Meemu Atoll Dhiggaru

My husband loves to visit the islands and provide his medical services to the islands. He lets us tag along and on one of his recent ventures was to Meemu Atoll Dhiggaru. Dhiggaru is known as the rihaakuru island because the island produces some really delicious rihaakuru or fish paste. So a few weeks ago, during the weekend we headed towards this island.


We took the Muli Tours a ferry that travels between Male' city and Meemu Atoll. I have to say their service was great and with calm weather, it was a lovely 2-hour speedboat ride. Unlike the previous visits to the islands, we stayed in a local home more like a homestay rather than a guest house. I actually enjoyed it, enjoyed the company of the women who lived downstairs and the boys were joined by the neighborhood kids to play.

fun time with the neighborhood kids

 The locals are very friendly and there are lots of swings and joali to sit around and enjoy a chat with the ladies who usually sit outside their homes to prepare the food for their daily meals or feed the kids or just hang out.

This friendly couple going about their breakfast preparation, the wife getting her ingredients for fish sambal (mas huni ready) while the husband is removing the husk of the coconut, with my little one getting to try one too.

His big brother gives removing the husk from the coconut a go. Due to his dark pants, you can't make out the sharp metal that is used to pierce the coconut husk.  Have to apply some pressure on it and the outside layer gets torn off.

 The house we stayed in was a two-storey home,  a lovely home called Huvandhumaage. While the family lived downstairs, the upstairs has two spacious guest rooms with two bathrooms along with a spacious sitting area and balcony.

 You have to get used to the smell of fish as the fish-smoking factory is on the opposite side of the house. We had lots of privacy although it can be a bit loud with small kids living downstairs but for me it is okay. The little boy who lived downstairs was so excited to have two " beybe", older brothers, living upstairs kept calling out or asking if the boys would like to play with him.

 The island did have a small beach area, would be nice if it was kept clean as there was washed-up litter on the beach. So instead we headed to a nearby sandbank on Friday morning with a breakfast packed by the two ladies who made our meals.

gorgeous sandbank

The gorgeous sandbank was a real treat, with beautiful white sand and clean clear water.

 We enjoyed a lovely breakfast or freshly made roshi ( flatbread), huni roshi (coconut flatbread), rihaakuru and mas huni ( fish sambal), had a dip in the clear blue water and headed home before Friday prayers.

Breakfast on the sandbank,clock wise from top right, roshi, huni roshi, rihaakuru, mas huni 

 We visited the fish-smoking factory as well, it was so nice to see the whole place being managed by locals. The amount of work that goes into it makes you appreciate the work put in making smoked tuna. You can check out my post on how smoked tuna is made by clicking here.

inside the factory where they make smoked tuna

Unfortunately didn't get to see how Rihaakuru was made. The lady I spoke to promised to take me to one but she got busy with her work at home so didn't get to go and see it. Oh well, next time :).