1

Three weeks is ample for Southern Maluku. As for Nusa T Barat, I've been there in the rainy season (late March), and also in late April and June. The muddy run-off, squally winds, and torrential rain in March took a lot out of the experience on and in the water, and it made the Trans-Flores Highway problematic as well.
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Be sure to allow plenty of slack for connections in Maluku. The "airlines" that run from Ambon to Banda are notorious for canceling flights due to innsufficient passengers. Pelni is more reliable, but not all that frequent. Transport to the Lease Islands and Ceram is easy.
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Lazlo's website has all of the gritty details for the Keis and Tanimbars.

2

Yes, in 3 weeks this should be absolutely doable.
But make sure you check the timings for Pelni ships from Banda to Tual, and maybe also for the Ambon-Banda leg!

3

I recently flew from Ambon to P. Kei - then Pelni from P. Kei to Bandanaira - then Bandanaira to Ambo, again by Pelni.

I was going to jump on an NBA fight from Bandanaira to Ambon but was told by locals not to bother booking a reservation for that flight as it never arrives from Ambon - they were quite right, in the 4 weeks that I was around Bandas, the NBA Ambon to Bandanaira flight rarely arrived (maybe 4 times!).

4

Thank for all the great feedback. How long is the ferry from Bandanaira to Ambon. I would not want to be on a ferry for days if I am only doing a 3 week trip.

5

It's quick, probably an overnighter on Pelni. Pelni schedules are notably difficult to access, and represent what they hope to do rather than what sea and weather conditions and mechanical issues allow. There are also other ships of the freighter style that might be going your way, but that could involve deck passage or bargaining for a crew-member's cabin on anything from a bucket of rust to a schooner. Possibly very memorable and romantic, or possibly brutally uncomfortable, but it's worth checking with the harbormaster to see what's going where out of Ambon or Bandaneira, and if you're up for it.

6

I went on Pelni's Ciremai to Banda last year. It took about 7 hours between Bandaneira and Ambon, but it was quite later in both directions. I had a cabin which was comfortable (my total outward trip was about 2.5 days Makassar-Ambon-Banda-Tual/Kei, longer than I wanted to spend without a decent bed).

7

Sorry, that should say "it was quite late in both directions"

8

Bandanaira to Ambon is listed as taking between 7 hours and 12 hours dependant on what ship you sail on.

The Ciremai is scheduled to leave Bandanaira for Ambon at around 6am - it was 4 hours late in leaving when I first intended on leaving Bandanaira which was a godsend for me as during that 4 hours I decided to stay another 10 or 11 days before catching a different ship!!

Good Luck in your Maluku travels - a wonderful area to visit.

9

One can NEVER rely on boats and planes from ANY company in Maluku! things break, schedules change, boats get called to another part of indonesia for some emergency, etc. the list goes on. Even in the pelni office in ambon, they are not always sure. There is an occasional boat which delivers goods and has the capacity to take passengers. i took it back to ambon spending time on the deck under a beautiful night sky and then sleeping inside on basic 'beds' and it was a wonderful trip. when you have dates to make and you cant get off beautiful bandaneira, you start to worry and it takes away from your enjoyment. i did see 3 foreigners jump on a fuel boat which left at night. didnt look to be too comfortable, but hey, they got it. never heard of their trip details though.
kei islands are good for chilling and good food but the snorkeling reefs have been mostly dynamited.
Overall, if you check with as many pelni offices and their offices at the ports, you will get a pretty good picture of when/if the boat you want is on schedule.
Maluku is so beautiful and the diving/snorkeling from bandaneira is spectacular!
go and enjoy

10

Thanks for all the good feedback.

Edited by: theOman2008