your guest house about a designated swimming area or a sandbank trip, or book a resort day pass in Addu for a swimming beach.
How many guest houses are there on Hithadhoo?
The Ministry of Tourism register lists five guest houses on Hithadhoo, with 62 rooms between them, plus two home stays, and more on Maradhoo and Feydhoo along the Link Road. Rekidhiye Inn is the largest on Hithadhoo with 18 rooms. The full lists are on this page.
Hithadhoo is the Maldives' southern town: a big island of schools, cafés and wetlands at the end of a causeway road, with a wartime history and one of the country's great wreck dives. Fly to Gan, give it four nights or more, and every guest house in Addu can be priced for your dates through the guest houses and city hotels page.
