Alif Dhaal Omadhoo is amongst one of the cleanest islands I have come across so far amongst the chains of Alif Dhaal isles in the Maldives. From heavenly beaches to remarkable marine life surrounding the not so tiny island, the locals were very warm and friendly which is also one of the appealing factors about Omadhoo.

Located in the Ari (Alif Dhaal) Atoll, the island itself is an amazing isle that is suitable for guests seeking tranquility. I stayed at a simple-cozy guest house called, ‘Green Leaf Omadhoo’, where they have a lovely small terrace with comfy round lounge chairs for guests to soak under the sun. The guest house has their own in-house restaurant where it is welcome for everyone to drop by and dine in, even if they are not staying at the property. Alas, every single dish I’ve had from their restaurant was chefs kiss, finger licking good I tell you, trying out their food is an absolute must!

On my first night at Omadhoo, I discovered that away from the quiet night life of the local village, for the mere entertainment of the guests a local boduberu group from Omadhoo performs amidst the vast beach space a few minutes away from where the locals live. I enjoyed watching the guests and locals dancing to the traditional boduberu beats together, filled with laughter.

Few reasons why you must hop-in a speedboat and depart on a tropical vacation to Omadhoo are:

• The island is literally speckless, I can guarantee you that you will see litter thrown in the island rarely, I did not see any during my stay for sure. I was able to catch sight of the sweet locals in the early morning, during the sunrise time sweeping the island individually. It was a nice thing to see where people were making an effort to keep their homeland clean and tidy. Other guests who have visited Omadhoo also has highlighted how well maintained the island is, which is true in fact.

• You will find few sandbanks nearby Omadhoo, one of the sandbanks only appears during certain times in months of the year when changes come to the current. One of the prevailing sandbanks is located near the island of Hangnaameedhoo, where the length is almost 150-200 m. A nice place to get an amazing drone shot of you walking to the edge of the sand drift, right?
• Amazing spots to snorkel and explore, the house reef is of considerable length and snorkel at your own risk since the current can be strong at times. Do wear the fins though if required. It is home to beautiful aquatic creatures, you’ll find schools of sharks, snappers, barracudas, eagle rays and turtles too. You can even catch glimpse of some of the majestic reef Manta Rays, if you get lucky that is. The best part is there are eye-catching coral gardens at the edge of the reef! An eye magnet for the ocean lovers’ hearts. It is stunning to look out into the deep blue ocean as you float above the reef.
• Omadhoo has an astonishingly vast white sandy beach, the plus point is they have a bikini beach for those guests who are looking forward to getting on a nice tan. The lovely staff at Green Leaf Omadhoo arranged for me an amazing sunrise breakfast right on the beach, one of the best I’ve experienced with a golden sunrise.
• If you are keen to dive, the island itself have their own dive center where all the dive equipment’s are available on rent, the dive center is called, ‘Drift Divers’. You can hire a small boat and go on a trip to explore the sandbanks and famous diving spots nearby. Word is, Omadhoo is blessed with beautiful marine life, a picturesque underwater world.

You will be able to see unique small café’s where you can enjoy a cup of coffee or some decent Maldivian food on a budget. During nighttime, you can go to the little wooden bridge like pathway near the beach area, where you can feed the sting rays and sharks that wanders around the small coral gardens nearby. Omadhoo is suitable for those who wants to explore the Maldives local islands on a budget, and for those who wants a peaceful tropical getaway. A small warning before you plan to go on a trip to Omadhoo, do prepare some cash because there are no ATMs on the island, but bank cards are accepted in hotels and dive center.

To book your budget holiday to Omadhoo, please head to www.getmetomaldives.com  for booking requests or email your queries at: [email protected]