Lease Islands
%0921
Pronounced ‘leh-a-say’, these easily accessible yet delightfully laid-back islands have a scattering of old-world villages, lovely bays, and the odd great-value beach retreat. There’s also decent diving and snorkelling off Pulau Molana and Nusa Laut, two of the smaller islands of the group. Despite being only an hour by boat from Ambon, the Lease Islands feel remote and outside of the main island of Pulau Saparua, foreign tourists are rare and little English is spoken.
8Getting There & Away
There’s a daily speedboat from Tuhelu (Ambon) to Haria, the main port on Pulau Saparua, at 9am (65,000Rp, one hour). It returns to Ambon at 7am.
Small speedboats travel between Haria and Tuhelu in Ambon throughout the day, leaving when they have six passengers (50,000Rp per person, one hour). Or you can charter the whole boat for 300,000Rp.
Pulau Saparua
The most developed of the Lease Islands, Pulau Saparua is also the only island of the group with tourist infrastructure. Blessed with good coral- and muck-diving just offshore, significant historical remains, white-sand beaches and dense forests, Saparua is only an hour by boat from Ambon.
2Activities
Mahu Lodge can organise dive and snorkelling trips to spots around Pulau Saparua and the nearby islands.
Ullath in Saparua’s southeast has a reasonable beach, while nearby Ouw has a good one and boasts a small tumbledown fort. Ouw is also famous for its elegantly simple pottery (sempe). None is obviously on show but any local can lead you to a workshop, where 10,000Rp to 20,000Rp is a reasonable donation to watch ibu throw pots in back-porch studios, serenaded by the surf. Their clay comes from Saparua’s mountain, it’s spun on a wheel, sculpted with a thick chunk of green papaya, and tamped at the rim with a bamboo rod.
8Getting Around
Bemos meet the speedboat when it arrives in Haria. There are fairly frequent bemos between Haria and Kota Saparua (5000Rp, 10 minutes); far less frequent bemos travel to and from Mahu (10,000Rp, 30 minutes).
Motorbikes (100,000Rp per day) can be hired at Mahu Lodge.
Kota Saparua
%0931 / Pop 5000
Suffused with durian musk, the jungle-island town of Kota Saparua is Pulau Saparua’s ‘capital’. It’s a friendly place with a ramshackle charm. Jl Muka Pasar is the main drag, where you’ll find guesthouses, a few rumah makan and the market (Jl Muka Pasar; 
h6am-3pm).
1Sights
Benteng DuurstedeFORTRESS
(
F)
The low-walled 1676 Benteng Duurstede, famously besieged by Pattimura in 1817, has been refaced with mouldering grey concrete, but the (locked) gateway is original and the cannon-studded ramparts survey a gorgeous sweep of turquoise bay.
4Sleeping & Eating
Penginapan PerdanaGUESTHOUSE$
(%0931-21069; Jl Muka Pasar; r 110,000-192,500Rp; 
a)
Incorporating the former Penginapan Lease Indah, the Perdana is the best choice in Kota Saparua. The more expensive rooms are clean with reasonable beds and mandi bathrooms. The fan-cooled cheapies out back around the garden are far less attractive. Prices include breakfast.
Penginapan MandiriGUESTHOUSE$
(%0931-21063; Jl Muka Pasar; r with fan 110,000-132,000Rp, with air-con 165,000Rp; a)
Adjacent to the market, the Mandiri has sleepy staff and small, basic rooms with mandi (ladle bath) bathrooms and Disney-themed cabinets. Its greatest asset is the terrace overlooking the fort and the bay beyond.
RM Dulang RadjaINDONESIAN$
(Jl Muka Pasar; mains 18,000-30,000Rp; h10am-10pm Mon-Sat)
Fronted by an ornamental longboat, this open-sided rumah makan doesn’t stray from the repertoire of Indonesian staples, but it does those well. The nasi ikan telur (rice with egg, fresh tuna, tempeh and beans) is a good, healthy option.
