Satellite aerial
Atoll profile
SeenuAddu Atoll.
The southernmost atoll, straddling the equator with unique history, culture and reef systems.
2properties·avg rating
Atoll profile
SeenuThe southernmost atoll, straddling the equator with unique history, culture and reef systems.
Destination brief
The southernmost atoll in the Maldives, Addu Atoll (officially Seenu) offers a distinctly different kind of Maldivian experience. Crossed by the equator and shaped like a rough heart around a single sheltered lagoon, the atoll was spared the 1998 global coral-bleaching event that damaged reefs further north, leaving behind some of the most continuously-intact hard coral in the country. Its history is unusual for the Maldives: a secret Royal Navy base, HMS Haitan, operated here during the Second World War and was later rebuilt as RAF Gan in 1957, an infrastructure legacy that became today's Gan International Airport (GAN).
A British-built network of causeways spans roughly 14 kilometres and connects the islands of Gan, Feydhoo, Maradhoo and Hithadhoo end-to-end — the only place in the country where resort guests can cycle or drive between inhabited local islands. Below the surface, Addu is best known for the British Loyalty, a 140-metre oil tanker scuttled in 1946 and now the largest diveable wreck in the Maldives, and for year-round reef manta ray sightings at a cleaning station in Maa Kandu. With Gan International offering direct domestic connections from Velana, Addu delivers a rare combination: resort-island luxury, a living local culture on adjacent inhabited islands, and an equatorial reef system that behaves unlike any other in the country.
Addu is the only part of the Maldives where resort guests can travel between inhabited local islands by road: a 14-kilometre causeway built on British military foundations links Gan, Feydhoo, Maradhoo and Hithadhoo. The atoll also sits astride the equator, and its reefs were one of the very few in the country to escape the 1998 mass coral-bleaching event largely unharmed.
Field notes
British Loyalty Wreck
Manta Point
Maa Kandu
Kuda Kandu
Maa Kandu
Gan Kandu
Villingili Kandu
Shark Point
Hithadhoo Kandu
Reef manta rays year-round at Manta Point
Intact hard coral
unaffected by 1998 bleaching
Grey reef and whitetip sharks
Turtles, napoleon wrasse and schooling jacks
The 140-metre British Loyalty wreck
Whale sharks on the outer reef
Herathera
Accommodation Collection
Frequently Asked
Addu Atoll sits approximately 540 km south of Velana (MLE); local airport is Gan International (GAN) from Velana International Airport (Malé). The standard transfer is Domestic flight MLE to GAN (approx. 1h 15m) + short road transfer via causeway or speedboat to resort island. Your resort or guesthouse will typically arrange the transfer as part of your booking.
January to April. Addu's equatorial position gives it a softer monsoon signature than atolls further north — rainfall is spread more evenly through the year and currents on channel dives are generally gentler. January to April offers the clearest water and warmest temperatures; June to August brings more rain but remains reliably diveable because operators can shelter on the opposite side of the lagoon from the prevailing wind.
We currently list 2 properties in Addu Atoll on Resortlife. The atoll has roughly 2 resort islands in total, with options ranging from intimate guesthouses on local islands to ultra-luxury overwater resorts.
For travel trade
Contracted net rates, multilingual GROs at Velana, charter-flight coordination and 24/7 partner support.
Notable properties include Shangri-La Villingili Resort & Spa, Canareef Resort Maldives (Herathera), South Palm Resort Maldives, Equator Village (Gan). Which resort suits you depends on travel style — honeymoon, family, dive-focused, or budget-conscious — our specialists can match you to the right island.
Key dive sites include British Loyalty Wreck, Manta Point (Maa Kandu), Kuda Kandu, Maa Kandu. Highlights: Reef manta rays year-round at Manta Point; Intact hard coral (unaffected by 1998 bleaching); Grey reef and whitetip sharks. Most resorts operate PADI-certified dive centres with daily boat dives and house-reef snorkelling.
Addu is the only part of the Maldives where resort guests can travel between inhabited local islands by road: a 14-kilometre causeway built on British military foundations links Gan, Feydhoo, Maradhoo and Hithadhoo. The atoll also sits astride the equator, and its reefs were one of the very few in the country to escape the 1998 mass coral-bleaching event largely unharmed.
