Ukulhas Island in the Maldives: all about recreation, accommodation and entertainment

Beautiful and clean, relative to many of the local islands of the Maldives, Ukulhas is part of Alif-Alif Atoll and is considered a role model from an environmental point of view. The island has one of the best waste management systems in the Maldives. In addition to waste sorting programs, various conservation activities are being implemented at Ukulhas for planting and to protect the marine environment.

Island characteristics:

• Population - about 1,000 people.
• Length - 1 km.
• Width - 250 m.
• Atoll - Alif-Alif (or North Ari).
• Other island names - Ukulhas, Ukulhas.
• Location: 70 km east of Malé, between Rasdhoo and Mathiveri islands.

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Ukulhas Development and Infrastructure

This small and beautiful island is home to no more than a thousand Maldivians. Previously, Ukulhas thrived solely on fishing. Until 2014, more than a dozen large vessels operated here, catching yellowfin tuna.

With the development of tourism on the islands, many fishermen have moved into the tourism sector. At the same time, the island has a fairly well-developed agriculture, which, along with tourism, is one of the main sources of income for local residents. Melons, cucumbers, lettuce, and other crops are grown here. The island has a power plant with generators and desalination plants capable of providing residents with a constant supply of electricity and drinking water.

The island has a school, a medical center and pharmacy, several shops, cafes, and restaurants serving local and international cuisine. This relatively small, rural island boasts its own beautiful children's park, Kudakudhinge Ufa, with playgrounds and recreational facilities, and the Body Work sports center.

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How to Get to Ukulhas Island

Ukulhas is at a distance of just over 70 kilometers from the Maldives capital, Malé. From Malé to the island you can travel by public ferry, public speedboat or book a private transfer. Travelers who are not limited in funds can use the services of Air Taxi (seaplane).

Let’s take a closer look at each of these options.

MTCC Public Ferry

Public Ferry departs from Malé several times a week - Mondays and Thursdays only. Departure at 9:00 from Hulhumale Ferry Terminal. Return journey Ukulhas - Malé - on Sundays and Wednesdays at 9:45 from Ukulhas Jetty. Tickets should be purchased at the harbor ticket office in advance if possible. No advance reservation is required. You must be in the harbor half an hour before departure. Travel time is 4.5 hours. The ticket price is about $4 per person one way. The ferry will stop at Rasdhoo island, then head to Ukulhas. Be careful not to miss your stop.

Important. Ferry schedules are very unstable and completely dependent on weather conditions. The ferry can depart a few hours later if the sea is turbulent.

Speedboats - Speedboat Transfer

They run daily. Departure from Malé twice a day: at 10:30 and 16:00 (Saturday to Thursday), at 9:30 and 16:00 on Fridays. On the return road, departure from Ukulhas at 7:00 and 13:00, on Fridays at 14:00. Travel time is about 90 minutes one way. The ride costs $65 per person. For children under 6 years of age, discounts of up to 50% are possible. Booking a transfer will be more reliable in your guest house, although you can buy a ticket in the harbor, just before departure.

Point of Departure: Jetty No. 6 at Malé Harbor. At the airport, staff at the D11 counter will help to get to the ship.

Important! Boat schedules often change depending on weather conditions. The route can be delayed for a short time or canceled altogether. Before the trip and clarify the current information.

Private Boat Transfer - Private Speedboat

Decently more expensive than a public speedboat and travel time is also about 90 minutes. The undoubted advantage of a private boat is a flexible schedule. Departure is carried out at any convenient daytime, by prior arrangement. Convenient option in case of late departure. On a standard private boat, the cost of the trip will be about $650 one way, if it is a small boat - about $350.

Seaplane Transfer

Seaplane runs daily in daylight hours, usually from 6:00 to 15:30. Of all possible transfers to Ukulhas, the seaplane will be the most expensive. The flight lasts only 20 minutes and will cost from $390 to $500. You will have to pay for the boat to the island. That's about $75 to $150 on top. There are usually discounts for children.

