By Landolfo Mancini 
Dhigurah Island is probably the most beautiful island you have never heard of in the Maldives. It is a local island without the chic overwater resorts that are famous in the Maldives, but instead it has a long, beautiful white sandy beach.
If you want to see the Maldives on a budget, this is one of the best places for this. Dhigurah offers all the awesome tropical landscapes you expect from the Maldives, as well as family-friendly hotels that cost only per night!
We recently visited two local islands in the Maldives-Dhigurah and Fulidhoo-and couldn’t be happier with our choice. They were both nice and different.
In this guide you will learn how to get to Dhigurah Island, what to do there, where to stay and everything you need to know before you go!
How To Get To Dhigurah Island
There is no airport in Dhigurah, so first you need to fly to the capital of the Maldives at Male international Airport (MLE), which is about 100 kilometers from Dhigurah.
From Male, you can take a speedboat or ferry directly to Dhigurah, or you can take a seaplane or a domestic flight to one of the nearby islands, and then take a boat for the rest of the trip.
In the public Speedboat
The main way to get to Dhigurah is by public speedboat, and so we left. There are daily departures in the morning and afternoon from Male Airport and the city.
The speedboat ride to Dhigurah takes 2 hours and costs about per person for a one-way trip. Children over 3 years pay the full price.
The boat ride is usually not too bumpy (depending on the weather) and they have toilets and plenty of space to store luggage. The boats are new and the seats are comfortable. They also give you free bottled water.
Boats from Male to Dhigurah depart at 11: 00 and 16: 30 (Friday, 10: 00). Boats returning to Male from Dhigurah depart at 6: 30 and 13: 30 (Friday, 13: 45). On the way to Dhigurah there is a short stop on the island of Dhangethi.
However, keep in mind that there are several speedboat companies operating this route and that the timetables seem to change from time to time, so I would check the timetables with your hotel in Dhigurah before you set off.
You can ask your hotel in Dhigurah to book the speedboat for you and then pay for it with your room bill on arrival. That’s what we did, and paying by credit card saved us from having to carry a lot of cash with us everywhere.
In a private speedboat
A private speedboat rental costs much more than public speedboats, but can be more convenient if you want to save time and need a direct connection from one of the other islands of the Maldives to Dhigurah.
You should be able to arrange this with your hotel on Dhigurah Island.
On a domestic plane
One of the easiest ways to get to Dhigurah is a 20-minute domestic flight by Villa Air/FlyMe from Male to the nearby Maamigili Island (VAM) Airport, followed by a 5-minute taxi ride to the port and a 20-minute speedboat ride to Dhigurah.
This route usually includes 3 or 4 flights per day. Prices for one-way tickets start for children under the age of 12, while children under the age of 2 travel for free. Speedboat transfer is usually included in the price.
In the rare matter that the waves are too rough for a normal boat crossing, this may be your only option to get to Dhigurah.
By seaplane
A seaplane ride is one of the most picturesque and fun ways to get to Dhigurah, but also the most expensive.
Ticket prices start at per person and the trip includes a 30-minute flight to the Lux Resort in the South Ari atoll, followed by a 10-minute speedboat ride to Dhigurah.
There is no fixed schedule for seaplane flights, so you will have to settle with your hotel in advance, and hopefully you will be able to share the flight with other passengers flying in the same direction.
By Public Ferry
Finally, you can take the public ferry from Male to Dhigurah. This is the slowest option, but also the lowest. The ferry ride to Dhigurah takes about 6 or 7 hours and costs for a one-way trip.
This route is operated by MTCC several days a week with departures in the morning and in the evening. You can confirm the current schedule with MTCC or with your hotel in Dhigurah, and they should also be able to help you with the purchase of tickets.
How To Move Around The Island
Once you have arrived in Dhigurah, the next step is to circumnavigate the island.
Fortunately, the whole island is small enough to be within walking distance. You can walk anywhere! From end to end, Dhigurah is 4 kilometers long, and the width of the island is only about 100-200 meters. It is a long and slender form.
This is one of the things that we really liked on the island of Dhigurah, as it is very convenient and you do not have to pay for transportation. However, hotels have bicycles that you can rent for half a day or a whole day, if you wish.
The Best Things To Do On Dhigurah Island
* Northwest Beach / Bikini Beach
The main beach of Dhigurah is called North West Beach and stretches over the entire western side of the island. This is the designated” bikini beach ” of the island, where tourists are asked to wear swimsuits and sunbathe.
It is a beautiful beach with palm trees, a lot of small hermit crabs and not too many people. The water is calm enough for the children to swim. If the sky is clear, you can also watch the sunset on the beach.
For snorkeling, there is a place called Turtle Reef halfway, where you can swim with baby sharks and sea turtles a short distance from the shore!
Dhigurah Beach is actually one of the longest beaches in the Maldives, and that’s how the island got its name — Dhigurah means “long island” in the local language.
Long Beach Sandbank
One of the main attractions of Dhigurah is the sandbar at the southern end of the island, which is called Long Beach. It is a very beautiful place with snow-white sand and shallow turquoise water, perfect for swimming or walking.
From one of the hotels located in the north of Dhigurah, you can get to the sandbank by walking on the beach or through the jungle for 1 hour. We preferred the jungle trail as it is more shady and you can see lizards and other animals.
The best time to get to the sandbank is 9 or 10 in the morning, when it is less crowded and the sun is not too hot yet. If you do not feel like hiking, it is also possible to leave from your hotel on a bicycle or a rikshaw.
If you follow the sandbank to the end at low tide, you can actually go to the nearby LUX Resort, although you should not be there if you are not a guest.
Remember to bring a lot of water, as it can get very hot here at noon, and there is nowhere to buy drinks on the sandbank. There are free sun loungers and umbrellas near the end of the beach, where you can leave your things while you go swimming.