8Getting There & Away
Kota Saparua’s access port is Haria. From Kota Saparua, ojek fares include Haria (7000Rp, 10 minutes), Itawaka (20,000Rp, 30 minutes), Mahu (15,000Rp, 20 minutes), Ouw (20,000Rp, 30 minutes) and Kulur (35,000Rp, 40 minutes). Infrequent bemos run around the island from the small terminal (Jl Belakang) in Kota Saparua (5000Rp to 10,000Rp).
PATTIMURA
In 1817, the Dutch faced a small but emotionally charged uprising led by Thomas Matulessy, who briefly managed to gain control of Saparua’s Benteng Duurstede. He killed all the fortress defenders but spared a six-year-old Dutch boy. For this ‘mercy’ Matulessy was popularly dubbed Pattimura (‘big-hearted’). The rebels were rapidly defeated and dispatched to the gallows but have since been immortalised as symbols of anticolonial resistance. Today, their statues dot the whole of Maluku, and Pattimura even features on Indonesia’s 1000Rp banknotes.
Mahu
Super-relaxed Mahu in the north of Pulau Saparua is a fine place to kick back for a few days. There’s good muck-diving off the average beach here, but you’re just a short boat ride from some far better stretches of sand and a number of excellent dive and snorkel spots.
Mahu LodgeLODGE$$
(%0811 977 232; mahu_lodge@yahoo.com; Mahu; r with breakfast and dinner 250,000Rp; a
s)
The 20-room Mahu Lodge offers sizeable, old-fashioned and clean rooms set around a fine garden with a swimming pool and hammocks to laze in while gazing out at the placid bay beyond. Genial owner Paul speaks good English and runs his own dive operation from September to April, specialising in trips to Itawaka, Nusa Laut and Pulau Molana.
8Getting There & Away
Infrequent bemos run to Mahu from Kota Saparua (10,000Rp, 30 minutes). An ojek will cost 15,000Rp.
Motorbikes (100,000Rp per day) can be hired at Mahu Lodge.
Pulau Molana
Uninhabited, roadless Pulau Molana has several great diving spots, especially at the north and south of the island. There’s great swimming off soft white sand at the island’s northernmost tip, while directly west a coral wall offers excellent snorkelling. There’s a single resort here, but most people visit on day trips from Pulau Saparua.
oMolana Island ResortBUNGALOW$$$
(%0817 762 833; www.molanaisland.net; Pulau Molana; r 850,000-1,100,000Rp, minimum stay 3 days)
This blissful island hideaway, with 11 rooms in three bungalows that only open in the dry season when guests are expected, is ideal for a small group of friends. The resort can arrange everything: meals, transfers from Haria or Ambon, boats to dive sites, while fishing trips, jungle treks and beachside barbecues are all enticing possibilities.
8Getting There & Away
If you’re staying at the Molana Island Resort, they will pick you up at the airport in Ambon. Otherwise, access is via day trips from Pulau Saparua or Ambon. Or you can hire your own speedboat at Haria (600,000Rp return).
Pulau Seram
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Some Malukans call Seram ‘Nusa Ina’ (Mother Island), believing that all life sprang from ‘Nunusaku’, a mythical peak ambiguously located in the island’s western mountains. Seram’s mountains rise over 3000m and the wild, thickly forested and little-accessed interior of the island is home to a number of minority tribes such as the Nua-ulu (Upper River) or Alifuro people, who sport red bandanas and were headhunters as recently as the 1940s. Visiting them usually requires a serious trek into remote Manusela National Park, for which you’ll need guides and permits. Far more accessible is the beautiful and dramatic bay of Teluk Sawai on the northern coast, where white-sand beaches and decent snorkelling awaits.
Manusela National ParkNATIONAL PARK
(Pulau Seram)
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 minority peoples, the park is mountainous and covered in thick jungle. Hiking is arduous here. A guide and permits are needed to visit, which can be arranged at the tourist office in Seram’s capital Masohi.
8Getting There & Away
Daily speedboats connect Tulehu (Ambon) with Amahai, Seram’s main port (economy/VIP 115,000/260,000Rp, 2½ hours), departing at 9am and 4pm. On Sundays, there’s an extra departure at 11am. Boats return to Tulehu at 7am and 2pm.
