26 natural atolls 1,192 coral islands, about 200 inhabited Visa on arrival Free 30 days, all nationalities Green tax $12/night resorts · $6/night small guesthouses Best diving visibility Dry season, roughly Dec–Apr One island, one resort The concept that shaped Maldives tourism Guesthouses on local islands Legal since 2009 — a genuine budget route 26 natural atolls 1,192 coral islands, about 200 inhabited Visa on arrival Free 30 days, all nationalities Green tax $12/night resorts · $6/night small guesthouses Best diving visibility Dry season, roughly Dec–Apr One island, one resort The concept that shaped Maldives tourism Guesthouses on local islands Legal since 2009 — a genuine budget route
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Atoll code · Sh

Shaviyani Atoll

Shaviyani sits in the northern half of the country and, like several of its northern neighbours, has a tourism profile shaped far more by local-island life than by private resorts — a large number of inhabited islands against a comparatively small resort count.

What's there

Kudafushi Resort & Spa is the atoll's best-known international property (see our Kudafushi profile), one of relatively few full-service resorts this far north.

What to expect

A visit here looks more like the local-island model covered in our guesthouses guide than a classic resort holiday, with ferry-based travel between islands rather than resort speedboat transfers.