Transfers on speedboats and seaplane must be booked in advance.

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Where to Stay on Ukulhas

Official tourism started in Ukulhas in 2012, when the first guest house was opened on the island. Today, according to the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Maldives, there are more than 30 guest houses and hotels offering tourists a quality holiday. Most of the offers are small objects from 3 to 10 rooms, located along the beaches. Among the most popular guests and hotels in Ukulhas:

• Ukulhas Beach Inn - Coastal hotel with restaurant and private beach area. There is an opportunity to train in the fitness center and go on a tour.
• Ostrov Hotel - a beach boutique hotel with beautiful rooms and modern amenities, a restaurant and a playground.
• Paguro Beach Inn - a full-service beach hotel consisting of 16 cozy rooms. There is a restaurant, a common lounge, the possibility of ordering excursions.
• SeaLaVie Inn - a pleasant guest house with 6 rooms, located on a sandy white beach. There is a good cafe and many excursions, bike rental.
• Gunbaru Inn - a family hotel with well-kept grounds, located next to the bikini beach. There are excursions and a restaurant operating on the a la carte system.
• Sea View Villa - located a few steps from the beach and offers free snorkeling equipment and bicycles, a beach umbrella and sunbeds, a common lounge, a restaurant with sea views and a garden, excursion trips.
• Beach Villa Ukulhas - Cozy accommodation in a minute walk from the beach. There is a restaurant, a small garden, a playground and free bicycle rental.
• New Moon Village - Guesthouse with friendly service. Located near the beach, a wide range of excursions is available.
• Koimala Beach Inn - Another nice hotel by the beach. There are meals, free bicycle rental, excursions and a currency exchange office.
• Holiday Haven Ukulhas - A small hotel near the tourist beach. Among the entertainments - free karaoke and a good selection of excursions.

The cost of the holiday varies from $60 to $90 (with breakfast). Rest with three meals a day will cost an average of $150 to $190 a day for two. The price may vary depending on the season.

Holiday Haven Ukulhas

Meals on Ukulhas

With the advent of guest houses and the development of tourism, the number of food establishments in Ukulhas has increased significantly. Today, in local restaurants and cafes you can try dishes of Western, Asian, Indian, Thai, continental and authentic Maldivian cuisine, but the basis of the menu, as befits in the island state, are dishes of tuna and seafood.

One of the island's most popular restaurants is Retro Royal, whose menu includes many seafood dishes. Also worth checking out is Taste at Ranthari at the Ranthari Hotel & Spa - open kitchen, Asian dishes with a Maldivian twist, and romantic beach dinners. Peperone Restaurant offers lobster evenings and signature milkshakes. Celeste - the island's most elegant establishment, perfect for special evenings, serving Maldivian, Asian, and European cuisine, as well as homemade pastries.

Alcoholic beverages on local islands are prohibited by law, however, they are available on nearby resort islands that can be visited from Ukulhas.

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What to Do on Ukulhas

The island is quite well-developed in terms of tourist attractions, active sports, and diving. Most of the services and activities found on private islands in the Maldives are available on Ukulhas. The MurakaBay Dive & Excursion Center is open here, offering a wide range of water activities, as well as excursions, fishing trips, and picnics. Prices are very attractive compared to resorts. For example:

• Snorkeling trips (including the popular Manta Ray site) - around $80-90 per trip (equipment included).
• 6-hour sea tour Whale Shark, encounters with sharks - $150–160.
• Safaris with dolphins and mantas (2.5 hours) - $90.
• Different types of fishing - $60-85.
• Large fishing, lasting from 4 to 10 hours - $400-680 for the group.
• Romantic dinners on the beach - $50-70.
• Travel to the resorts near Ukulhas - $130-140.
• Diving: one-time dive on a home reef - $45.

