The gateway to the far north, with two runways, mangrove islands, and the westernmost point of the Maldives.
HAQ
Airport
November – April
Best months
Haa Dhaalu is the atoll the northern Maldives is reached through. Hanimaadhoo International is here, and Kulhudhuffushi has a runway too, which makes this the only atoll in the far north with two.
Its protected areas were declared in the same 2018-19 northern tranche as its neighbours, and three of the four are about land and wetland rather than reef. Keylakunu is an uninhabited island greener than most, with mangroves and a forest of grey mangrove that does not grow in abundance elsewhere. Neykurendhoo is inhabited on 31 of its 162 hectares, with 28 hectares of mangrove and six of the fourteen mangrove types found in the Maldives.
Innafushi, on the west edge of Makunudhoo, is the westernmost point of the country. The register notes that ships have wrecked on that point often enough that the people of Makunudhoo have a name for it. The one dive site in the set is Finey Thila, two thilas 250 metres off Finey with yellow, blue and orange soft coral between them.
Haa Dhaalu Atoll has two airports. The nearest to Velana is Kulhudhuffushi Airport on Kulhudhuffushi, 276 km north of it. The runways take turboprops rather than jets, so every arrival connects through Malé or comes by seaplane.
Hanimaadhoo International is in the atoll and is the northern gateway; Kulhudhuffushi has a second runway. Both take turboprops, so arrivals connect through Malé and then take a speedboat. Seaplanes fly between sunrise and sunset only, and the operator asks guests who want to reach the resort the same day to be in the Maldives by 15:30.
4 protected areas are declared in Haa Dhaalu Atoll, covering 1,771 hectares. They were declared between 2018 and 2019, 2 of them together on 30 December 2018.
Innafushi is a small 3-hectare, rock-based island situated in Makunudhoo Atoll’s west edge. This island possesses naturally and environmentally rich characteristics. It is also inhabited by a diverse and abundant range of fauna. Flocks of seabirds frequent this island to nest and lay eggs. Innafushi also happens to be on the west most edge of the Maldives. A lot of ships have wrecked on the “futtaru” point in the past. This is why the people of Makunudhoo atoll refer to this point as ‘boatu urey muli’. When we observe the formation of this island, it can be seen that the majority of its ground area is covered with coral sand (akiri veli). And a pearly white sand beach can be seen on its east side.
Apart from exactly 3 Coconut palm trees, this island contains Lettuce trees (lhos gas), Indian tulip trees (hirundhu gas) and Pemphis (kuredhi gas). The west end of Makunudhoo has a pond connected to the sea. The inhabitants of Makunudhoo refer to this pond as ‘fureytha fengandu,’ translated as ‘monster pond’. The reef surrounding Innafushi is one lush and diverse with marine life. Divers find a special interest with this reef because of the many shipwrecks. Moreover, there is an abundance of different reef fish which can be easily caught in this area. It is also vast in size and accommodates colourful corals and fish species. A lot of fish are caught within the lagoon of the island, and whales and sharks can be observed outside of the island reef. What makes Innafushi substantial to conserve is ultimately its geophysical attributes and the fact that this island is situated on the western most edge of all Maldives.
Keylakunu is an uninhabited island located in the south Thiladhunmathi atoll. This island is environmentally significant. The island is home to a variety of species, interconnected with people’s behaviour and livelihoods. Keylakunu is comparatively greener than other islands in the Maldives, and the eastern side of the island consists of mangroves and wetlands. A vast area of the island contains small leaved orange mangroves, bodavaki and kulhlhava.
In addition to this, there is a forest made up of Gray Mangrove 'barugas', which does not grow in abundance in any part of the world. The diameters of the trunks of barugas are measured at 7.8 ft, with the trees growing over 30 metres.
The most significant aspect of this island is the mangrove and wetland area, formed as a jungle, located on the east side of the island. Different sized trees of small leafed orange mangrove and red mangrove can be seen in abundance, whose roots have formed a network of small wetlands. The area is a carbon sink as well. Various species of birds regularly visit this island. 11 species of birds were observed just during the survey of this island. The rarely seen tropical white-tailed bird (“dhandufulhu dhooni”) in the Maldives can be seen quite often in this island. This bird requires a special environment to populate in. It is also important to note that a significant amount of turtles nest on its beach. Keylakunu is considerably different from the typical Maldivian island. This is because of the way trees and plants grow in this island, and it belongs to the forest category, which not a lot of area in the Maldives qualify for. Apart from this, what makes this island distinct and worth conserving is its mangroves and wetland area, as well as its reef area and the diversity in bird species.
H.Dh. Finey Thila is located around 250 metres from the south of H.Dh. Finey, and this area consists of two distinct thilas. The bigger of these thilas start at a depth of 12 metres, while the smaller one starts at a depth of 18 metres. Finey thila is known for its yellow, blue, and orange soft corals. The dive site between the two thilas, where eagle rays, Napolean wrasses, grey reef sharks, and kawakawa are found, is very popular among divers. Among the smaller species found in this area are Shrimp, Lobster, and different varieties of nudibranch. People who frequent this dive site also notice high numbers of Fusilier and Trevally.
The island of H.Dh Neykurendhoo is formed in such a way that on the majority of its Southeast side are mangroves and wetlands. Although the island is 162 hectares, people only inhabit 31 hectares of it. The mangroves and wetlands cover make up 28.3 hectares.
From the 14 types of mangroves we see in Maldives, 6 types of mangroves can be seen in this area. A large number of migrating birds visit this area in the Southeast Monsoon (iruvai moosun). Moreover, this area is also home to different types of crabs and other creatures.