By air
Fuvahmulah Airport (FVM), ~1.5 h from Malé
Indian Ocean Islands · Maldives
Fuvahmulah, Maldives
Tiger sharks and freshwater lakes on one island
Getting there
Best time to visit
November to April — calmer seas
Don't miss
Thoondu Beach
Bandaara Kilhi
Dhadimago Kilhi
The tiger-shark dive site
Things to do
Diving with tiger sharks
The pebble beach at Thoondu
Lake walks
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Asaymirus · CC BY 4.0
What to pack
Dive gear, reef shoes
A quieter corner
Bandaara Kilhi, a freshwater lake, rare in the Maldives
Questions travellers ask
Why do divers go to Fuvahmulah?
For the tiger sharks. Diving with them at the tiger-shark dive site is the big draw, so bring dive gear and reef shoes.
When should I plan a Fuvahmulah trip?
November to April, when the seas are calmer.
Is there more to Fuvahmulah than diving?
Yes: lake walks around Bandaara Kilhi, a freshwater lake that's rare in the Maldives, plus Dhadimago Kilhi and the pebble beach at Thoondu.
Can I fly to Fuvahmulah?
Yes, Fuvahmulah Airport (FVM) is about 1.5 hours from Malé. Once there, try the local tuna dishes.
About Fuvahmulah
- Island
Where it is
Fuvahmulah is a single-island atoll just south of the Equator in the south of the Maldives, between Huvadhu Atoll and Addu Atoll, ringed by a reef with no lagoon and open to the deep ocean.
History
Fuvahmulah was long home to a self-reliant farming and fishing community, cut off at times by the rough seas around its reef, and the ruins of a Buddhist stupa survive from before the Maldives adopted Islam. In the 21st century a new harbour and an airport tied it more closely to the rest of the country, and diving with tiger sharks has since made it known worldwide.
People
Fuvahmulah's people speak their island's own dialect of Dhivehi and have long grown taro, fruit and vegetables on its fertile soil as well as fishing the open sea. Many families now also run guesthouses and dive centres.
Known for
- Diving with tiger sharks
- Freshwater lakes such as Bandaara Kilhi
- The white pebbles of Thoondu beach
- Wetlands and taro fields
- Oceanic dives with pelagic sharks
Did you know?
Fuvahmulah has two freshwater lakes, Bandaara Kilhi and Dhadimagi Kilhi, and its lakes and wetlands shelter species found nowhere else in the Maldives.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.