Kendhoo Island is located in Baa Atoll, approximately 130 km from Malé, the capital of the Maldives.
This small island stretches roughly 600 meters in length and 350 meters in width.
It is home to just over one thousand residents, the majority of whom are Muslims originating from the atoll itself. A number of other nationalities are also represented, including residents from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
Modest in size, Kendhoo is a small island with a distinctive charm. There are no paved roads, let alone asphalted ones, only typical sandy pathways traveled by scooters and bicycles, lined with colorful buildings and abundant flowering bougainvillea, all of which immerse visitors in the peaceful daily life of this little jewel of the Indian Ocean.
The island has a Concil, schools and a nursery, two mosques, a general medical center, a traditional medicine and therapeutic treatment center, an analysis laboratory, pharmacies, cafés and restaurants, a fuel station, an ATM, grocery stores, and general shops selling a wide range of goods.
As fishing is one of the island’s main economic activities, Kendhoo has a substantial harbor measuring 170 meters of quay by 60 meters, which was newly renovated in 2017. During the renovation, a breakwater was added in order to help prevent potential climate-related disasters.
For several years now, Kendhoo has been surrounded by protective sea walls to guard against possible climate-related issues, with the exception of one section on the eastern side of the island.
Electrical generators ensure a stable power supply to the island’s network, and more recently, the municipality has installed several tanks to significantly improve wastewater treatment.
On Kendhoo, children occupy a central place in island life. It is therefore no surprise that daily efforts are focused on giving them every opportunity to succeed and flourish peacefully on the island. Every new school year and every graduation ceremony is celebrated as a major community event.
The schools are very well maintained and have recently been renovated. The classrooms are numerous and spacious, and the teaching staff is highly committed. All schoolchildren wear similar uniforms from a very young age.
The island also has several sports facilities, including football, volleyball, and handball play grounds, as well as a diving center supervised by experienced and certified instructors.
Numerous sporting tournaments are organized by the municipal council throughout the year, including men’s football, women’s handball, and swimming competitions. These events bring together many teams and attract large numbers of spectators. Kendhoo’s sports teams also travel to other islands to represent their community in competition.
These events play a major role in fostering unity among the island’s residents. The sports tournaments are followed very closely by the local population and are organized to a high standard, with official referees, the national anthem, and coverage by national television and newspapers.
The people of Kendhoo also hold a Guinness World Record, having organized, in collaboration with other islands in the atoll, the largest gathering of snorkelers in the world.
Kendhoo is known throughout the Maldives as an island specializing in traditional and therapeutic medicine, where rheumatological conditions, along with many other ailments, are treated. Its reputation extends beyond the borders of the Maldivian archipelago, as a considerable number of visitors from India and Sri Lanka travel there to undergo therapeutic stays.
All treatments are carried out naturally, using plants, roots, seeds, and other ingredients, according to preparations that have been handed down from generation to generation by certain women of the island. In recent years, these women have also opened their doors to tourists, allowing them to discover this ancestral knowledge.
The sale and consumption of alcohol are prohibited on Kendhoo, as on all other local islands in the Maldives, which undoubtedly contributes to the preservation of social harmony. This is not, however, a major concern for tourists staying there, as they can always enjoy a cocktail or a beer at the bar terrace of one of the nearby resorts.
Finally, from a historical perspective, Kendhoo is known as the island where Islam was first introduced to the Maldives.
It is said that in 1153, Maulana Al-Hafiz Abul Barakaath Yusuf Al-Barbari, originally from Morocco, arrived on the island to convert its inhabitants to the principles of Islam.
As evidence of Yusuf Al-Barbari’s presence, the remains of a tomb built in his honor, known as the “Magaamfulhu of Kendhoo,” still stand near the harbor.
