How do you imagine the atoll? School science claims this is a flat land ring framing the inner lagoon. Atolls formed from the coral reefs that once surrounded the volcanic island. From the eruption, the mountain went under water, but the reefs remained. But practice makes adjustments to the theory: atolls are not always a continuous ring. In most cases, this is a scattering of small, flat islands. From the height of the aircraft, their cluster really resembles a ring.
One of the most famous atolls is Alif Alif in the Maldives in the Indian Ocean. It consists of thirty-three coral islets, eight of which are inhabited. The latter include Toddu (Maldives). Sights, photos, hotels, beaches and the nuances of relaxation on this island we will consider in our article. The information below is based on tourist reviews.
Who will like it in the Maldives
Every resort has its own target audience. On the island of Ibiza (Spain) - this is young people, they go to Greece for fur coats, spectacular excursions and idle vacations. And what categories of tourists attract the Maldives? Firstly, these are divers, as the state consists of thousands of coral reefs that have turned into atolls. To see interesting places, you do not need to go anywhere - just dive from the shore and admire the underwater world.
Newlyweds and couples in love will enjoy the island of Todd (Maldives): the resort state is famous for organizing a wedding celebration in European or native styles for a fee.
The Maldives will appeal to those who are looking for a quiet, secluded vacation in a tropical paradise. Snow-white sand, azure lagoons with absolute calm and islets of green palm trees - is this not a dream? True, a dream will have to pay dearly: tours to the Maldives are affordable only for those whose incomes are much higher than average.
The nuances of rest on the island of Todd
Pricing can upset a budget traveler, but don’t immediately give up the dream of a tropical paradise. The island of Todd (Maldives) in the reviews of tourists is considered an exception to the general rule. The fact is that the state has divided its atolls into luxury resorts and agricultural land that supply products of the first category of islands. We can say that Todd is a kind of food appendage to the Male archipelago.
The bulk of the local population (and there are 1,700 people here) work on plantations where papaya, pineapples and other tropical fruit and vegetables are grown. There are hotels on Todda, however, some are a bit old, while others do require repairs, so they are ready to receive budget guests here. You should not count on special comfort, but while relaxing on Todda you will get a nice bonus - inexpensive fruits. It remains only to find out how cheap it is to fly to Male, the capital of the island nation.
How to get to the Maldives for a budget tourist
Wealthy package travelers who bought a ticket to one of the fabulous atolls fly with Aeroflot. The lowest cost of tickets from this airline is $ 330 (21,640 rubles) one way. Regular direct flights from Moscow are operated from Sheremetyevo on Saturdays and Wednesdays. The flight lasts about nine hours.
A budget tourist can use the services of Turkish Airlines. Two connecting flights Moscow (Vnukovo) - Istanbul - Male will cost only 270 US dollars (17,707 rubles). In this case, the travel time will be 14 hours. You can also fly from St. Petersburg to the Maldives with Turkish Airlines (with a change in Istanbul). You will reach Male in 21 hours.
In the tourist season, charters fly to the Maldives from different cities of Russia. Salons of liners are filled with rich tourists, but if there is little time before departure and there are empty seats, travel agencies throw out charter tickets for sale. This option is the most profitable both in price and in time. Experienced travelers warn: set aside 25 US dollars (1640 rubles) on the return trip. Under Maldives law, all foreigners over the age of two must leave an airport tax when leaving the country.
Todd (Maldives): how to get
A small island with an area of only 1 x 2 km. Naturally, there is no airport here and cannot be. All international flights are accepted by the airport in Male, from which wealthy tourists, not lingering in the capital, travel by seaplane to their islands. Toddu is located quite far from Male, the path to it can tire the traveler, so wealthy tourists book a shuttle service on a speedboat that takes only an hour and a half, but it costs at least $ 50 per person (3280 rubles).
If you want to spend money on something else, opt for public transport, but you will have to get with transfers. First, a passenger ferry to the island of Rasdu, and then to Todd. The difficulty is that flights are rare. Ferries depart from Male to Rasda on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at exactly 9:00. Arrive at noon. At 15:15 the same day, ferries leave for Todda. They arrive at 16:30. that is, the transfer will have to spend the whole day of precious vacation.
Experienced budget travelers offer such a life hack: at midnight from Male, on all days of the week, except Friday, a fruit ferry departs for Todda, on which there is a passenger deck. The fare is only 10 dollars (656 rubles). At six in the morning, the ferry lands on Todda (Maldives). In the reviews, tourists mention that on the return trip the fruit ship also starts at midnight, on all days except Thursday.
