Where Is Ras Malé? Location and How It Will Connect to Malé

Ras Malé is being built in Fushidhiggaru lagoon (Fushidhiggaru Falhu), a wide, shallow lagoon south of Malé in South Malé Atoll, close to the island of Gulhi. Administratively it is part of Kaafu Atoll, the same atoll as the capital. When the project was launched in December 2023, the lagoon was described as about a 17-minute speedboat ride from Malé.

This guide explains where the site sits, how big it is compared with places you may know, and how the government plans to connect it to the rest of the Greater Malé region. For the project as a whole, read What is Ras Malé?

Where it sits in the Greater Malé region

Greater Malé has grown island by island. Malé itself sits in North Malé Atoll and is joined by bridge and causeway to Hulhulé, the airport island, and to Hulhumalé, built on reclaimed land in two phases since 1997. To the west are Villimalé, the reclaimed industrial island of Thilafushi and the newer reclaimed area of Gulhifalhu, between Villimalé and Thilafushi. Gulhifalhu's lagoon was filled in a project that finished in July 2024.

Ras Malé is different: it is being built across the water in South Malé Atoll, rather than beside the existing islands. Local reporting places it south of Malé, close to Gulhi. That means it will need its own transport links to the capital, which is why ferries, a tunnel and an airstrip feature so heavily in the plans.

Getting to Greater Malé

Most people arrive in the Maldives at Velana International Airport, on Hulhulé island. Hulhulé is joined to Hulhumalé by a causeway and, since September 2018, to Malé by the Sinamalé Bridge, the first road link between the three islands. Ras Malé is not part of that road network, and no fixed link to it has been approved yet. From Malé, it is reached across the water, about 17 minutes by speedboat according to the government at the launch.

The islands around it

Ras Malé's nearest inhabited neighbour is Gulhi, a small local island in South Malé Atoll. The lagoon is also linked to its neighbours by the reclamation itself: the sand comes from permitted borrow areas west of Maafushi, one of the best-known guesthouse islands, and near the Ithaafushi resort. Resorts and local islands across South Malé Atoll share the same reefs and waters, which is why the effects of dredging there have drawn attention. See Ras Malé's environmental impact.

How big is the site?

Published figures vary depending on what's being measured:

• The lagoon: HDC gives 1,153 hectares. Some local reports give a larger figure for the whole lagoon, such as 1,280 hectares.
• The land being reclaimed: about 1,009 hectares, across 12 sites labelled A to L, according to the government. In September 2026, the President described the finished area as about 1,100 hectares.

For scale, Malé island itself covers about 1.95 square kilometres, or about 195 hectares. At about 1,009 hectares, Ras Malé would be around five times the size of Malé island, and nearly three times the two phases of Hulhumalé combined. Our Ras Malé vs Hulhumalé guide compares the two cities in detail.

The site isn't one solid island yet. It's being reclaimed in sections, and each one fills in at a different pace. Our progress tracker has a map of the 12 sites showing which are finished and which are still being dredged.

How will Ras Malé connect to Malé?

Several ways of linking Ras Malé to the capital have been announced, and none has been built yet. Here's what has been said about each one:

Express ferries and hydrofoils

HDC's project page describes a ferry network with express speedboats and a transport system using hydrofoil technology to link Ras Malé with Malé. Earlier government statements also mentioned a bridge and a high-speed ferry. No routes, timetables or operators have been announced.

An undersea tunnel

In January 2024, President Mohamed Muizzu announced plans for an undersea tunnel between Malé and Ras Malé, and said feasibility work had started with companies capable of the job. No route, length, cost or contract has been published since.

An airstrip

At the launch, the plans included an airstrip on reclaimed land, linked to the city. HDC says it is working on plans for an airstrip near the lagoon, and that it wouldn't disrupt Velana International Airport. No construction has been announced.

The transport master plan

In December 2025, the Ministry of Finance and Planning invited consultants to prepare a Ras Malé transport master plan and feasibility study. It is meant to cover links between the capital and Ras Malé and transport within the new city, and to compare land, sea and air options. Its findings will decide which of the options above actually get built.

What the location means for residents

For future residents, distance from Malé is the biggest practical issue. Many jobs, government offices and schools are in Malé, as is the country's main hospital, so the daily journey will depend on how good the links are. Many of the first housing plots are meant for families now living in Malé, so they will be weighing up that trip. Eagle Hills' plans for its waterfront district include schools, healthcare and community facilities. Detailed plans for public services in the rest of the city haven't been published yet. Until those are built and the transport plan is decided, it's hard to say what daily life will look like. We'll update this guide as plans are published. The latest on transport is in our news story on the Ras Malé transport master plan.

Can you visit Ras Malé now?

Not yet. Ras Malé is an active reclamation site with dredgers, pipelines and heavy machinery. We haven't found any published visitor access, public ferry service or facilities on the new land. When public transport to Ras Malé is announced, we'll add routes and times to this guide.

If you're staying in the area, Gulhi and the other inhabited islands of South Malé Atoll are reachable by public and speedboat ferries from Malé. Check the latest timetables with the operators before you travel.

Is the location safe from the sea?

The Maldives is one of the lowest-lying countries in the world, so height matters. At the launch, the government said Ras Malé would be raised 2 metres above sea level at its edges and 3 metres at its centre. The official project name, the Rasmalé Land Reclamation and Coastal Protection Project, reflects that it includes coastal defences as well as new land. The final ground levels and sea defences will be set out in the detailed plans, which haven't been published.