Rasdhoo travel guide

Rasdhoo is a smallish island with 850 citizens and a capital of Alif Alif Atoll (or North Ari Atoll), Maldives.

Get in

Rasdhoo can be reached by a public ferry from Malé on Su, Tu, Th at 09:00, trip takes 3 hours and costs Rf53. Timetable can be checked at the company operating these routes web site. Fast boats depart on the same days at 16:00, trip lasts for less than an hour and costs US$50.

Three times weekly (at 15:10 on Su, Tu and Th) there is a public boat to Thoddoo, trip takes 1 hr 15 min, costs Rf25.

Everyday except Friday there is a public boat to Ukulhas, departing at 13:00, trip takes 55 min and costs Rf25. The same boat proceeds then to other islands of North Ari Atoll: Bodufulhadhoo (trip takes 1 hr 30 min from Rasdhoo), Mathiveri (2 hr), Feridhoo (3 hours), Maalhos (3 hr 30 min) and Himandhoo (4 hours). Besides, there are private fast speed boats operating on this route, run three times daily.

Ferry dock. It doesn't have a building or anything of that sort. Just a marine with handful of boats.

It's also possible to charter a private jet with some unrealistic prices.

See and do

The main draw there is undoubtfully beaches, the bikini beach on the island is very small.

• Bikini beach. You can also snorkel and see Mantas, Stingrays and some sharks which will swim away once you try to get close to them.. However, its coral reef has started degrading due to tourist activity and perhaps will die off in several years. And yay, bikinis are allowed here, in opposite to all other beach areas on the island where it's strictly prohibited.
• Masjid Hudha.
• Picnic Island (Madivaru Island). Accessible by boat which could be arranged by any of the hotels.It is cheaper to ask a local fisherman to take you there. Just negotiate price and time with the fisherman

Diving and snorkelling

Rasdhoo pier (Photo: georama, CC BY 3.0)

One even doesn't need a mask to spot myriads of fishes, some of which can easily be seen yet from the beach: sharks, manta rays, etc.

• Rasdhoo Dive Centre, Bodu Magu (2 minutes walking distance from the dock), ☏ +960 9577111, +960 9577222, +960 9902240. 08:00–22:00. The leading dive centre. It offers a variety of accommodation along with food, diving, snorkeling, motorized water sports and yoga facilities.
• Rasdhoo Dive club.
• Jerrys Dive Club, Bodu Magu, ☏ +960 772-7876. 08:00–20:00. PADI dive center in Rasdhoo. All PADI dive courses are available along with snorkeling and tourist diving. From US$100.

Buy

Lots of shops selling overprices souvenirs. Not much less of grocery shops with very extensive range of products from all over the world, which is quite surprising, they also sell some fruits and vegetables.

Any place on the island will readily accept US dollars as a payment, but not cards.

• Bank of Maldives, Rasdhoo branch. It has 24-hr ATM with Rf10,000 maximum withdrawal limit + Rf100 fee. Exchange rates are substandard, so it's better to change money in Male.

Eat

• Coffee Ole, Bodu Magu, ☏ +960 777-8097. Nice place to drink a good cup of coffee. Menu is somehow limited to about a dozen of options, of which soups are better to avoid, some sorts of fried noodles are tasty. They also try to promote some meals that can be prepared by only preordering them one day in advance, however, in reality it then turns into variety of reef fish or even a lobster. Big fish served for us came on table after long waiting though a bit undercooked so it went back to kitchen for further processing.Disappointing experience, but tasty barracuda. However, general impression is positive for fish, curries, cocktails and coffee. Do not waste time for any Western type of food, it is not a place for that. WiFi is available for Cafe guests. Rf50-120 + 6% service charge.
• Palm Shadow, Ghaazee Magu, ☏ +960 996-9961. Very simple cafe with simple, overcooked food. It faces the ferry dock. Rf70-120 + 12% service charge.
• Coconut Garden. 09:00 - 00:00. Small restaurant on a side street with good food and cheap prices. However, owners cheat with total bill prices, which kills all the impression. Rf30-50 +12% service charge.

Mid-range

• Icoco, Bodu Magu (adjacent to Rasdhoo Dive Lodge), ☏ +960 9577222. 07:30-23:00. Serves decent food in a western environment. 3 times a day they offer buffet meals, which cost USD18 per person including all taxes. Inbetween buffets, they prepare à la carte dishes. Rf60-700 + 22% service charge.
• Lemon Drop, Anboofannu Magu. Typical choice of dishes: fried noodles, rice, sandwiches, pizzas. USD5-15 + service charge (menu prices quoted in dollars).

Sleep

Budget

There are 16 guesthouses, most of which are quite basic, with prices starting at US$40-50.

Splurge

• Kuramathi Island Resort. Occupies entire island of Kuramathi, which is bigger than Rasdhoo island. Offers different types of accommodation including private villas with a spa bath and flat-screen TV. The resort features an infinity pool, 15 dining options and a spa, 2 dive centres and has 290 hotel rooms. From USD500.
• Shallow Lagoon Rasdhoo. One of the biggest hotels in Rasdhoo, has 8 spacious rooms and a huge garden area
• Veligandu Island Resort & Spa. Resort occupies entire island and has outdoor pool, children's playground, spa centre, restaurant and a bar. Free WiFi throughout the property. 91 hotel rooms in total. From USD600.

Connect

Both mobile operators (Dhiraagu and Ooredoo) operate on the island and offer LTE connection.

Guesthouses tend to have WiFi with very slow and sometimes nonexistent Internet. Surprisingly, none of the restaurants offer WiFi.

There is also a

• Post office.

Go next

Thoddoo — isolated island north of Atif atoll

• Ukulhas, Bodufulhadhoo, Mathiveri, Feridhoo, Maalhos, Himandhoo — all of these Atif atoll islands can be reached by ferry from Rasdhoo

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