Maldives Local Ferry Guide: How to Island Hop for Cheap (2023)

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When we first began scouring the internet for budget travel tips to the Maldives we noticed one gaping hole in the information. How to island hop for cheap. Sure, you’ll come across loads of all-inclusive tours costing you thousands per person. But I’m talking about independently traveling in the Maldives. It seems like even most budget travelers in the Maldives only visit one, maybe two inhabited islands, if they are feeling adventurous. We wanted to visit a minimum of 4 islands on at least two separate atolls on our 12-day trip. 

We ended up visiting 5 islands utilizing the local ferry and during this time straightened out the tangle of information on Maldives ferries. 

Read More: For a full Island Hopping Itinerary to the Maldives check out this post.

First, let me say, I recommend Gulhi + Omadhoo to everyone. Then add in Dhigurah + Fulidhoo for those with more time. Then Thulusdhoo. But first here’s all the information you need to get around these islands. 

Quick Breakdown of Transport Options in the Maldives

There are essentially 4 different modes of transport in the Maldives when you are looking to switch islands.

Local Ferry: This is the mode of transport I’ll be covering in this blog post. It is the cheapest option and also the most complicated to find info about online. These boats are slow-moving and stick to a not-so-regular schedule that I will be outlining below. They typically cost around $1-$4 per person and only service the inhabited islands.

“Local” Speedboat: Usually running once or twice per day between the inhabited islands, this is a great fallback for the local ferry. AKA if you miss it or arrive on a day when your route is not available. They are faster than the local ferry and typically cost around $35 per person.

Private Speedboat: You can always hire a speedboat to leave on your schedule and split it with members in your group. You can also organize this with your hotel and have them arrange it or send one for you. These can cost around $150+ depending on the length of the route.

Seaplane: This is the most expensive mode of transport and THE ONLY way to reach some of the private resorts on far-flung islands. If you do decide to book a fancy private resort make sure to take into consideration how you are required to get there. They can cost upwards of $500 per person round trip.

Maldives Local Ferries: What to Know Before You Go

Here’s a quick collection of info about local ferries in the Maldives that you should definitely know. Think of them as the bare bones essentials in this Maldives Local Ferry Guide.

1. They don’t run on Fridays. 

Friday is the Muslim Sunday and it’s the worst day to arrive in the Maldives and impossible to travel on. Keep that in mind. 

3. Island hopping is difficult. 

As I mentioned, you’ll notice most people do not island-hop much in the Maldives. This is because of two main challenges. The first is, that every time you switch atolls—you must transit through Male. And the second is that ferries run only once daily from/to each island (usually). Unfortunately, they also usually don’t match up for easy onward travel. 

This means careful planning is in order. I recommend no more than 2 atolls for 10-day trips, 3 atolls for 2 weeks, or 4 atolls for 3+ weeks. Atolls are different than islands. An atoll is a small collection of related islands lumped together. 

I highly recommend picking no more than 4 islands (regardless of the atoll) for a 2-week trip if you don’t want to spend your vacation scrambling around on complicated boat schedules. We did 5 and it made for a more active and less relaxing trip. The choice is yours.

3. Travel Hack: Consider Day Tours as Transport. 

Many excursions and day tours include a visit to another remote island. This is usually done toward the end of the tour. For example, the full-day tour in Gulhi that includes a visit to Fulidhoo. You could simply bring along your belongings and stay on Fulidhoo rather than return back to Gulhi with the tour. This is a good way to cut down on transport costs. If you were already planning on taking the tour that is. Otherwise, it’s just an unnecessary expense.

This actually saves you more time than money. Ferries are still definitely the cheapest option but it’s worth considering if you are short on time. 

4. Arrive in Male in the morning. 

And not on Friday. The way you schedule your flight matters. This way you can easily get a ferry to an island on the same day and you don’t have to stay in Male overnight. 

For the same reason, it’s much more convenient to fly out of Male in the late afternoon to give you time to transit from another island. 

5. Bring Water and Snacks on the local Maldives Ferry

Especially for the long ferries. They don’t provide food and beverages and there wasn’t a place to purchase them. Keep that in mind before you set off on a 4+ hour journey. 