For a pleasant stay, head to Fushi, a tiny uninhabited island with white sand located two kilometers from Ukulhas. This spot is perfect for snorkeling, fishing, and a short, secluded getaway. Don't forget sunscreen and hats.

Relaxing beach activities on Ukulhas include: swimming in the clear ocean water and snorkeling, fishing right from the beach and observing various species of crabs, watching the sunrises and admiring the sunsets, strolling through the village, and interacting with the locals. Bodu Beru performances are also held periodically on the island.

As for ocean activities, Ukulhas doesn't offer as wide a selection of water sports as some other popular local islands. However, travelers will certainly not be bored here.

For active tourists are provided:

• jetski - $50 in 20 minutes;
• banana riding - $15-20 in 15 minutes;
• kayaking - $10-20 in 30 minutes;
• windsurfing - about $30 in 45 minutes;
• wakeboarding - $45-50 in 20 minutes;
• kitesurfing - from $90 a day.

Walk around the island and get acquainted with its modest, but extremely important for the local population attractions, including:

What to See on the Island

• Fishermen’s Park - a great place to walk, including with children.
• Masjid Al Furugan - the largest mosque on the island.
• Maamiskiy' or Kuda Miskiy - a miniature, old Friday mosque built in 1656 from coral stone, which is considered the oldest monument on Ukulhas.
• Ukulhas shark viewpoint - a place on the pier where you can take part in feeding sharks and watch them.

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Bikini Beach

For tourists who enjoy swimming and sunbathing, Ukulhas provides a large and clean beach stretching across the western part of the island. Sunset Beach (or, as the locals call it, Olhumathi Beach) is especially prized by amateur photographers. Amenities and entertainment on the beach include sunbed umbrellas, beach volleyball, and water sports (typically during high season).

Interestingly, there is such a phenomenon as a “moving beach” on Ukulhas, that is, depending on the direction of the wind within the beach area, the sand moves throughout the year, which creates a changing picture of the island.

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Diving and Snorkeling

The reefs surrounding Ukulhas are well known for the variety of fish and coral. And it is not necessary to be a professional diver to get acquainted with the inhabitants of the underwater world.

In the vicinity of Ukulhas, you can see colorful soft and hard corals, anemones with many reef fish, surgeon fish, tuna, fusiliers, moray eels, sea bass, turtles, octopuses, lobsters and shrimp, reef sharks, white feather sharks, manta rays and eagle rays.

Murakabay Maldives and Atoll Dives offer trips to popular dive sites located within 20-45 minutes of a boat ride from the island.

Among the most visited locations for diving:

• Maaya Thila, famous for its magnificent coral reef.
• Hafsa Thila, known for its extremely rich marine life.
• Fish Head - one of the most beautiful diving spots on Ari Atoll.
• Fesdu wreck - the remains of a 30-meter fishing trawler inhabited by fish and corals.
• Maalhos Thila - a location with caves, which makes this place especially interesting for diving.
• Orimas Thila, where many large fish, including leopard, guitar and gray reef sharks.

The approximate cost of dives is:

• A home reef dive for certified divers - $45.
• Bubble Maker immersion for children ages 8 and older - $70.
• Immersion for beginners Discovery Dive - $85.
• Discover Scuba Diving course - $140-150.
• PADI Scuba Diver course - about $350.
• PADI Open Water Diver - $450.

Diving in the Maldives will bring pleasure not only to adults, but also to young travelers. On the features of dives for adults and children read on our site.

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Trips to the Resorts - Day Use

During the holidays on the island of Ukulhas, you can go to a day-trip to island-resorts. Near the island you can visit such hotels as Nika Island and Ellaidhoo Maldives by Cinnamon. Your guesthouse will need to help organize trips to the resorts. The average price for a tour is around $130-$140 (including breakfast and excursions). From Ukulhas, you can also take a trip to the nearby islands of Rasdhoo and Thoddoo. Boats offering such independent trips are readily available on the island.

Ellaidhoo Maldives by Cinnamon