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Absolute quiet. Nothing but the soft trilling of the island birds and the gentle lapping of the water on the white sand. Omadhoo is paradise. For budget travelers, it’s the closest thing you’ll get to a private island escape. This Omadhoo guide will help you travel with ease through my very favorite island in the Maldives.
Why is it my favorite? It’s pure beachy paradise, idyllically quiet, and a little off the beaten path. And there’s some great wildlife in the region that’s easily accessible from the island— without an expensive tour.
Your Complete Guide to Omadhoo Island
Omadhoo is on the Thaa Atoll. Much further away from Male than Gulhi and Maafushi. But it’s well worth the effort to reach. Here’s everything you need to know to plan your visit to the idyllic island.
Things to Know Before you Go to Omadhoo
- There is no ATM on the island. All hotels take credit cards for the room and excursions but you’ll need cash for everything else including food.
- The only way to reach the island is by private speedboat ($150+), local ferry, or one of the shared speedboats from Male. I’ll outline all of them below but I highly recommend the local ferry.
- Don’t forget about the pesky Maldivian taxes. 8% is added to every check and for accommodation even more. Our 3-night guesthouse stay was $180 but the taxes were an additional $60.
Read More: Check out my complete guide to navigating the local ferries in the Maldives.
Getting to Omadhoo Island from Male
Omadhoo is objectively more difficult to get to than Gulhi (my other favorite island) and that’s because of the infrequency of the local ferry.
You can only reach Omadhoo from Male. Or the large nearby island of Mahibadhoo if you happen to find yourself there. But 99.99% of visitors will start their journey in Male.
Leaving Male at 8:30 AM on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturdays this 4.5-hour local ferry costing $4 only works out if you are extremely well organized or extremely lucky.
Again: You can check out my full guide to local ferries in the Maldives here to help you plan your route!
The shared speed boat, however, is a smooth 1.5 hours and costs $30 per person. It can be easily arranged by your Omadhoo hotel so that you don’t have to pay the captain any of your precious cash. The speedboat leaves at 4 PM (so arrive at the loading point by 3:30 PM ) with HMHI Travel at jetty 5/6. Here’s a photo of where to find the boat.
Prearrange your ticket!! If you don’t prearrange a ticket with your hotel it could sell out. There is no ticket office for these boats which means you just have to show up at 3:30 PM and ask the captain if he has space. I recommend prearranging.
Omadhoo Accommodation
All budget accommodation in the Maldives is excellent. Probably because it’s much more expensive than typical “budget” options. We spent anywhere from $50-$90 per night including taxes. All accommodations included breakfast and an a/c room with a variety of amenities. There are two guesthouses we can recommend on Omadhoo.
Green leaf Guesthouse (Omadhoo Favorite Accommodation)
We loved Green Leaf for the amenities. The room was comfy and basic for $85 per night but the breakfast was different every morning and served at their on-site restaurant which I enjoyed. The real reason I recommend this place is the beach chair access. The owner has laid out and reserved the only beach chairs for his guests. This means you will probably be stuck sitting on a towel in the sand if you don’t stay here. Still acceptable but it’s nice to know. He also has free snorkel gear, SUP, and showed us all the best spots on the island. Bonus points for the cozy lounger on the rooftop where you can look at the stars.
I actually wrote a piece for Fodor’s Travel comparing a stay here with a luxury stay at Kuramathi resort. Check it out here!
Noomeraka Inn (The True Budget Option)
This is the most budget-friendly option on the island. The room was super comfortable! Also, the restaurant here has huge portions.
The only downside to staying here is that you won’t have access to any beach equipment or loungers. there are a handful of hard plastic loungers on the island that the rest of the guests get to fight over. But the stay here was very comfortable. Just be sure to bring a beach towel to sit on the sand.
Read More: Looking for cheap places to stay? Check out my favorite 11 cheap hotels in the Maldives.
