03Islands & Atolls

Atoll north of the capital

North Malé, where resorts began

North Malé Atoll forms part of the Kaafu administrative division with the southern atoll and other islands. Geographically it is the ring that wraps the capital from the north, and it holds resort islands separate from the inhabited capital island. Here the country’s first resort opened: Kurumba on Vihamanaafushi island on 3 October 1972, launching the one-island, one-resort model that still shapes much of visitor stays. Islands such as Eriyadu appear from the sea as a sand strip and palms inside the lagoon, while others show overwater villas with wooden walkways above turquoise shallows. Transfers from Velana Airport to these islands usually run by speedboat or seaplane depending on distance. Do not confuse the atoll with the capital: Malé is urban density; North Malé is scattered islands inside the reefs. Two to four days at a resort here are enough to learn the lagoon’s pace without seeing the rest of the archipelago. Traditional boats and dhonis pass through channels between islands, a reminder that water is the street.

1972

First resort opening