Ari Atoll
Whale shark country and the wider house-reef circuit.
Best season: Year-round. Seaplane 25–30 minutes, or domestic flight + speedboat for the south.
Ari · Year-round
About the atoll
What Ari is for, and what it isn't.
Ari is the large central-western atoll. Its southern half, the South Ari Marine Protected Area, is one of the world's most reliable year-round whale shark encounter sites.
House reefs here are excellent on the right islands and ordinary on the wrong ones. The variation matters. We brief guests resort by resort on which reefs to expect.
Ari also covers the country's main diving circuit. If diving is the priority, this is the atoll to base on.