Indian Ocean › Maldives › Addu Atoll
Addu Atoll, Maldives
The Maldives' southernmost atoll sits just south of the equator, where a former WWII British RAF base shares the island with coral-fringed lagoons and manta-rich dive sites.
The Maldives' southernmost atoll sits just south of the equator, where a former WWII British RAF base shares the island with coral-fringed lagoons and manta-rich dive sites.
Cruise ships anchor in Addu Atoll's lagoon and tender passengers to the Gan Island pier — a short ride of 10–20 minutes.
💡 Pro move: The lagoon is well-protected. Tender operations are usually smooth, but confirm with the ship if swell is a factor.
All cruise ships anchor and tender to Gan Island — there is no dedicated cruise pier.
| Cruise Line | Typical Berth / Arrival | Dock or Tender |
|---|---|---|
| Most cruise lines | Gan Island tender dock (near Equator Village Resort)📍 | Tendered |
| Expedition ships | Gan Island tender dock📍 | Tendered |
Addu Atoll excels at underwater adventures and low-key island exploration — rent a bicycle, dive the WWII wreck, or watch mantas at the cleaning station.
Addu's reefs escaped the 1998 bleaching and remain vibrant. Koattey, at the southern tip of Hithadhoo, offers shallow snorkeling over coral gardens with turtles and Napoleon wrasse, adjacent to the Eydhigali Kilhi wetlands.
Find snorkeling tours →The SS British Loyalty, an oil tanker torpedoed in 1944, rests in 30 m of water near Gan. One of the Maldives' best wreck dives, it's encrusted in coral and home to large groupers and moray eels.
Find wreck diving tours →Addu Manta Point is a year-round cleaning station where reef mantas with wingspans up to 5 m congregate. Snorkelers and divers both visit this site, which is accessible by short boat transfer.
Find manta ray tours →Gan Island served as a Royal Air Force base from WWII through 1976. Old runways, bunkers, and barracks remain visible around Equator Village Resort. The British War Memorial on Gan commemorates those who died here.
Find historical tours →A ~14 km causeway-connected road links Gan, Feydhoo, Maradhoo-Feydhoo, Maradhoo, and Hithadhoo across open ocean causeways. Bicycle hire is available near the pier — the flat road offers superb lagoon views and passes local villages.
Find cycling tours →Hithadhoo is Addu City's main town and feels genuinely local — schools, mosques, markets, and cafes. Explore on foot, sample short eats (hedhikaa), and browse for souvenirs away from the resort bubble.
Find cultural tours →The flat link road between Gan and Hithadhoo is Addu's signature walk or cycle — ocean on both sides, local villages to dip into.
From the tender pier, walk south along the waterfront past Equator Village Resort, then loop through the old RAF base area where runway fragments and concrete structures remain visible.
🗺️ See full route in Maps →Follow the causeway north from Gan to Feydhoo across open ocean with lagoon views on both sides. Feydhoo has local tea shops and a small beach. Return by the same road or arrange a taxi pickup.
🗺️ See full route in Maps →Climate normals for Addu Atoll, Maldives (2014–2023 averages). Pack for the month you sail — highs, lows, and how many rainy days to expect.
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Rainy Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 82°F / 28°C | 80°F / 27°C | 16 |
| Feb | 83°F / 28°C | 80°F / 27°C | 11 |
| Mar | 84°F / 29°C | 81°F / 27°C | 13 |
| Apr | 84°F / 29°C | 81°F / 27°C | 15 |
| May | 84°F / 29°C | 81°F / 27°C | 21 |
| Jun | 84°F / 29°C | 81°F / 27°C | 13 |
| Jul | 83°F / 28°C | 80°F / 27°C | 18 |
| Aug | 83°F / 28°C | 80°F / 27°C | 17 |
| Sep | 83°F / 28°C | 80°F / 27°C | 16 |
| Oct | 83°F / 28°C | 80°F / 27°C | 18 |
| Nov | 82°F / 28°C | 79°F / 26°C | 22 |
| Dec | 82°F / 28°C | 79°F / 26°C | 18 |
Source: Open-Meteo ERA5 (10-yr daily averages)