When to go to Maldives
The island state is located very close to the equator, on both sides of it, so the rainy season here is not as long as in other tropical countries (Sri Lanka, Thailand or the Dominican Republic). Tour operators advise travelers to come to the Maldives from December to March, when the northeastern monsoons blow, bringing clear weather. Yes, it would be nice to be transported from winter snowdrifts or slush in March to the sultry summer, but a vacation in the high tourist season costs a lot of money.
What about the weather in Toddu (Maldives) at other times of the year? Even in the low season, which falls here in May-October, it rains rarely. But the humid southwestern monsoon raises a storm in the ocean, which is why transfer to the island will not be so easy. In April and November, the weather on the atolls is mostly clear, and prices in the tourism sector are low.
Beaches
Whatever atoll you choose in the Maldives, everywhere you will find snow-white, fine as sand, sand and turquoise expanse of the lagoon. On resort islands (as a rule, their territory is occupied by one luxury five-star hotel), you can swim and sunbathe everywhere. Photos of Toddu Island (Maldives) show that the beautiful beaches here are no worse than on the neighboring atolls. True, you can not sunbathe everywhere: the Maldives is a Muslim country, and the atolls are small in area, and if you undress in the wrong place, you will damage public morality.
Here is a striking example. The entire west coast of Toddu is a fabulous beach with a length of two kilometers, but you can sunbathe only on the 250-meter stretch, which is called "Bikini Beach". The beach is well looked after, they collect not only garbage, but also fallen leaves. The coastal strip is separated by thicket of heliotrope from the relaxation zone in the shade of palm trees. Hammocks hang here, deck chairs are arranged.
At Bikini Beach, the sand is so white that it doesn’t glow at all in the sun, so you can stomp barefoot without fear of burning your feet. The entrance to the water on the site is cleared not only from the debris of sharp corals, but also from stones. The beach has a toilet, shower and even Wi-Fi. In guesthouses nearby, you can arrange lunch delivery for a meal, without interrupting sunbathing.
Diving and snorkeling
Tourists bring from Todd (Maldives) photos of the inhabitants of the underwater world - turtles, giant mantas, moray eels and colorful tropical fish. Snorkeling is so popular on the island that you can get masks, snorkels and fins for free at all local hotels. There is a diving school on Todd. For the rental of equipment and the help of an instructor you will have to pay $ 70 (4581 rubles). But tourists insist that everything is perfectly visible from the surface of the water, as the depth of the lagoon is small, especially on the Home Reef.
Todd Island (Maldives) is the top of a volcano that has long gone under the water. This mountain was drowned in two steps, so three hundred meters from the coast there is another coral reef, which is called external. Tourists recommend that you spare no effort and swim to it. On the outer reef, the underwater life is richer and brighter. You can see turtles, dolphins and other animals. There are no waves and dangerous currents, but snorkelers, in order not to get sunburned under the equatorial sun in crystal clear water (visibility is 50 meters!), Need to swim in t-shirts.
Home reef is also interesting. Tourists recommend to go into the water a little to the left of the "Bikini Beach" and swim 50 meters.
Maldives, Todd Island: hotels
This small piece of sushi, which is only one bead in the necklace of the North Ari Atoll, is considered a haven for budget tourists. Why? Because, unlike resort islands, you will not find bungalows on Todd on stilts standing directly in the water. There are no chic snow-white buildings of five-star hotels. In general, there are no dwellings on the shore of Todd. All fertile soils are occupied by plantations of fruits and melons. And hotels, or rather, budget guesthouses, are concentrated in the central part of the island. Given Todd’s tiny size, it’s not difficult to get to the coast, however, the beach specifics of this place should be taken into account. Many hoteliers write that they are a couple of tens of meters from the sea, and this is true, but you need to clarify the distance to the equipped beach.
Where to stay: hotel overview
Hotels on the island of Todd (Maldives) on the strength of two dozen. The closest to Bikini Beach are Relax Residence, Holiday Grand and New Breeze Inn. The first two locations are the best on the whole island, but at Holiday Grand the prices “bite”, and the Relax Residence hotel consists of only four rooms that need to be booked almost six months before the trip.
The cheapest accommodation on the island is the Ocean Front guesthouse. In addition to the low price, it is famous for its excellent cuisine. For dinner, guests come from more expensive hotels.
The newest and most expensive of the inexpensive guesthouses is called Ari Heyen, but in order to get from it to Bikini Beach, you need to follow the path through the papaya planting or along the shore without undressing.
All hotels in Todd (Maldives) are designed for a relaxing beach holiday. There is no animation in them, but the staff is very good-natured and helpful. In addition to equipment, you can rent bicycles for free at the hotel for snorkelling. The terrain here is absolutely flat, and the roads are good.
