Gorgeous sandy beaches, turquoise waters, picture-perfect views—that’s Dhigurah. After visiting the Maldives in 2021, we found ourselves returning five years later. But this time, there was one key difference. We traded the 5-star resort from our honeymoon for a guesthouse on this “local island.” In this travel report, we’ll take you along on our trip to Dhigurah, explain the differences compared to a resort island, give you a glimpse into island life, and share our recommendations with you.
No boardwalks, no overwater bungalows. The Maldives as they originally looked.
Arrival and Departure
Dhigurah is located in the South Ari Atoll (Alif Dhaal Atoll) and is approximately 97–100 km southwest of Malé. As the saying goes, there are many roads that lead to Rome—or, in this case, to Dhigurah. You have the choice of taking a public speedboat, a domestic flight, or traveling “in luxury” by seaplane. With both flights, however, you’ll land on a neighboring island and then be transported to Dhigurah by a small speedboat (about 15 minutes). The public speedboat usually runs twice a day, depending on weather and tides, to and from the airport. In our case, it ran once in the morning at 7:00 a.m. and once at 1:00 p.m. We weren’t particularly thrilled about this transfer time, since our flight didn’t depart until 10:20 p.m., but there was no other option. However, since we flew during the off-season (June 2026), the transfer and flight schedules are based on capacity, so even if we had flown by plane, a later transfer wouldn’t have been possible.
The prices and travel times are as follows (one way): – approx. $70 for the public speedboat (approx. 2–2.5 hours) – approx. $200 for a domestic flight (20 min + 20 min by speedboat) – approx. $280 for a seaplane (20 min + 15 min by speedboat)
On the way there, we had a stroke of luck in the midst of misfortune, because we had originally booked a domestic flight, but it was canceled. After a quick chat with the guesthouse, they spontaneously booked us a seaplane, and we unexpectedly got to relive our honeymoon vibes while admiring all the beautiful islands from the air. Even though the seaplane isn’t exactly a bargain, it’s definitely worth the experience, and the view of the islands and atolls is magical.
Who arranges the trip? Your guesthouse takes care of that. In our case, we’d been in contact with Shaah from our guesthouse, “Oasis Dhigurah,” weeks in advance. We gave him our flight details, and two days before our arrival, everything was booked and arranged, so we didn’t have to worry about a thing. You’ll arrive at Valena International Airport in Male, where you’ll be warmly greeted by a staff member who’ll escort you either to the speedboat jetties or to the appropriate departure hall. They’ll also show you where to get cash (though you can also do this on the island) or pick up a SIM card. You can easily take care of getting a SIM card in advance, though—feel free to check out our travel hacks. 🙂
Some impressions OF
Local Island
In the Maldives, an “Local Island” is an island inhabited by locals. Little by little, tourism is spreading to these islands as well.
Differences Compared to a Resort Island
Admittedly, our stay on a resort island was fantastic. We felt like royalty with all the amenities the hotel had to offer. On a local island, things are different—not necessarily worse, but more authentic and local—and as guests, we have to adapt to that. Below, we’ll discuss the key differences:
Payment: Most restaurants accept credit cards (VISA), as do guesthouses and dive centers. At souvenir shops, small local restaurants/bars, and grocery stores, payment is usually made in cash only. Although it is often said that the local currency, the Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR), is not readily accepted, we did not find this to be the case and paid with MVR throughout our stay. The current exchange rate (June 26) is approximately 1 € = 17.68–17.89 MVR.
Cash Pickup: You can pick up cash either at the airport or directly on the island. There is an ATM there that dispenses both USD and MVR. It’s always a good idea to have a little cash on hand in case the ATM isn’t working.
Getting Around: While you can walk around Dhigurah just like on a resort island, Dhigurah is one of the largest local islands in the Maldives. With a circumference of about 9 km, it takes a few minutes to walk around, especially in tropical temperatures. The walk to the sandbar, in particular, takes a while, and with some gear like snorkeling equipment and towels, having a set of wheels is definitely more convenient. There are several options here for renting scooters ($15–20) or bicycles ($8–10). Unlike on a resort island, there are also a few cars driving around here, but we hardly noticed them.
Dining: There are plenty of restaurants on Dhigurah. The menu tends to be somewhat repetitive, but we didn’t mind that, since each restaurant prepares the food differently. Indian cuisine is very common here. There’s plenty of curry and kutta, but above all, you should try the Maldivian breakfast, which consists of a tuna salad served with roshi (flatbread).
Fishing: Probably not relevant to many people, but anyone who knows me (Marcel) knows that I’m a passionate angler. Here, we were able to fish with our usual gear—something that, on a resort island, was only possible from a boat using a handline. The highlight was a large red grouper we caught between dives, which our guesthouse prepared fresh for us for dinner. That was by far the best meal we had.
Religion: The Maldives—and thus Dhigurah—are predominantly Muslim, which is why the “most significant” differences from a resort island arise here:
Alcohol is permitted only on resort islands, not on local islands
Shoulders and knees must be covered (for both men and women) in the inhabited part of the island and when visiting restaurants.
Tourists may practice any religion in private, but they are not allowed to display religious symbols or proselytize in public.
The call to prayer in Islam is called Adhān. It is called out by the muezzin and structures the entire daily routine—even in the Maldives.
Friday is similar to our Sunday, so ferry schedules there are different from those during the rest of the week, and store hours vary.
Beach and Water Sports: The biggest difference here is that there are no traditional piers. At Tourist Beach, you enter the water directly from the beach and can go snorkeling there. However, you shouldn’t swim out into the deep (deep-blue) water, as the current can be very strong there and there’s also heavy boat traffic. The “vegetated part” of the island surrounding the area is the Tourist Beach, so you can access it in a bikini or shorts. There are plenty of small spots to lie down and sit. The lounge chairs aren’t kept in as good condition as those at the resort, of course, but they’re functional, and we had a wonderful time relaxing there. Additionally, jet skis are available for rent, along with various other water sports activities.
Dive Centers: One thing we didn’t know beforehand was that the dive centers here work closely with the guesthouses and are assigned to them. So you can’t just choose any dive center. However, if you’re traveling with friends and staying at different guesthouses, the centers usually coordinate easily among themselves so that everyone can ride on the same boat.
Construction noise: Last but not least, one issue that’s been on our minds for a long time is just how much it affects our relaxation. There are all kinds of opinions on this, especially on TikTok. In the end, we didn’t let that deter us and flew there anyway, after our guesthouse assured us that it wouldn’t be a nuisance in the area. And that’s exactly the point: YES—there’s a lot of construction going on. Foreign investors have recognized that tourism on the Local Islands is on the rise and that lucrative revenue streams can be tapped there, so there’s actually quite a bit of construction going on. That’s why you should ask your guesthouse in advance or check Google Maps to see if there’s a construction site nearby. But even if there is, we found that the noise was kept to a minimum and everything was handled in a rather “laid-back” manner. As a result, it never had a negative impact on us.
Our Guesthouse
OASIS Dhigurah
A wonderful guesthouse that is modern, clean, and idyllic, with staff whose warmth and openness are incredible.