Where to Eat on Omadhoo
Eating in Omadhoo is actually cheaper than eating in Gulhi and Maafushi (and definitely Male ($$$). But your variety of places to dine at is significantly less. We enjoyed Green Leaf Cafe for convenience. But all the other small restaurants scattered throughout the island are equally priced and with similar offerings.
Best Things to do on Omadhoo
Here are some of my favorite things to do on Omadhoo! All of which are great reasons to plan a visit to Omadhoo.
1. Watch the flying foxes soar from their sleeping perches in the palms.
There isn’t much land wildlife in the Maldives but Omadhoo has a bunch of resident flying foxes. They come out around sunset each night.
2. Watch huge stingrays and reef sharks be fed at 5:30 PM each night.
At the “string ray feeding point” (it’s on Google maps) local fisherman give their scraps every evening to some very nice resident rays who come all the way up to shore.
You can stand in the water with them just be careful of their tails and be gentle if you decide to touch them.
3. See the huge reef sharks come to the dock at 11 PM.
Nearby the ray feeding area, you’ll see a long boardwalk pier. At the end of this is a large spotlight where late in the evening you’ll see massive reef sharks waiting for scraps from fishermen. This is where the locals dump all their biodegradable waste.
4. In January-March you have a good chance of seeing Bioluminescent Plankton.
Bioluminescent plankton are an incredible sight! If you get lucky you’ll see them on “tourist beach” (not bikini beach) after dark. They vary in strength each season and are usually only visible in the months I mentioned above.
5. Take a ride on a traditional Dhoni for $30.
These traditional boats are small and offer lovely scenic rides. We didn’t do this but it is a popular attraction on the island.
6. Do nothing at Bikini Beach.
This is the best part of Omadhoo. There are VERY few tourists on the island. A simple quiet time is one of the best things you can do.
7. Snorkel the reef at Bikini Beach.
If you swim straight out from shore at high tide you’ll be able to reach the reef shelf for some great snorkeling. We saw tons of tropical fish and had great visibility. You can also see sharks, rays, and turtles.
8. Walk the beaches around the island.
Omadhoo has lots of good beaches. I recommend starting at Bikini Beach and then heading clockwise around the island. Just don’t forget to dress modestly on all the other beaches as it is a Muslim country and bikinis are not allowed outside bikini beaches.
9. Take a day trip to Kunburudhoo for the epic blue lagoon snorkeling.
This neighboring island is super easy to reach (arrange on the island) because there is a local ferry.
10. Take a snorkel excursion or see whale sharks and mantas.
Manta sightings are actually best in the off-season which is June-November. There isn’t really an off-season to the Maldives. It just gets a slightly larger amount of rain and the waters become slightly murkier as they are filled with more plankton. This is why it’s good for seeing large plankton feeding animals like Whale Sharks and Manta Rays.
Best Excursions from Omadhoo
Planning excursions in Omadhoo can be tricky since there are only a handful of guesthouses on the island therefore few people to split the prices with. Fortunately, if you ask your host at Green Leaf he will ask around to gather a small group for the more popular tours.
I don’t actually recommend many tours on Omadhoo. I think Gulhi has much better excursions and your money can be better spent than chasing a lone whale shark within a pack of vicious snorkelers.
How much does visiting Omadhoo cost?
Here’s a quick outline of what we spent visiting the island for 5 days and a few other expenses that could drive up costs.
Accommodation: $50-$90 per night
Average price of a meal on the island: 40 MVR – 100 MVR
Whale Shark Tour: $130 per person
Speedboat to the Island: $35 per person
Local ferry to the island: $4 per person
Reminder! The local ferries are limited. Be sure to read more about them in my full guide to getting around the Maldives.
Omadhoo is well worth all the effort to reach it. But I definitely recommend that you stay a couple of days to truly enjoy the white sand paradise. And remember to always leave no trace when visiting these beautiful outdoor places, especially on islands with delicate ecosystems.
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