Thulusdhoo – The Best Surfing Island of the Maldives

There are a number of islands in the Maldives where you don’t have to win the jackpot to spend the night there. These are often the local islands. A few of them are Maafushi, Haa Dhaalu, Fuvamulah, Gan, and Thulusdhoo. Thulusdhoo is a lively island with beautiful white sandy beaches, clear turquoise water, and beautiful coral reefs. Together with the budget destination Maafushi, it is the ideal island to live (in an affordable way) with the locals in this exotic island group.

Why You Should Go to Thulusdhoo

Do you not like breathtakingly beautiful beaches? Would you rather not snorkel between lively, colorful coral? Would you also prefer not to spot dolphins in the wild? Do you also not like having large parts of the beach to yourself? Then Thulusdhoo is not for you 😉 Do you like all or some of these things? Book your ticket to the Maldives right now!

TIP – From Thulusdhoo you can book various excursions such as snorkeling and diving. Known places for this include Helengeli Thila, Shark Point, Manta Point, Rasfari, Banana Reef, and Colosseum.

Thulusdhoo is located in the North Malé Atoll, where there are also islands such as Huraa and Himmafushi. The advantage is that Thulusdhoo is close to the main island of Malé, the heart of the Maldives. By boat you will be there in about 40 minutes (and it will only cost you $3). The island has beautiful white sandy beaches, beautiful coral, and the best surfing possibilities in the country.

What to do in Thulusdhoo

If you are looking for beautiful temples, lively markets or challenging hikes then you don’t have to come to Thulusdhoo. You come here for the picture perfect beaches and everything around it such as snorkeling, diving, surfing, swimming or booking a trip to one of the resorts in the area.

Resorts in Thulusdhoo

Thulusdhoo is a local island with no expensive resorts (the ones with those impressive water villas), but you can go there from here! You can go to Club Med Kanifinolhu or Dhon Veli for example. The cost of a visit varies between $120 (Club Med Kanifinolhu) and $130 (Dhon Veli) per person including a wide range of dishes, a few drinks, shows, and other events.

You can find many beautiful resorts around Thulusdhoo Island, just a boat ride away

Coke’s Island

Thulusdhoo is also known for its Coca-Cola factory, which was built in the 1980s. It is the only Coca-Cola plant in the world that uses desalinated seawater.

 

As a result, the island is sometimes called Coke’s Island.

Surfing in Thulusdhoo

Thulusdhoo Island is (rightly so) considered one of the best surfing spots in the Maldives. It was also surfers who boosted local tourism on this island in the 1970s. One of the surf spots is called Chickens. The spot is near an uninhabited island. There used to be a chicken farm here, hence the name Chickens.

There are also other surf spots near the North Malé Atoll. For example, you still have Lohis, Sultans and Honkys Ninja. Indonesia may be known as THE place to surf in Asia, but you can also catch a wave in the Maldives.

TIP – For $96 per day you can book a room at Cokes Surf Camp and get surfing lessons (all inclusive).

Snorkeling in Thulusdhoo

Snorkeling (and diving) is one of the main activities in Thulusdhoo. The Maldives is one of the best places to dive and snorkel in Asia. The coral here has the most special colors (so it is still alive!). It is very calm and the water is so clear that you can often see dozens of meters under water.

The Thingiri Reef is definitely worth it. Here you will find sharks (harmless), turtles, rays, tropical fish, and other spectacular underwater flora and fauna.

If you want more than just snorkeling, you can try diving at different points, for example at Thulusdhoo Channel, where you are guaranteed to encounter turtles and dolphins.

TIP – There are NO diving schools on Thulusdhoo. There is one on Huraa that you could contact.

Where to Stay in Thulusdhoo

There are not very many options to spend the night here. When we were there, there were no more than 10 hotels, making the choice pretty limited. How much you spend per night depends on the accommodation that you book. Because there is so little competition, the prices for hostels are quite high compared to other places in Asia.

For a budget hotel you pay around US$50 a night. If you are with two people you can of course share these costs.

There are also places where you can spend the night for more than US$100 a night. Breakfast is often included in the price. Some offer prices including lunch and dinner.

This is by the way not a must, since on Thulusdhoo, just like the paradise of Maafushi, you can often have lunch, dinner and drinks for US$5 per person per day.

How to Get to Thulusdhoo

There are three ways to get to Thulusdhoo. You can go with a speedboat, a boat that your accommodation arranges (often also a speedboat) or the local ferry. The latter is the cheapest option ($3 per person).

Please note that there are NO ferries sailing on Friday.

Go to Thulusdhoo by Local ferry

Getting to Thulusdhoo by ferry is extremely easy as long as you are not traveling on a Friday (we cannot say it often enough). The ferry leaves from the centrally located Malé at the Villingili Ferry Terminal and takes 90 minutes.

The ferry departs from Malé at 3:30 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays and costs around $3 per person. According to some, the ferry leaves at 3:00 p.m. so make sure you are there (we were there at 2:30 pm because we like to be safe).

When we were there, no ferries went on Friday. On Tuesday the ferry leaves at 2:30 p.m. After leaving Malé, the ferry goes to Himmafushi, then to Huraa, and then to Thulusdhoo to finally stop at Dhihfushi. There is only one boat a day, so if you step out at one of the islands it means that you cannot continue that day (with a ferry).

The ferry from Thulusdhoo to Malé leaves at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Best time to visit Thulusdhoo

The best time to visit Thulusdhoo is from December to April. In these months there is little wind and the sea is calmest. In these months you can dive and snorkel the best. The sky is clear blue and there is little rain.

Keep in mind Christmas and New Year’s. During these holidays prices go up fast and reservation is a must.