Toddu Infrastructure
Wealthy tourists, vacationing on resort islands, fly away to their homeland, never knowing what kind of country this is - the Maldives. Toddu is a different matter! About 1700-1800 people live here, and most of the islanders are not attendants. Here you can see real life, which takes place regardless of the high and low tourist seasons.
Toddu Island has a school, a kindergarten, a hospital, a Bright Storey supermarket (on the east coast), a stadium with a football field, two mosques, and a diving school. You can eat at any hotel. For an additional fee, a table with torches is served right on the beach. There are four more cafes. The cheapest is at the pier, where the ships moor, mostly locals have lunch and dinner in it. There is a cafe near the stadium (although the prices are high there), a bistro at the mobile communications tower and a cafe on the street that leads to Bikini Beach.
Excursions
If you are told that all the attractions of Toddu Island (Maldives) are below sea level, do not believe it. There are many interesting things above the water. What can be the sights of the island, which provides provisions for the entire Northern Aru? To find out, you need to book a Todd Farm Tour. Believe me, you will not try fruits like here anywhere else, as tropical fruits for transportation are ripened unripe, and on the plantations you will be treated with real fruits: you can taste juicy, sweet, divinely smelling papaya and compare it with a store counterpart.
Toddu is famous for its delicious watermelons, coconuts and bananas, but before picking fruit, ask the locals for permission.
Snorkeling and diving - without them you can not imagine a complete rest on the island of Todd (Maldives). In the reviews, tourists argue that here you can not only swim along the Home and Far Reefs, but also organize an excursion to manta rays. You will be taken by boat to the place of residence of these giant ramps. The tour costs 50 dollars (3280 rubles) per person, but you can bargain for 30 (1967 rubles). Tourists are happy to have fun fishing - day or night.
Long excursions
According to reviews, trips to other islands are organized from Todd (Maldives). The most popular excursion is a visit to three neighboring atolls: Ukulas, Mathiveri and Bodufoludo. The trip will cost $ 100 (6558 rubles) per person, so travelers recommend traveling to the islands on their own. Of particular interest are Ukulas and Rasdu. The last island is the largest in the Alif-Alif region. Here is a great inexpensive dive shop. You can order a wedding ceremony on Rasda, however, it has a purely symbolic meaning - a couple becomes husband and wife only after official registration at the registry office.
Many travelers seek solitude on the island of Todd (Maldives). In the reviews, tourists argue that this is possible, but on neighboring, uninhabited atolls. Feel like Robinson Crusoe for $ 70 (4,600 rubles), this price includes a light picnic on the beach.
And finally, many budget tourists are interested to know how the rich relax - yes, such excursions are also organized. Transfer will cost $ 300 (19,700 rubles) for a high-speed boat. You will be offered to explore the island-resort "Nika Island". For entrance and lunch, the excursionist will have to pay an additional $ 75 (4919 rubles).
Where to eat and what to try
If your guesthouse has a kitchen where you can cook, then you definitely will not die of hunger. According to holidaymakers, there is a supermarket, market and about a dozen small grocery stores in Todd (Maldives). You can order a meal in any guesthouse. You can be fried or put out a catch for only 1-2 dollars (65-130 rubles). The average bill in a cafe for two will cost 10-15 dollars (656-984 rubles). As for the currency, American money is accepted only on resort islands. Maldivian rufii in circulation on Todd. You can exchange money again in guesthouses, but it is better to do this in the capital, the city of Male, just before leaving for a remote island.
To plunge into the atmosphere of the Maldives, you need to try the masterpieces of local cuisine. A must try is the Mas-Huni-Roshi dish, which is a tortilla with tuna, coconut pulp and onion in the middle. This dish is eaten for breakfast. For lunch in the Maldives, it is customary to serve tuna soup, coconut milk, seafood rolls, rice or noodles. The meal is accompanied by an abundance of fresh vegetables and fruits. Fresh breakfast is a must. It should be remembered that the Maldives is a Muslim country, so alcohol is not sold in stores. You can buy it in duty free, but you can use it strictly on the territory of your hotel.
What to bring
Of course, vivid impressions and megabytes of captured photo frames will be your most valuable load. But what else to bring from Todd (Maldives)? In the reviews, tourists do not give a definite answer. Some are advised to stuff suitcases with coconuts and watermelons. Others recommend buying a model of a traditional dhoni boat made of mother of pearl, coral or wood. Still others are advised to purchase an unusual delicacy - coconut sausage. The choice is yours. The souvenir shops on Todda have everything from trinkets of coral and lacquered caskets to embroidered dresses in the national native style, from the jaws of the shark to the huge baudra-drum.