03Islands & Atolls

A southern island-atoll

Fuvahmulah and Thoondu’s pebble shore

Fuvahmulah is an island that forms an administrative atoll on its own (Gnaviyani), between Huvadhu to the north and Seenu/Addu to the south. It is not a ring of many islands but a single mass in the ocean, south of the equator. On its northern tip sits Thoondu beach: a sand-and-pebble shore well known on the island, used daily by residents and busier on occasions. Aerial photos show a coastal arc different from North Malé’s villas over a calm lagoon; here the ocean strikes the edge directly in places. The harbour and sunset point open the horizon without a wide inner reef ring like Ari Atoll. Two days cover Thoondu and a walk along the edge when weather allows, with the understanding that you are in the southern archipelago, not Malé’s “marine suburb.” Link Fuvahmulah with Addu if you fly into Gan, or plan a domestic flight from Malé. Do not call it an isolated resort or a capital; it is a southern island-city with a distinctive beach.

south of equator

Southern location