Ukrainian Maldives — The Ultimate Guide to Dzharylhach Island

Dear friend, thank you for stopping by. A lot has changed in Ukraine since this post was published. It was written in good faith to promote Ukraine as an amazing travel destination. However, russia launched a full-scale invasion, turning our beautiful country into a battlefield. For now, this post is not a travel invitation — please consider it an informational resource only. Stay safe, and please continue to support our nation during these hard times. Every Ukrainian believes that freedom and democracy will prevail, and hopefully, sooner rather than later, we will once again be able to celebrate life and travels.

As of 2025, Dzharylhach remains under occupation by Russian armed forces. Sadly, much of its unique landscape — including large parts of its forests — has been destroyed by fires caused by the military intrusion. Travel to the area is currently not possible.

When summer arrives in Ukraine, most locals and tourists flock to Odesa — the country’s most popular Black Sea destination. For a long time, this kept one of Ukraine’s true seaside gems — Dzharylhach Island — under the radar. But those who made the effort to visit agree it deserves more recognition. Many even call it the Ukrainian Maldives.

Now, to keep the record straight, when it comes to infrastructure and luxury, Dzharylhach is nowhere near the Maldives. It’s a national park, with just one of its many beaches offering a few umbrellas and chaise-longues. There’s only one café/canteen and a couple of camping sites. Hotels and restaurants are not allowed on the island.

Nature-wise, however, Dzha (a sweet nickname locals gave to Dzharylhach) is a-m-a-z-i-n-g. It’s the top destination for green tourism in Ukraine. Along with the white-sand beaches and crystal-clear blue water that earned it the nickname “Ukrainian Maldives,” the national park is home to deer and mouflons, boasts hundreds of salt lakes, and is known for dolphin pods that swim close to shore, delighting visitors.

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5 Reasons to Choose Dzharylhach for Your Next Vacation in Ukraine

• Pick the Ukrainian Maldives for an unforgettable night under the stars: Camping here, far from city lights, lets you enjoy the breathtaking night skies of southern Ukraine.
• Swim with dolphins: In the waters near Dzharylhach, dolphins often approach people and play nearby — a magical, spontaneous encounter.
• Observe wild animals in their natural habitat: They usually stay hidden during the day, but early in the morning, deer sometimes wander close to campsites.
• Spend a day on Ukraine’s largest island: Pack comfortable shoes, sunscreen, and a hat, and set off on a hike across Dzharylhach to explore its untouched nature.
• Take a plunge into some of the clearest waters on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast: In our opinion, Dzharylhach has the best beaches in the country.

Best Hotels Near Dzarylhach

If camping overnight on the island isn’t your thing, you can easily opt for a day trip from the mainland instead. Private and scheduled public boats run between the mainland and the island several times a day during the high season. Two of the most convenient hubs with regular public transport to Dzharylhach are Skadovsk and Lazurne.

Both are small seaside towns that stay quiet for most of the year but come alive during the summer season. There isn’t much to see or do in either place, so we wouldn’t include them as key stops on a Ukraine travel itinerary. That said, they’re excellent starting points for visiting the Ukrainian Maldives. Plus, there are several worthwhile places to explore within an hour or two’s drive.

Visiting Dzharylhach: What You Need to Know

Located in the Kherson region, Dzharylhach is a national park — one of many beautiful parks in Ukraine. It’s also an island — one of the very few the country has. In fact, Dzharylhach is Ukraine’s largest island, covering 62 square kilometers of uninhabited land in the Black Sea.

To the north of the island, you’ll find swamps. To the south, it’s mostly sand, bushes, and cane groves. Scattered across the island are beaches of all sizes — most of them completely deserted. Dzharylhach is home to deer, mouflons, pheasants, foxes, partridges, and many other wild species.

Given its status as a national park, Dzharylhach is regularly monitored by rangers. For solo campers, this means following safety rules — properly managing waste, avoiding campfires, not using the island’s wood for fuel, and so on.

For those visiting Dzharylhach on a day trip, the entrance fee to the park is paid upon disembarking from the boat. The fee is minimal — less than 1 USD.

Dzharylhach is ideal for fans of green tourism, camping, snorkeling, hiking, and simplicity. There are no luxury hotels — not even cafés. The island is also inaccessible by car: private vehicles are not allowed, and there are no ferries to transport them from the mainland.

If you want to make the most of your day on Dzha, here’s a list of things we recommend bringing with you:

• Swimwear and a towel if you plan to take a dip.
• A hat — ideally one that covers your shoulders, too.
• Sunscreen and comfortable beach shoes.
• No need to bring water — there are four freshwater springs on the island. Just bring bottles to fill.
• Since there’s only one café/kiosk (and they usually run out of food by 2 p.m. — beware of hungry campers!), it’s a good idea to pack some snacks or sandwiches.
• A beach towel and an umbrella will come in handy. There’s one small equipped beach on Dzha, but it fills up quickly. The earliest arrivals usually claim the chaise-longues in the shade — and yes, they’re free.
• Some cash for using the toilets.