6. Wondering about Maldives Ferry Prices?

They range from $1-$4 per person depending on the length of the ferry. This is at a minimum $25 cheaper per ticket than the speedboats.

How much is a seaplane transfer in the Maldives? Starting at $500 for a round-trip transfer this is definitely the most expensive way to get from island to island.

Your Complete Maldives Local Ferry Guide

What is a local ferry in the Maldives like? 

Boats in the Maldives always seem to be different. They vary in quality and comfort. Short local ferries are simple, large bench-seat boats with open-air sides and can get pretty stifling hot in the afternoons. Sit toward the middle of the boat or at the window if you want airflow. They move slowly through the open water. Usually, rough seas are barely noticeable but large waves do cause bumps from time to time. 

Longer ferries can have basic berths for sleeping but none of the ferries on this list are of that variety. 

On rough sea days, even the speedboats are a neck-jarring adventure. Be prepared for some bumps either way if you can see white caps on the water. 

Your Quick Atoll Guide 

This is a quick look at how the islands can be grouped by ferry. Anytime you switch between groups — you must go to Male. 

Atoll Ferry Group 1: 

Maafushi 

Gulhi 

Fulidhoo 

Atoll Ferry Group 2: 

Omadhoo 

Dhigurah 

Atoll Ferry Group 3: 

Thulusdhoo 

Maldives Local Ferry Schedule

Here’s a look at all the ferries you’ll likely use island-hopping in the Maldives on a budget.

I’m only covering the islands I recommend you visit. If you want a more complete schedule to visit further flung islands of your choice be sure to click on the full Maldives government ferry schedule website I provide below.

Here’s the website where you can access the full local ferry schedules for all the atolls. 

MTCC Ferry Schedule

https://mtcc.mv/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/CTN-Ferry-Schedule-–-All-Atolls-V.05.2022.pdf

Warning: It can be complicated to decipher before you visit. I break it down into more manageable chunks for you throughout this post. So if you’re confused, continue reading and then go back to the website.

Local Ferry Schedule Photos 

Here are some photos of the local ferries departing from Male. Not all the stops are listed, however. And until you know the atolls well it can be difficult to decipher. Let’s clarify by going over our EXACT route through the Maldives below.

You can find our full 12-day itinerary + longer itineraries on this blog post with detailed information about each destination. 

Our Exact Maldives Local Ferry Guide (Step-by-Step)

Male Airport Ferry Schedule

The Male international airport is actually on a separate island from Male city. This means you need to take a short 15-min ferry straightaway to reach the main ferry terminal in Male City proper. 

Just blow through customs and head for the bright blue water. Here you’ll find a small booth where you can purchase an airport ferry ticket to Male. 

Male Airport to Male Ferry every 20 min.

Cost: 20 MVR

Male to Gulhi Ferry Schedule

This ferry takes about 1 hour to reach Gulhi island. It’s named the Guraidhoo ferry because it services all the islands on this atoll. In order, they are Gulhi, Maafushi, and Guraidhoo. 

Male to Gulhi @ 3 PM every day 

Cost: 22 MRV 

Where to buy these local ferry tickets? You’ll find the Male ferry terminal & ticket office inside the building you get dropped off at following the airport ferry. From here you can buy local ferry tickets to all atolls. There is no online system. From the other islands (not Male) you’ll simply pay once you board the Maldives public ferry.

Gulhi to Maafushi Ferry Schedule

I didn’t love Maafushi. But it’s very popular among visitors to the Maldives. And it’s a gateway to Fulidhoo if your trip allows you the time to visit that incredible snorkeling haven. 

Gulhi to Maafushi @ 4:15 PM (30 min) 

Cost: 22 MVR 

This is the only ferry to Maafushi from Gulhi. It runs every day except Fridays.

Maafushi to Fulidhoo Ferry Schedule

Despite being on separate atolls, there is a ferry that services Fulidhoo directly from Maafushi. This is why I included them in the same atoll guide above. There’s always gotta be one exception to the rule to make things super confusing right?

