Addu Atoll

Several of Addu's islands — Gan, Feydhoo, Maradhoo and Hithadhoo among them — are joined by the Link Road, a causeway running for some 16 kilometres across the reef. This makes Addu one of the only parts of the Maldives where you can cycle or drive from island to island, passing villages, lagoons and stretches of open ocean along the way. Hithadhoo is the largest settlement in the south and the atoll's main hub.

Gan carries a unique history: it served as a Royal Air Force base until the 1970s, and that British-era heritage still shapes the island's layout and architecture today. The same airfield is now Gan International Airport, linking the far south directly to international routes alongside domestic flights.

Underwater, Addu is a genuine highlight of the Maldives. The British Loyalty — a WWII oil tanker wreck now draped in soft coral and patrolled by reef fish — is one of the country's most atmospheric dives. Manta Point and Shark Point deliver year-round encounters with manta rays and reef sharks, and the atoll's equatorial position brings nutrient-rich water that keeps the reefs thriving.

On land, the Eydhigali Kilhi wetland and the surrounding Addu Nature Park protect mangroves, freshwater lagoons and migratory birdlife — a reminder that there's more to the far south than beaches. For travellers who want their Maldives trip to include culture, history and genuine local life alongside the reef, Addu offers something the resort atolls simply can't.