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Voykit pocket guide · Maldives
Ukulhas
އުކުޅަސް
Go for 3 nights if you want quiet diving, fishing and a bikini beach without crowds; skip if you need alcohol, ATMs or fast transfers.
Ukulhas is a small inhabited island in North Ari Atoll, about 1,025 m long and 225 m wide, open to tourism only since late 2012. You walk everywhere in under 30 minutes. It suits divers, snorkellers and anglers who want a local island with a bikini beach and no resort bill; it does not suit anyone who needs nightlife, alcohol or a same-day speedboat on demand.
- Country
- Maldives
- Local name
- އުކުޅަސް
- Best months
- Dec–Apr (dry season, highest prices)
- Avoid
- May–Nov (wet season, rougher crossings)
- Stay
- 3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- MVR
- Money
- Maldivian rufiyaa (MVR); resorts bill in US dollars and add service charge and tax; US dollars are widely accepted.
- Daily spend
- Budget US$60–100 excl. bed · Mid US$100–160 excl. bed · High US$160+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Dhiraagu and Ooredoo sell tourist SIMs and eSIMs at Velana arrivals with your passport.
- Emergency
- Police 119 · Ambulance 102 · Coast guard 191
- Plugs
- Types G, D · 230 V · 50 Hz · UK three-pin sockets are standard; resorts often have universal sockets.
- Tipping
- Resort: 10% service charge is on the bill; many guests add US$5–10 a day for room staff or butler.; Dive and boat crew: US$5–10 per trip.; Guesthouse: Optional; a tip jar is common.
- Water
- Tap water is desalinated; resorts provide filtered water in glass bottles. Drink bottled or filtered water on local islands.
- Toilets
- Western toilets with a hose everywhere tourists stay.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Guesthouse main dish (fish, rice, curry) | US$6–10 plus service charge and GST |
| Ice latte at a beach café | about US$5 |
| Jet ski, 15 minutes | US$25 |
| Guided dive | US$100 |
| Fishing trip | from US$65 per person |
| BBQ dinner | from US$50 per person |
| Public ferry to Malé | US$4 |
| Speedboat to Malé | US$50 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- MLE · Velana International (Malé)
- Public ferry about 4 h 30 min, three times a week; speedboat about 50 min, sold by Atoll Transfer (check the current schedule)
Typical fares
- Public ferry Ukulhas → Malé
- about US$4, 4 h 30 min, three days a week
- Speedboat Ukulhas → Malé
- about US$50, 50 min
- Rasdhoo → Ukulhas
- about 20 min by speedboat, 1 h by slow boat
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
On foot only. The island is roughly 1 km (0.6 mi) end to end, so any walk is under 30 minutes. No taxis, no scooters for visitors. Guesthouses arrange boats for diving, snorkelling and fishing. Bring a torch for unlit paths after dark and watch for large puddles in the wet season — they are slippery.On foot only. The island is roughly 0.6 mi (1 km) end to end, so any walk is under 30 minutes. No taxis, no scooters for visitors. Guesthouses arrange boats for diving, snorkelling and fishing. Bring a torch for unlit paths after dark and watch for large puddles in the wet season — they are slippery.
See and do
Known for
- Reef diving and snorkelling
- Bikini beach
- Fushi picnic island
- Fishing trips
- Green Leaf Award 2014
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Fushi (picnic island) | Guesthouse boat, about 15–20 min | Half day |
| Gaagandu rock | Boat from the island | 2–3 h |
| Sandbank | Guesthouse boat | Half day |
| Rasdhoo | Speedboat about 20 min, or slow boat about 1 h | About 1 h |
| Mathiveri, Feridhoo, Maalhos, Himandhoo, Bodufulhadhoo | Inter-island ferry, six days a week except Friday | 35 min–3 h |
Sleep
- Bikini beach strip (south side)
- Guesthouses next to the swimming beach and the cafés; shortest walk to snorkelling.
- Bodu magu / Jumhoree Magu (main street)
- Shops, cafés and several inns; central, 5–10 min walk to either shore.
- North end
- Quieter, near the desalination plant and Ginger café; best sunset side.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | އައްސަލާމް ޢަލައިކުމްassalaamu alaikum |
| Thank you | ޝުކުރިއްޔާshukuriyaa |
| How much is it? | ކިހާ އަގެއްތޯ؟kihaa ageh thoa |
| Where is the beach? | ފަޅު ކޮބައިތޯ؟falhu kobaithoa |
| I don't want fish, please | މަސް ނުބާއްވަންmas nubaavvan |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: 'Assalaamu alaikum' and a handshake between same-sex adults; avoid: Offering a hand to the opposite sex first
- Dress in villages: Shoulders and knees covered; avoid: Swimwear off the tourist beach
- Mosques: Visit only when invited or at opening hours for visitors, shoes off, covered; avoid: Entering during prayers
- Ramadan: Eat and drink out of sight on local islands by day; avoid: Public eating in daylight
- Homes: Shoes off at the door; avoid: Refusing tea and short eats
- Reefs: Float, do not stand; avoid: Touching or feeding marine life
Scams and watch-outs
- No banks, ATMs or money exchange on the island: bring enough US dollars or rufiyaa cash.
- Alcohol is not sold on the island; it is a Muslim local island.
- Dress modestly away from the bikini beach; swimwear only on the designated beach.
- Friday midday prayers close shops for a period.
- Ferries run only a few days a week and can be cancelled in rough weather: build a buffer before your flight.
- Speedboat seats are limited and sold through operators, not at a counter on arrival: book ahead.
Very low crime; the real risks are the sea, the sun and the logistics. Reef currents can be strong, ferries are infrequent and there is no ATM or clinic on the island — travel with cash, water and a buffer day.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Ukulhas yet. Suggested stay: 3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Reef diving and snorkelling
- Bikini beach
- Fushi picnic island
- Fishing trips
- Green Leaf Award 2014
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Maldives Ministry of Tourism: www.tourism.gov.mv/
- Visit Maldives: visitmaldives.com/
- Wikivoyage: Ukulhas, revision 5250127 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5250127
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Ukulhasއުކުޅަސް
މި ގެއަށް ގެންދޭށެވެ
Take me to this guesthouse, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies on the island; most are in Malé or Colombo. Consular help for the atolls is handled from the capital.
Cash is king: no ATMs on the island. Guesthouses and restaurants accept US dollars.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/ukulhas). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.