Maafushi to Fulidhoo Sun/Tues/Thurs @ 11:30 AM (4 hours)

Getting from Fulidhoo or Maafushi to Omadhoo 

This next step is where people typically get lost. Switching atolls. You’ll need to transit through Male to reach the island of Omadhoo. Depending on where you are located you’ll take…

Fulidhoo to Male Sat/Mon/Wed @ 10:45 AM (4 hours) 

or 

Maafushi to Male 7:30 AM (1.5 hours)

This is the only local ferry to Male from Maafushi. It also stops in Gulhi and leaves there at 7:50 AM.

Next, you’ll take a boat from Male to Omadhoo. But because the only Male to Omadhoo local ferry is…

Male to Omadhoo 8:30 AM Mon/Wed/Sat (4.5 hours) 

It gets a little tricky. Because no matter which island you are coming from you will have missed the local ferry connection to Omadhoo for that day.

This leaves you with basically have two options to get to Omadhoo from Male. 

Option 1: Spend the Night in Male. 

Nap Corner has cheap overnight sleeping pods within the city. This way you can take the local ferry to Omadhoo bright and early the next morning. 

WARNING: Please remember that the local ferry to Omadhoo ONLY runs on Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday. 

Option 2: Take the shared speedboat at 4 PM to Omadhoo. 

If you arrived on an unlucky day or just want to get the journey over with you can opt instead to take a $35 per person shared speedboat to Omadhoo. It runs every single day. It’s not the most budget-savvy option but sometimes saving time beats saving money.

You can prearrange tickets with your Omadhoo hotel or just walk to Jetty #6 near the time of departure and pay the boat captain. It’s the same price either way. It is much easier to arrange ahead of time with your hotel because there is no actual ticket booth for these speedboats and you don’t want the seats to fill up. 

If Your Trip is Over: Omadhoo to Male Ferry Schedule  

If this is the end of your journey you can take the local ferry to Male via Mahibadhoo. This ferry leaves at around 11 AM and lasts 4-6 hours. The ferry is only available on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Plan accordingly. 

If you are hoping to make it to the airport for a flight on the same day I instead recommend the shared speedboat that leaves at 7 AM for $35 per person and arrives by 9:30 AM. It’s more reliable than the local route. 

Omadhoo to Dhigurah Ferry Schedule

If you have enough time to continue down the atoll to Dhigurah there is a once-daily (except Fridays) local ferry from Omadhoo to Dhigurah through Mahibadhoo at 1:30 PM (2 hours) 

Dhigurah to Male Ferry Schedule

To reach Male from Dhigurah, you’ll need to take the ferry back to Mahibadhoo and then a separate ferry to Male. The ferry to Mahibadhoo leaves Dhigurah at 8:05 AM and then leaves Mahibadhoo to Male at 11 AM. Fortunately, these ferries actually line up nicely. It will be a long day but worth it for the savings. This ferry runs once per day except on Fridays.

Male to Thulusdhoo Ferry Schedule

If you’ve got it in you for one more atoll Thulisdhoo is my recommendation. It’s only accessible via Male. This island is part of the northern atolls so it offers a bit of a different experience than the others.

Male to Thulusdhoo @ 2:30 PM every day except Friday. 

With a return local ferry from Thuliudhoo to Male @ 7:10 AM every day except Friday. 

The transportation situation in the Maldives can be mind-bendingly difficult for those trying to travel on a budget. The only way to get info on certain routes is to ask locals once you arrive. This guide is hopefully a remedy to that situation for most travelers. If there is any island you plan on visiting not on this list you’ll have to ask around once you arrive in Male. Fortunately, there is a “help desk” near the food court in the arrivals section of the open-air airport that is able to give information on the local ferry schedule.

You’ll often have to push locals on the inhabited islands to give you the “local ferry info”. They will often just give you the expensive speed boat options if you ask because they assume you don’t want to waste time on their public transport boats…even if it saves you loads of cash.

Did you take a local ferry in the Maldives? Feel free to message me your route info either in the comments or on Instagram and I will add them to this comprehensive Maldives local ferry guide to help fellow travelers find the cheapest routes. I’ll also give you a shoutout on my social media! Be sure to check out my other Maldives guides before you go. 

Save This Maldives Local Ferry Guide for Later!