Asia > Maldives > Dharavandhoo (DRV)
The Car or no Car advice for Dharavandhoo can be broken down into three similar questions - do you need a car in Dharavandhoo ; is it worth it (based on costs), and ultimately - should you rent one? (a balance of the two).🚆 🚌⛴️ Do we need to rent a car in Dharavandhoo ?
These scores are based on the quality of public transport and other travel options. If these are good enough to see the main points of interest, then you don’t need to rent a car.
💰💶💳 Is it worth hiring a car in Dharavandhoo?
These scores reflect the practical factors that affect whether renting a car is convenient, good value, and stress-free.
✈️ Arriving at Dharavandhoo Airport (DRV)
Dharavandhoo Airport is one of the key domestic hubs in the Maldives. Flights arrive from Malé multiple times a day on small turboprops. Because the island is compact, transfers are fast:
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Resorts send speedboats to meet passengers
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Guesthouses arrange pickup by foot, buggy, or tuk-tuk
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Luggage is handled locally and efficiently
There is no need to plan for independent ground transport.
🚶 Getting around Dharavandhoo without a car
Dharavandhoo is extremely walkable. You can cross the entire island in 10 to 15 minutes. The streets are narrow and sandy, so walking is the default. Most visitors reach everything — cafés, shops, the harbour, guesthouses, the beach — on foot.
Some guesthouses offer bicycles, but even these can feel like a luxury rather than a necessity. Motorbikes exist for local use, but cars are extremely rare.
🚗 Why car rental does not exist here
There are no rental cars, nor any infrastructure that would support them. The island is small, residential, and environmentally sensitive. Road traffic is minimal. Tourism is structured around the water:
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Speedboat transfers
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Diving trips
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Snorkelling excursions
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Island-hopping by domestic flights
Everything important happens either on foot or offshore.
🌊 What to do around Dharavandhoo
Despite its size, Dharavandhoo is a gateway to major Maldivian experiences:
🐋 Hanifaru Bay
This is one of the world’s best sites for manta ray feeding aggregations. Excursions are easy to arrange and require only a short boat ride.
🐠 Baa Atoll Marine Reserve
You can dive reefs, channels, and coral gardens across the atoll. Boats leave directly from Dharavandhoo Harbour.
🏝️ Resort transfers
High-end resorts like Dusit Thani, Royal Island, and Amilla are reachable by a 10–20 minute speedboat ride.
🌅 Local island charm
Because Dharavandhoo is inhabited, you get real Maldivian culture — cafés, mosques, local beaches — without needing any form of land transport.
Conclusion — Should you rent a car in Dharavandhoo?
No, because the island is far too small to need one, and its transport system is entirely water-based. You can walk everywhere in minutes, and all major excursions happen by boat. Even if rental cars existed here, they would serve no purpose.