8Getting Around
Ojeks (20,000Rp) and bemos (10,000Rp) connect Amahai with Seram’s capital Masohi.
From Masohi, shared Kijang taxis make the run to Sawai (100,000Rp per person, 800,000Rp charter, three to four hours) on a poor road that winds through Seram’s stunning mountainous interior.
Masohi, Namano & Amahai
Masohi, the purpose-built capital of Central Maluku, is only useful to travellers as a transport interchange. The market, ATMs and restaurants are all scattered along the main street, Jl Soulissa, which becomes Jl Martha Tiahahu as it continues 6km through Namano to Amahai.
4Sleeping & Eating
Numerous cheap eateries and evening warung tents are dotted along Jl Soulissa, Masohi’s main drag, especially within a block or two of the market.
Hotel IsabelaHOTEL$$
(%0914-21541; Jl Manusela 17; r with fan 165,000Rp, with air-con 250,000-350,000Rp; a
Ws)
The cheapest rooms here are windowless cells, but the others are big and comfortable enough, if old-fashioned, with reasonable beds. A sizeable swimming pool, open to non-guests, is plonked in the car park. It’s about 100m up a lane off the main road.
Penginapan IreneGUESTHOUSE$$
(%0914-21238; Jl MC Tiahahu; r with fan 165,000Rp, with air-con 220,000-385,000Rp; aW)
The Irene (pronounced ‘ee-reh-neh’) is friendly with rooms placed around a courtyard that’s set back from the road. It’s worth spending extra for the better rooms here: the cheaper ones come with mandi (ladle bath) bathrooms and bad beds. No English spoken.
8Information
Central Maluku Tourist Office (Dinas Kebudayan & Parawisata; %0914-22429; Jl Imam Bonjol; h8am-2pm Mon-Sat) The staff are friendly, but there’s little information on offer in either spoken or written English. This is the place to begin the three-stage application for permits to visit Manusela National Park.
Northern Seram
Seram’s most accessible scenic highlight is Teluk Sawai, a beautiful wide bay backed by soaring cliffs and rugged, forested peaks on Seram’s northern coast. Hidden from the best views by a headland, the photogenic stilt-house village of Sawai is a superbly relaxed place and especially magical at night when you can contemplate the moonlit sea. From Sawai, boat or kayak trips take you to offshore coral gardens, or to the nearby white-sand beach at Ora.
2Activities
Potential snorkelling excursions include an expensive speedboat ride (2,500,000Rp, four hours) to the awesome dive and snorkel sites of Pulau Raja off Papua, or to Sawai’s spectacular western side, where dramatic cliffs rise up above the picturesque village of Saleman. It’s famed for flocks of bat-like Lusiala birds, which emerge at dusk.
4Sleeping & Eating
There are no formal restaurants in Sawai, although a few soup and noodle stands appear in the late afternoon. Eat where you stay.
Penginapan Lisar BahariHOMESTAY$$
(%0821 1118 1137; Sawai; r incl meals per person 330,000Rp)
Perched above the sea and linked by wooden walkways, this longstanding traveller favourite juts out over Teluk Sawai. It offers large and simple wooden rooms with OK beds and basic bathrooms. Not much English is spoken, but the staff cook great meals, offer free kayaks and can organise boat and snorkelling trips (from 350,000Rp per day).
oOra Beach ResortBUNGALOW$$$
(%0812 4889 6616; www.exoticorabeach.com; Ora Beach; rooms/cottages/house 850,000/1,350,000/3,500,000Rp, meals per day 363,000Rp)
Romantically rustic cottages are stilted over the sea and enjoy fabulous bay views, but all the accommodation here shares a lovely white-sand beach backed by jungly forest. Activities include snorkelling tours to offshore islands and trips up the Salawai River into the exotic and remote Manusela National Park. Rooms can be booked through Maluku Resort & Spa in Ambon.
8Getting There & Away
Shared Kijang taxis (100,000Rp per person, 800,000Rp charter, three to four hours) connect Sawai to Masohi, departing daily between 8am and 9am from the side of Sawai’s mosque.
