Dhigurah Island, Maldives – 7 Interesting Things To Know Before You Visit

UPDATED FEB 2020. I planned my visit to the Maldives to get two different experiences in the one trip. In the first part, I went to a touristy island and stayed at a big resort. It was a dream. For the second part, I went to a quieter island for a more authentic experience and lots of diving tours. If you’d like to visit a quieter island as well, here are some of the interesting things to know about Dhigurah island to give you an idea of what to expect before you visit.

Dhigurah Island, Maldives – 7 Interesting Things To Know Before You Visit

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There are affiliate links included in this post. This means at no extra cost to you, I earn a commission if you book through the link.

Where to stay in Dhigurah

I recommend staying at Boutique Beach Dhigurah when you visit.

I also wrote a full Boutique Beach review if you would like more details on what to expect.

Rooms at Boutique Beach

1. It’s home to many bats

That’s right – bats.

As you walk around the island remember to look up. It’s easy to find bats resting upside down in the trees.

I even saw some bats hanging out, upside down with a baby on their chest. Talk about mum skills!

You’ll see them flying around too and, although they creep me out, they do add to the character of the island.

Look around when you walk and it is easy to spot bats in the trees

2. There is a dress code

The Maldives is a conservative country and as such it’s appropriate to follow a modest dress code when you are walking around town.

It’s easy to do this, the basic rule is to cover yourself from shoulders to knees.

I wore long maxi dresses with sleeves and, for the dresses I had without sleeves, I wore a light jacket over them.

For men, wear a t-shirt and shorts to the knee like board shorts.

When it comes to swimwear, I stayed at Boutique Beach which had a bikini appropriate beach directly in front of the hotel. There are also lounge chairs for tanning on the roof. They have a map that shows where you can wear a bikini to help guide you.

It’s easy to dress conservatively in maxi dresses

3. Alcohol is prohibited on Dhigurah island

If you’re planning to visit Dhigurah island, it’s important to know that it’s an alcohol-free island.

The hotel I stayed at had a fridge full of bottled water and soft drinks that you can access 24/7. Each meal came with a different, and delicious, non-alcoholic drink.

Fresh fruit juices were served at breakfast and lunch and mocktail style drinks were served at dinner.

If you prefer to drink alcohol during your holiday, it would be better to stay on a different island. I recommend Kuredu Island Resort and Spa for this.

There are delicious fresh juices served at Boutique Beach

4. You need a transfer to get there

As with getting to the other islands of the Maldives, after landing in Male you need to take a transfer to get to Dhigurah island.

You can choose between a plane or speedboat transfer.

I took the speedboat option and it was a lot of fun to be cruising on the water.

When you book your accommodation the staff will be able to assist you in arranging whichever transfer you prefer.

Perfect place to cruise on the water

5. It’s a great place to spot whale sharks

Dhigurah island is a great home base if you want to spot Whale Sharks because it’s one of the best places for year-round whale shark spotting.

The hotel I stayed at was a diving focused hotel that offered daily scuba diving and snorkeling excursions to swim with these giants of the sea.

There’s so much more wildlife to see than just whale sharks though.

You can also book an excursion to swim with another giant of the sea, manta rays. It is an incredible experience!

Even when you are just snorkeling the reef you are likely to see turtles, reef sharks, eels, eagle rays, and lots of fish. It’s the most sea life I have ever seen while snorkeling.

There is so much wildlife to see in the water

6. There is a gorgeous sandbar

One of my favorite things to do was to walk around the island.

One day I walked all the way to the end – it only takes about an hour – to the gorgeous sandbar.

The sandbar stretches so long that it feels like you are completely alone in the world.

It is a nice place to relax at the end of the day and enjoy the picturesque area. I even saw a cute, baby reef shark swimming in the shallow area which was a cool bonus.

7. The narrow island is perfect for sunrise and sunset

When you visit Dhigurah island you will notice that it is a very long and narrow island. You can stand on the edge of one side of the island and turn around to see the beach on the opposite side. It blew my mind every time I looked down a street.

This makes it perfect for sunrise and sunset watching because you get great views of both.

The rooftop of Boutique Beach was a perfect spot for gazing at the sunset, and in the mornings you can simply face the opposite side for sunrise views.

Make sure you visit the rooftop for amazing views at sunrise and sunset

Should you visit?

Dhigurah is a fantastic choice if you want to visit the Maldives but take a break from the flashy resorts. Here you can experience a more authentic side of the Maldivian island lifestyle.

If you want to experience the best of both worlds, you can plan a visit like I did and stay at a big resort for part of the stay and Dhigurah for the other part.

I also have a full guide on how to plan a visit to the Maldives here to help you plan your trip.

Walking around on the sandy roads on Dhigurah island

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