Your perfect Maldives escape where vacation dreams really do come true: Kamadhoo
Maldives on a Budget
August, 2023
A home to Kamadhoo Inn, Kamadhoo is a charming local island in Baa Atoll, Maldives. With white, sandy beaches, turquoise lagoons and an epic marine adventures Kamadhoo tunes in to the simple beauty of the Maldives for an amazing and affordable holiday experience.
Taste (and live!) the Maldives lifestyle. Kamadhoo island is the perfect destination to go if you love the water adventures and nature that're guide your holiday with a beauty and magic. Explore the local island’s village life, try Maldivian cuisine, enjoy picture-perfect beaches and sandbanks, swim with turtles, head to scuba diving, or watch dolphins play around your boat at sunset.
With a handful of guest houses and hotels suitable for families, couples, and solo travellers Kamadhoo is a great pick for your next Maldives trip on a budget. Accessible by air and sea from the capital of Malé, Kamadhoo island will give a chance to dive into traditional Maldivian island life without forgoing modernity.
How to Get: Transfers
There are three options to reach Kamadhoo:
By Air: Both airlines, Maldivian and Fly Me operate to DharavandhooDomestic airport from Male. Flight time is 20 minutes. Speedboat transfer from Dharavandhoo Airport to Kamadhoo island is 20 minutes. All airport transfers are at an extra charge which will be added to your room bill.
By Speedboat: Duration is approximately 2.15; Price: approximately 65$ per person one way including all the taxes hrs
- Departure from Male City to Kamadhoo
Monday, Wednesday and Saturday: 10.00 am - Departure from Kamadhoo to Male City
Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday: 09.00 am
By Seaplane: Transfer with seaplane to a nearby resort (20-30 minutes) and pick up from there by speedboat (15 minutes)
We recommend choosing the domestic air transfer or the seaplane because the view from above is an unforgettable experience and also because guests are more flexible with the timings.
As for your roaming costs as this can be expensive. You can purchase a pre-paid sim card at the airport just outside of arrivals. If you require fast Wifi having a local sim with 3G data access is the best option.
There is no bank or ATM on Kamadhoo. If you need to exchange currency, it can be arranged, or you could exchange currency at Velana International Airport, Male. Please note that guest houses accept Visa, MasterCard and American Express cards (Diners Club, Maestro and CUP credit cards not accepted). Good to know that card payments are subject to additional charge of 3.5% for visa, and 5% for Master.
Anyway You can coordinate the traffic schedule and the transfer type in advance with your guest house's staff (recommended).
The Island
The island has an oval shape and is more or less a kilometer long and a kilometer wide. The gorgeous white sandy bikini beach and the well-preserved house reef are sure one of the main reasons why Kamadhoo is so special.
Kamadhoo is a Maldivian typical local island with authentic flair, a rich vegetation and bouquet of Maldivian traditions. You won't see motorized vehicles here except the ambulance. The island is very quiet and perfect for people that are looking for relax, quietness and nature.
The island is still underrated, but you'll find all the services guests need. There are a few shops, cafes and restaurants, a health center and PADI diving center in Kamadhoo.
Kamadhoo is part of Soneva Namoona project and works on reducing waste, recycling and reusing as well as waste segregation.
As every local island, also Kamadhoo has its own school, mosque and health center. The island has also its own waste management and is kept clean by the council and the local people itself.
The island rich in vegetation, you can see some old Maldivian houses made out of corals and a banana farm. While walking through the island you might see a some craftsmens doing some traditional handcrafts such as making the roofs out of the palm leaves which will then be sold to the resorts.
During the Big Eid for almost a week the locals celebrate and perform the traditional dances and shows throughout the day and at night on the big stage in the harbour. This is truly a unique experience to know more about the Maldivian culture.
The island has 4 guesthouses including Kamadhoo Inn, and a newly opened Clarks Exotica at the Kamadhoo's harbor. Kamadhoo is never crowded and you can really enjoy a quiet and private life feeling.
The Beach
Kamadhoo has a wide and beautiful bikini beach with fine-white sand and an amazing house reef, which is easily accessible. The drop-off is a short swim away from the beach. The reef is full of fishes and you can also see turtles, rays, sharks, and napoleons. Snorkelling equipment is available on the beach for an additional fee.
Kamadhoo Inn provides sunbeds to its guest. Also, guests can use the yoga platforms on the bikini beach to practice yoga or fitness.
Bikini beach offers the most beautiful sunset location in Kamadhoo too.
Scuba Diving
The Maldives is the most famous diving destination in the world. The unique beauty of the underwater world is doubly valued by divers around the world due to high underwater visibility, countless species of exotic marine life and warm waters all year round. Diving in the Maldives is a year-round activity except for some stormy periods. The marine life varies with the season. For best visibility, January to March is the best. For Manta Rays, April to November is the best.