For solo campers: if you’re planning to set up your own camp, you’ll need to bring everything — from a tent and sleeping bag to a mini (non-electric) stove, a mini-fridge or cooling bag, food supplies, power banks for charging devices, and more. Camping solo on Dzharylhach also usually means renting a private boat rather than taking a public one, which adds to the cost of getting to and from the island. The camping fee is 2 USD per night, per tent.

Organized camps: There’s an official campsite on the eastern tip of Dzha, authorized by the local Tourism Board. You can either rent a full setup or bring your own gear and pay for a spot along with access to the camp’s amenities. These typically include meals, showers, toilets, charging stations, hammocks, and more. On average, expect to pay around 22 USD per day for an all-inclusive stay, or about 15 USD if you bring your own tent and sleeping bag but use the camp’s facilities.

Also, on the southern tip of Dzha, there’s a small site with basic bungalows. Each one fits up to three people, with shared amenities like showers and toilets located outside. The cost is around 22 USD per bungalow per night, and they tend to get booked quickly during high season.

Top Things to Do and See on Dzarylhach

There’s no shortage of exciting things to do on the island. Whether you’re into lazy beach days or prefer a more active vacation, you’ll find something to enjoy when visiting the Ukrainian Maldives — Dzharylhach.

Beach Time and Breezes

Dzharylhach offers kilometers of white-sand, pristine beaches. You can choose to stay on the equipped — but often crowded — beach near the pier, or walk just 500 meters or so to find a quieter stretch of sand all to yourself.

Explore the Lighthouse

Dzha currently has two lighthouses standing close to each other, but it’s the older one that truly stands out. Built in 1902, its design was developed in Paris under the supervision of none other than Gustave Eiffel — the same engineer behind the iconic tower in the French capital.

The lighthouse is no longer operational and has been closed to visitors since 2005. Still, it remains the signature landmark of the island and the entire Skadovsk region. One of the island’s four freshwater springs is located right next to it.

Also nearby is a newer lighthouse, which serves as one of the key navigational points in the Black Sea region.

Swim with the Dolphins

The dolphins are often the first to greet visitors arriving at Dzharylhach. Pods and solitary dolphins can be spotted from the boats and are frequent visitors to the island’s eastern tip. 

If you’re patient, you can often spot them right from the beach. And if you’re lucky, they might even swim up and playfully join you in the water. It’s genuinely amazing to see how wild nature continues to thrive around the island.

Go Hiking

Follow the coastline or venture deeper into the island to spot deer, mouflons, and wild birds in their natural habitat, or to explore dozens of salt lakes — where fishing is allowed. The island is vast, so it’s not possible to walk across all of it in a single day. 

Enjoy Water Activities

Public boats from Skadovsk take travelers to the island’s eastern tip, stopping at the Lighthouse Pier. Private boats, on the other hand, can drop passengers off at the southern part of the island, at Pier Glubokiy — where all sorts of rentals are available, from SUP boards and catamarans to boats and snorkeling gear.

Camp and Stargaze

Camping is one of the main reasons travelers come to this island. With kilometers of coastline, it’s easy to find a secluded spot — or, if you’re feeling social, to make new friends at one of the two campsites. And the night sky here? There’s nothing quite like it.

Getting to Dzharylhach 

By public boats:
The easiest and fastest way to reach Dzharylhach by public transport is from Skadovsk. Motorboats OM-103 and OM-104 operate three scheduled trips to Dzha each morning (starting at 8 a.m.) and three return trips in the evening, with the last boat leaving the island at 6 p.m.

The round-trip fare is 9 USD, and each boat can carry up to 200 passengers. When boarding, you’ll be asked to choose your return time so the transfer company can evenly distribute travelers across the evening departures. These motorboats arrive at the eastern tip of the island, at the Lighthouse Pier.

By private boats:
In both Skadovsk and Lazurne, you’ll see phone numbers for private boat operators posted on trees, lamp posts, and shop windows — they’re everywhere. Unlike public boats, these speedboats can take you not only to the eastern tip of the island, but also to Gluboky Pier in the south or Milka on the western tip.

The cost of a private boat is around 75 USD one way. If you can find other travelers looking to skip the public option, you can split the fare — each boat fits up to 14 passengers.

Private boats are a smart choice for campers (they can carry all your gear) and for those planning to visit the monk on the western tip or stay in the bungalows to the south.

By foot:
Yep, this is also an option — a slightly extreme one, but still doable. There’s a path from Lazurne to the island that involves crossing a strait between the mainland and the spit leading to Dzha. The best time to go is during low tide, when the water level is lower and easier to manage.

The journey isn’t dangerous, just a bit challenging. That said, many families with kids make the trek, and it’s a well-known route among locals and regular visitors.