Gulhi Island Guide: Maafushi's Quiet Neighbour, 30 Minutes from the Airport

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Why Gulhi

Gulhi is the island a lot of people sail straight past on the way to Maafushi. Which is kind of the point. It sits on the eastern edge of South Malé Atoll, roughly 21 km from the airport, and it's the first inhabited island the boats reach heading south. Under a thousand people live here. You can walk from one end to the other in about ten minutes.

It's a working island first. Gulhi has long been known for fishing and boat building, and the harbour side still feels like that: dhonis being fixed, kids on bikes, the odd delivery boat unloading. The tourist side is a short walk away and much calmer. There are no resorts, just a handful of guesthouses and small local hotels.

What people really come for is the beach. Gulhi's bikini beach is clean, shallow and, most days, nowhere near as packed as Maafushi's. If your plan is "swim, nap, eat fish curry, repeat" and you don't want to lose half a day on transfers, Gulhi is hard to beat.

Gulhi or Maafushi?

This is the question everyone actually has, so here's the honest version. They're neighbours on the same boat route, both close to the airport, both with bikini beaches and budget guesthouses. The difference is the feel.

Our take: if it's your first time and you want options on the ground, start on Maafushi. If you've already got a rough plan, or you just want peace and a nice beach, Gulhi wins. Plenty of people do both. Two nights on Maafushi for trips and food, then a slow finish on Gulhi before the flight home. Our island comparison goes wider if you're still deciding.

Getting there

Being this close to the airport is Gulhi's big advantage. You can land in the morning and be on the beach before lunch.

Shared speedboat (most people do this)

Scheduled speedboats run between the airport, Malé and Gulhi several times a day. The ride is about 25 to 30 minutes in normal seas. Some of the boats on the Maafushi run also stop at Gulhi on the way, so you've got more departures than you'd think.

• Times: the timetable published on gulhi.com (2024/2025) lists airport departures at 09:45, 11:45, 14:45 and 16:45 from Sunday to Wednesday, with a late 21:30 boat on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Fridays have fewer daytime boats. Times shift, so treat these as a guide, not a promise.
• Fare: recent guides put the shared boat at roughly US$20 to 35 per person each way, depending on the operator. One operator lists Malé to Maafushi via Gulhi at US$16.
• Booking: send your guesthouse your flight number and they'll reserve a seat. Confirm a day before.

MTCC public ferry (cheapest)

The government ferry is the budget move, if your timing works. On the MTCC timetable effective 1 August 2026, Route 309 runs Malé, Gulhi, Maafushi and Guraidhoo:

• Malé to Gulhi: leaves Malé at 15:00 and reaches Gulhi around 16:15. It carries on to Maafushi (about 16:40) and Guraidhoo.
• Gulhi to Malé: leaves Gulhi around 07:45 and reaches Malé around 09:05.
• Every day except Friday. Some older guides say it doesn't run on Mondays either, but the August 2026 sheet lists it daily except Friday. Double-check before you plan around it.
• The fare is a couple of dollars, paid in rufiyaa.

There's a catch. The ferry leaves from Malé, not the airport, so you'd need to get across first (taxi over the bridge, or the airport ferry). And with a 15:00 departure, a late-morning landing works, a 4 pm landing doesn't. Our ferry vs speedboat guide explains how the two compare.

Private speedboat

Landing late, or travelling as a group? A private boat goes whenever you want in a short ride. Recent guides mention around US$170 one way for the boat. Split between four, that's not crazy.

Where to stay

Everything on Gulhi is a guesthouse or a small local hotel. Most have air con, Wi-Fi, breakfast and en-suite bathrooms, and a few sit right behind the tourist beach. A couple of the bigger ones have small pools. Because the island is tiny, "far from the beach" means maybe five minutes' walk.

When you compare prices, remember the extras that get added on top of the room rate: 17% tourism GST, usually a 10% service charge, and a Green Tax of US$6 per person per night at small guesthouses on inhabited islands. Kids under two don't pay Green Tax. Check whether the price you're looking at already includes them.

Things to do

On the island itself, not a lot, and that's fine. The water is where it's at.

• The bikini beach. Soft sand, shallow calm water, loungers and some shade. Great for less confident swimmers and kids.
• Snorkelling trips. You'll see fish in the shallows off the beach, but the better reefs are a short boat ride out. Guesthouses run half-day snorkel trips, often with a sandbank stop.
• Sandbank picnics and dolphin cruises. The classic South Malé trips, usually arranged on demand through your guesthouse.
• Diving. Gulhi has dive centres, and well-known South Malé channel sites like Kandooma Thila and Guraidhoo Kandu are close. These are current dives, better for people with some experience.
• Surfing. A few South Malé breaks are within reach by boat. The surf season here generally runs from about April to October.
• Fishing. Sunset or night fishing with a local crew, sometimes with your catch grilled after.
• A Maafushi day trip. It's minutes away by boat if you want more restaurants or a busier evening.

For a run-down of the usual trips and how to pick a decent operator, see our Maafushi excursions guide. Most of it applies to Gulhi too.

Food, money and Wi-Fi

Eating on Gulhi means a few local cafés and guesthouse restaurants. Expect grilled reef fish, tuna curry, roshi, fried rice and noodles, plus some pasta and burgers. It's not fancy and service runs on island time, so don't turn up starving and in a hurry.

Recent guides report a Bank of Maldives ATM on the island. Still, one machine is one machine, so bring cash: US dollars work for speedboats and excursions, and rufiyaa is easier at small shops and cafés. Some places add a card surcharge. Mobile data is decent and most guesthouses have Wi-Fi.

For a feel of what you'll spend in a day, see what a budget day actually costs.

Good to know

• Gulhi is a local island, so no alcohol, and swimwear only on the tourist beach. Cover shoulders and knees in the village. Our local island rules explain the rest, including Fridays and Ramadan.
• Don't confuse Gulhi with Gulhifalhu. That's a separate reclaimed industrial area near Malé, nothing to do with this island.
• Boats get cancelled in bad weather. Don't plan a tight same-day connection to an international flight, especially in the windier months (roughly May to November).
• Bring reef-safe sunscreen and don't stand on coral.
• Shops close for prayer times, and on Friday around midday most things stop for a bit.

Before you fly, fill in your free IMUGA form. Our visa and arrival guide walks through it.