Baa Atoll is a designated UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, justifiably famous for its incredible gatherings of manta rays and whale sharks at Hanifaru Bay. Also the area is famous for its geographical features, pelagics, an abundant marine life and also its large number of dive sites. These add up to a unique combination for a great dive experience. With over 60 dive sites, most spots are fully reachable in depth of 15 to 30 meters. Baa Atoll also has high numbers of thilas and house reefs. Stronger ocean currents are also rare as dives are done in the inner atoll waters. Christmas Tree Rock, Hanifaru Lagoon, Dhigali Giri, Dhonfanu Thila and Nelivaru Haa are the sites must dive!
Kamadhoo island is home to a PADI diving center (Kamadhoo Dive & Watersports). A marine life is abundant variety of fishes, corals and amazing sea creatures. Guests can book dive trips and dive courses directly with your hoster or once you are in Kamadhoo also at the dive center.
The dive center offers some water sports like canoe and banana boat. In the future, the development of freediving since the Baa Atoll has just an amazing underwater world.
The closest decompression chamber to Kamadhoo is located in Kuredhu Island which takes about an hour to reach by speedboat.
Things to Do
Kamadhoo boasts a great location to explore the Maldives has to offer including a picturesque sandbanks, uninhabited islands and an amazing underwater world around.
The local island is the perfect destination for a relaxing Yoga vacation or Yoga retreat with like-minded people. The island’s Yoga pavilion is situated directly at the bikini beach.
The excursions on offer: Sandbank trip, snorkeling around different reefs, fishing trip Maldivian style, dolphin sunset cruise, tour to an uninhabited island with snorkeling and lunch, visit of other local islands including a traditional Maldivian lunch at the beach, trip to Naifaru island to visit the sea turtle rescue center, snorkeling with Mantas at Hanifaru Bay (from May to November).
The island also is very close to Hanifaru Bay (15-20 minutes). So from May to November you can go there to snorkel with Mantas and sometimes even whale sharks. All the excursions can be organized as fullday or halfday trips.
Hanifaru Bay
Baa atoll counts 75 islands, of which only 13 are inhabited, 10 are private resorts and the rest are uninhabited islands awaiting to be explored. The atoll is well known as Maldives first UNESCO biosphere reserve.
Hanifaru Bay is considered one the few places in the world where whale sharks congregate in to mate. The bay is however home to some of the largest gatherings of Manta rays worldwide with up to one hundred individuals in the small inlet when the tide pushes plankton into the bay.
Read MoreFood
The dining experiences in Kamadhoo Island is limited to hotel meal. The menu at Kamadhoo Inn features: Fried Rice, Fried Noodles, Kothu Roshi, Curries, Whole fish, Octopus, Chicken, Pizza, Pasta, Salads, Fruit, Ice Cream. Expect for breakfast: Maldivian breakfast and Continental breakfast, as well as juice, coffee/tea, cereals, yoghurt, milk, fruits, omelettes, sausages, cake/muffins, jam, butter, milk. During the Maldivian nights the guests are feasted on traditional and typical food. As for drinks they have soft drinks, milkshakes, fresh juices, coffee (also beans coffee), tea, water in glass bottles.
Clarks Exotica is a home to the restaurant and bar. One of the few restaurants offering Indian cuisine in the Maldives The Bridge is a melting pot of delicacies from different cuisines around the world. Juice Bar and Sea Blue Pool Deck Lounge at Clarks Exotica, Kamadhoo are the perfect places to unwind at the end of the day with your preferred beverage.
Where to Stay
Kamadhoo Inn is the perfect choice for the next local island vacation and for discovering the real Maldives together with hotel's team. The guest house has 13 spacious and comfortable double rooms and 1 family room. All living spaces are equipped with handmade local furniture. Every room has its own cozy outside sitting area ideal for enjoying the view at the sky full of stars and the tall tropical coconut palm trees. Our rooms include coffee, tea and glass bottled water, as well as environmentally friendly shower gel and shampoo, and daily housekeeping service. Wifi is available in the common areas.
Another place to stay on Kamadhoo is the recently opened Clarks Exotica in the island's harbor. The tallest building on the island, Clarks Exotica provides excellent rooms and accommodations including rooms with immaculate views of the ocean. A total of 19 rooms, it features Deluxe Sea View rooms, Executive Sea View with Balcony rooms, and Penthouse with Terrace & 360 Degree View of Ocean. All of the accommodations are laced with modern amenities and facilities to ensure your stay is convenient and delightful.
The newest guest house and restaurant Akomadoo Retreat proudly opened their doors on November 1, 2023, in Kamadhoo, Baa Atoll. Designed for Maldives cheap holidays the budget hotel features 10 cozy rooms, and Akamadoo restaurant boasts a first-class dining experience with seating for up to 200 people.
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