12+ Things/activities to do in Gan Island, Maldives!

Gan Island, Maldives has very limited attractions/things to do, so can easily take a tourist to boredom in couple of days. In this post, I am listing everything that you can do in Gan Island, Maldives, along with all relevant information, so that you plan your visit better.

1. Visit Koattey Magu/Eedhigali Kilhi

Located in the top most portion of Feydhoo island, these are a large area of fauna and flora- there’re couple of nice walking/cycling trails under huge coconut trees. Take a walk. I have a separate post on this place here

2. Take Ferry to Meedhoo jetty

From Feydhoo harbor, take a ferry to Hulhumeedhoo island. There’re couple of normal boats and speed boat service. You can either book one of the nights in a hotel here and stay overnight, or plan such that you return to Gan island same day. Hulhumeedho has some nice beaches to explore.

Ferry frequency is poor-just about 2 scheduled rides per day between the two islands- timing seem to vary depending on day of the week. Fee- 55 MVR one way for speed boat, some 25 MVR for normal boat. Check with your hotel for latest timings for your intended date and plan accordingly. If you miss a scheduled ferry, you can hire one for your own, said to cost about 200 MVR per ride for a 15-20 min speed boat ride

3. Enjoy Sunrise and Sunset
If you’re lucky, you may get very colourful sunrise and sunset. A nice viewpoint by the beach will be just a walking distance away irrespective of where you’re staying

4. Pre-book and enjoy Scuba dive/snorkeling- 
There’re a few watersports operators in Gan Island, but you will have to book in advance. Because no one walks in and books, their facilities are almost always closed. You can’t walk-in and expect to be taken out. Need to speak to them in advance and confirm their availability on the date of your choice. That said, you are likely to enjoy a nice ride/dive because there will be very little crowd

5. Sunset boat rides with dolphin watch etc- 
Some resorts organize sunset boat ride with a high chance of spotting dolphins in the open ocean.

6. Enjoy a swim in crystal clear water- 
There’re many areas in Gan where the sea is calm, crystal clear and it is very safe n fun to enjoy a dip. However, note the following

• Government regulations prohibit swimming in bikini in most beaches closer to island. Your hotel may arrange a ride to some island/beach away from mainland where this restriction doesn’t apply.
• Be extra careful- there could be crabs and such creatures in water-particularly during evenings- they don’t intend to harm you- often move away or cocoon themselves if they sense a human presence, but they can easily freakout a family member who isn’t brave enough.
• Ocean floor may not be firm, depth may not be uniform. If something goes wrong no help will be available anywhere- there’s no lifeguard. You may have to walk for kms before meeting anyone. So be extra careful and enter water only where it is totally safe to do. Have someone watch over if possible
• Evening time will have high tides and stronger currents. Morning time is better for a swim due to calmer seas
• For extra safety lookout for confined swimming areas like the below

7. Hunt for perfect instagram-able frames
You will find lots of spots that offer great pictures- ocean as far as your eyes can reach, tall coconut trees, bridges, ocean with changing colours and so on. So perfect place to try your photography skills around the ocean

8. Rent a cycle
Many hotels n resorts offer cycles on rent- the entire length of the Gan island is only 16 odd kms (from airport till Sanam café in north)- so you can leisurely explore all islands on cycle. Daily rent could be around 3 USD.

9. Sip a tender coconut, relax by the ocean
Tender coconut is available at Gan for about 10 MVR (INR 50)- great taste, good for health- and you will find lots of seating arrangement like this- you can sit and relax enjoying your drink with ocean by your side. No one has any hurry or urgency- no one will mind if you spend entire day at a spot probably reading a book or relaxing.

Tender coconut is one of the few things grown locally. Almost everything else is imported.

10. Fly to Male/Other islands on Maldivian
If you’re getting bored in Gan island, you can fly around to few other islands in Maldives- Maldivian has 3-4 daily flights from Gan to Male- but be advised this will be an expensive affair. One way ticket may cost about 3700 MVR or 240 USD/17500 INR. Maldivians get about 10% discount. It is lot cheaper to plan a separate trip to Male from your home city in India (example- Chennai to Male return ticket on Srilankan can be had for 14-17k INR on most times- so why fly to Male from Gan?) But if it suits your plan you can check n book on  https://maldivian.aero/

11. Enjoy resort activities-
Apart from what I have listed above, some luxury resorts offer additional activities/curated trips for a fee to their guests. Equator village resort has a list, I am sure other resorts can arrange similar ones too.

12. Try a bus ride up n down
The 16 odd kms ride on the island from one end to another takes about an hour. You can enjoy a scenic ride for about 20-30 MVR on a public transport bus and it will be good time pass. Check bus details here