Banda Islands
A classic star fort, the Unesco-nominated Benteng Belgica was built on the hill above Benteng Nassau in 1611, when it became apparent the lower bastion…
Must-see attractions in Maluku
Maluku
The most popular Instagram and selfie destination in the Kei Islands for domestic tourists, Pantai Ngurtavur is a stunning and slender strip of sand –…
Banda Islands
The 656m-high still-active volcano of Gunung Api can be climbed for awesome views (especially at sunrise) in two to three hours if you are fit, but the…
North Maluku
Gamalama's volcanic cone dominates Ternate, rising to 1721m. Major eruptions in 1775 and 1840 wreaked havoc on the island. Gamalama still spews out lava,…
North Maluku
A tiny, beautifully situated fort surrounded by a vivid tropical garden, Benteng Tolukko was the first Portuguese stronghold on Ternate (dating back to…
Aketajawe-Lolobata National Park
North Maluku
Established in 2004, this national park is especially interesting for birdwatchers, who can spot rare kingfishers, goshawks and crows, as well as many…
Banda Islands
One of Banda's best views is from the chunky, overgrown ruins of Benteng Hollandia. Built in 1624, this was once one of the biggest Dutch fortresses in…
Maluku
Established in 1997, this remote national park mostly attracts birdwatchers drawn by the chance to see rare parrots. Home to four villages and a number of…
Pulau Ambon
Waai is famous for its 'lucky' belut (moray eels). For 10,000Rp, a 'guide' tempts the eels from dark recesses in a concrete-sided pond by feeding them raw…
Pulau Ambon
Kaitetu’s pretty little wood and thatch-roofed Mesjid Wapaue was originally built in 1414 on nearby Gunung Wawane. The mosque was supposedly transferred…
North Maluku
A couple of kilometres past Sulamadaha, a lane runs right off the highway down to the secluded stilted village of Jikomalamo. There are some small sandy…
North Maluku
Despite being an active volcano that continues to belch ash and smoke, it's possible to climb the almost 1400m-high Dukono in six sweaty hours if you are…
North Maluku
Beyond the village of Takome, a paved lane off the road climbs to the rim of Danau Tolire Besar. Startlingly sheer cliffs plummet down to the lugubriously…
North Maluku
No less spectacular than its nearby twin, Benteng Tahula, Torre was built by the Spanish in the early 17th century. Broken lava flows, vivid tropical…
North Maluku
This attractive, part-shaded white-sand beach – popular on weekends with the locals – is good for swimming and there's reasonable snorkelling just…
North Maluku
A legacy of Spain's short-lived presence in Tidore, this early 17th-century fort is well preserved, with orderly market gardens within and spectacular…
Maluku
The low-walled 1676 Benteng Duurstede, famously besieged by Pattimura in 1817, has been refaced with mouldering grey concrete, but the (locked) gateway is…
Maluku
Down at the island's cape, you'll discover an absolutely magnificent sweep of powdery white sand known as Pantai Ohoidertutu. You'll likely have it all to…
Banda Islands
Off the northern tip of Run are the postcard-perfect, powdery white sands of Pulau Neilaka, an islet so small you can explore it in 10 minutes, drinking…
Maluku
Off the road to Letvuan are these striking limestone grottoes with luminous blue water that's great to swim in, plus resident bats and big spiders. The…
North Maluku
This pretty, horseshoe-shaped bay about 13km north of Tobelo has a shady white-sand beach that's fine for swimming. There's decent snorkelling and diving…
North Maluku
A three-minute speedboat hop from Rum, Pulau Maitara's clear waters are fine for snorkelling and swimming but watch out for the numerous sea urchins.
North Maluku
Built in 1834 and restored in semi-colonial style, the Sultan’s Palace is technically a family home, although no one is in residence owing to a dispute…
Banda Islands
Quietly crumbling among tropical foliage, Nassau was the scene of the Banda Massacre, the greatest obscenity in the violent history of Dutch Banda. The…
Pulau Ambon
This modest museum is ten minutes south of Kota Ambon, set in sloping landscaped gardens adorned with Japanese and Dutch cannons and a scowling statue of…
Banda Islands
Bandaneira’s little museum displays colonial artefacts including coins, silverware, crockery, pipes, swords and flintlock pistols and muskets. There's…
North Maluku
Around 200m north of Benteng Tahula, the Sonyine Malige Sultan’s Memorial Museum displays the sultan’s throne and giant spittoons, plus the royal crown…
North Maluku
Known to the Portuguese as Fort Malayo, the Dutch-built Benteng Oranye, which dates from the early 17th century, is a sprawling, largely ruinous complex…
Banda Islands
Of three early-20th-century ‘exile houses’ in Banda, Mohammed Hatta’s house is the most appealing. It’s partly furnished and photos of the dissident, his…
North Maluku
It's hardly the Hagia Sophia, and the seaward minarets have been reclaimed by the sea (only the crumbled footings remain), but this concrete-and-tile…
North Maluku
A slender black-sand beach with heavy swells and sadly ruined coral, Sulamadaha is a popular local hangout at weekends. There are fine views across to the…
Banda Islands
This grand, atmospheric yet empty 1820s mansion gives a sense of the scale of the Dutch enterprise in the Banda Islands. Once the residence of the…
Banda Islands
This massive columned house, owned by the daughter of the last Banda king, has a leafy courtyard, high ceilings and, in the the master bathroom, a stone…
Pulau Ambon
In Hila, the 1649 Benteng Amsterdam is an impressive, old, walled fort. Though the walls are obviously rebuilt with concrete, the inner tower, with its…
North Maluku
This long black-sand beach, fringed by palms and facing a wide bay, makes a pleasant excursion from Jailolo but be careful of currents when swimming. The…
Banda Islands
There are still a few Chinese families living on Bandaneira and the 300-year-old Sun Tien Kong Temple is testament to the ancient Chinese involvement in…
Banda Islands
The old English Fort (once held by Captain Courthope) perpetuated the Spice Wars and resulted in the great trade of Run for Manhattan. From the pier, walk…
North Maluku
Danau Laguna is a pleasant, spring-fed bowl lake with a lushly forested perimeter. When viewed from above (take the steep lane to the west of the lagoon),…
Banda Islands
Ai’s four-pointed star fortress sits in the centre of the village, its walls still intact. The fort has been known as Benteng Revenge ever since the…
Banda Islands
Behind the main port are the eye-catching minarets of the Mesjid Hatta-Syahrir. Some locals claim this was converted into a mosque from the mansion that…
