Faadhippolhu. Manta cleaning stations protected since 1995, an anemone reef known worldwide, and an airport a resort group built and runs.
LMV
Airport
November – April
Best months
Faadhippolhu is a compact atoll with an unusually complete register, and the two halves of it were declared twenty-five years apart. Fushifaru Thila, protected in 1995, is an elongated reef about 150 metres long carrying two manta cleaning stations. Kuredhu Kanduolhi, added in 1999, is a corner dive with a drop-off and the globally endangered ornate eagle ray.
The rest came in one day in October 2020, and it is a different kind of place — mangrove islands, sandbanks and a lagoon nursery rather than dive sites. Anemone Thila is the exception and the highlight: the ministry calls it world renowned for the sheer quantity of sea anemone on it, mostly the magnificent sea anemone, with Clark's anemonefish at every depth.
Madivaru Airport opened here in 2022 and is operated by a resort holding company rather than the state, which is the clearest statement anywhere in the register of how tourism and infrastructure work in this country.
Lhaviyani Atoll has one airport. The nearest to Velana is Madivaru Airport on Madivaru, 142 km north of it. The runway takes turboprops rather than jets, so every arrival connects through Malé or comes by seaplane.
Madivaru Airport is in the atoll and takes turboprops, so a scheduled domestic flight and a boat works after dark. Seaplane from Velana is the alternative. 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.
7 protected areas are declared in Lhaviyani Atoll, covering 4,912 hectares. They were declared between 1995 and 2020, 5 of them together on 8 October 2020.
The Anemone Thila, located in the north of Faadhippolhu in the centre of the atoll, is an area rich in sea anemone (Maagandu), and soft and hard corals. The Anemone Thila is populated with different species of anemones and Clark’s Anemonefish (Maagandumas) at various depths. This spot is also world renowned for the amount of anemone that can be seen here. The most commonly spotted anemone in this Thila is the Magnificent Sea Anemone (Heteractis magnifica). Other organisms that can be found in this area include different types of corals, sharks, and turtles. It has been recorded that reef fish belonging to 27 different species live in this area. It is important to protect reefs and Thilas such as this as they sustain sea creatures and act as a protection mechanism against climate change.
Fushifaru thila is an elongated reef about 150m long and 70m wide at the widest point. The top of the reef in the centre is about 10m, shelving to each end. The reef is surrounded by the sandy channel floor. At the northeastern end is the edge of the atoll rim drop off at 27-35m. Two Manta cleaning stations. numerous other fish and fish life.
Lh. Vavvaru is an uninhabited island located to the south of Naifaru. The reef surrounding this island is lush with marine life. Some creatures worth mentioning include soft corals, the rarely seen yellow mouthed moray eel, different types of eels, and schools of Immaculate Soldierfish (dhanbodu) fish. Turtles, Reef Manta Rays (en’madi), spotted eagle ray (vaifiya madi) and yellowfin tuna (kanneli) are commonly seen in this reef. Some features which make this reef alluring are its caves, its overhang reef structure, and the purple corals. The Dhandifalhu Finolhu sandbank, in the lagoon (falhu) to the south of Vahvaru, is home to multiple kinds of seabirds. Is also considered as a ‘nursery’ for a lot of types of fish. Between Vahvaru and Dhandifalhu Finolhu, there is an atoll entrance (kan’duolhi) named ‘Dhandifalhu Kanduolhi, which is environmentally rich with unique types of sea creatures and corals. The marine life in this area includes numerous kinds of rays, sharks, turtles, grouper fish and barracudas (farutholhi). Gorgonian fans have been recorded at unusually high numbers in this area.
Sehlhifushi and Hiriyadhoo are the 2 islands located on the northernmost side of one of the largest uninhabited islands of Faadhihpolhu, which is split into 5 administrative islands. Lh. Sehlhifushi – Hiriyadhoo wetland area is an uninhibited island on the east edge of Faadhihpolhu. Even though historically it has been recorded that these 5 islands were separate, due to the changes in the lagoon current, the islands have seen rapid changes. The bay (kollavaani) in this area is environmentally significant. These areas are not seen very often in the Maldives but are especially important for the reproduction of creatures living in reefs. The mangrove (kulhi) in this area is surrounded by trees consisting of 19 different types. The keheruvah trees, which is a rarely observed type of tree in the Maldives, are also found in this island. It is important to populate this tree species. The island also includes areas where turtles lay eggs, seabirds sleep and nest.