Banda Islands
%0910 / Pop 18,500
Combining natural beauty, a warm local heart, and a palpable and fascinating history, this remote cluster of 10 picturesque islands isn’t just Maluku’s choice travel destination, it’s one of the best in Indonesia. Particularly impressive undersea drop-offs are vibrantly plastered with multicoloured coral gardens offering superlative snorkelling and diving. The central islands – Pulau Neira and Pulau Banda Besar (the great nutmeg island) – curl in picturesque crescents around a pocket-sized tropical Mt Fuji (Gunung Api, 656m).
Outlying Hatta, Ai and Neilaka each have undeveloped picture-postcard beaches. And Run, a gnarled limestone island sprouting with nutmeg and cloves, is one drop-dead gorgeous historical footnote. Getting to the islands takes time but with a fast-boat service from Ambon (in the dry season anyway) and talk of a new airport, Banda is becoming more accessible and seems set to see more visitors in the near future. So get here now, before everyone else does.
History
Nutmeg, once produced almost exclusively in the Banda Islands, was one of the medieval world’s most expensive commodities. Its cultivation takes knowledge but minimal effort, so the drudgery of manual labour was virtually unknown in the Bandas. Food, cloth and all the necessities of life could be easily traded for spices with eager Arab, Chinese, Javanese and Bugis merchants, who queued up to do business. Things started to go wrong when the Europeans arrived; the Portuguese in 1512, then (especially) the Dutch from 1599.
These strange barbarians had no foodstuffs to trade, just knives, impractical woollens and useless trinkets of mere novelty value. So when the Dutch demanded a trade monopoly, the notion was laughable. However, since they were dangerously armed, some orang kaya (elders) signed a ‘contract’ to keep them quiet. Nobody took it at all seriously. The Dutch sailed away and were promptly forgotten. But a few years later they were back, furious to find the English merrily trading nutmeg on Pulau Run and Pulau Ai. Entrenching themselves by force, the dominant Dutch played cat and mouse with the deliberately provocative English, while trying unsuccessfully to enforce their mythical monopoly on the locals. In 1621, Jan Pieterszoon Coen, the new governor general of the VOC (Dutch East India Company), ordered the virtual genocide of the Bandanese. Just a few hundred survivors escaped to the Kei Islands.
Coen’s VOC thereupon provided slaves and land grants to oddball Dutch applicants in return for a promise that they’d settle permanently in the Bandas and produce fixed-price spices exclusively for the company. These folk, known as perkeniers (from the Dutch word perk, meaning ‘ground’ or ‘garden’), established nearly 70 plantations, mostly on Banda Besar and Ai.
This system survived for almost 200 years but corruption and mismanagement meant that the monopoly was never as profitable as it might have been. By the 1930s, the Bandas were a place of genteel exile for better-behaved anti-Dutch dissidents, including Mohammed Hatta (future Indonesian vice president) and Sutan Syahrir (later prime minister). The small school they organised while in Bandaneira inspired a whole generation of anticolonial youth.
In the 1998–99 troubles, churches were burnt and at least five people were killed at Walang including the ‘last perkenier’, Wim van den Broeke. Most of the Christian minority fled to Seram or Ambon, but the islands rapidly returned to their delightful calm.
8Getting There & Away
AIR
At the time of research, no planes were flying into the Banda Islands. When they do, the flight takes 40 minutes. Planes book up fast and won’t fly in bad weather.
SEA
The Express Bahari 2B speedboat leaves Tulehu in Ambon for Bandaneira at 9am on Tuesday and Saturday, returning at the same time on Wednesday and Sunday (economy/VIP 410,000/650,000Rp, six hours). The boat doesn’t usually run in the rainy season, from June to August, and is prone to cancellation at other times of the year too.
Up to four Pelni ships a month make the nine-hour journey from Ambon to Bandaneira, some travelling on to the Kei Islands and Papua.
SNORKELLING & DIVING
Crystal-clear seas, shallow-water drop-offs and coral gardens teeming with multicoloured reef life offer magnificently pristine diving and snorkelling off Hatta, Banda Besar and Ai. Some Bandaneira homestays rent fins and snorkels to guests (from 45,000Rp per day).
Liveaboards descend on the Bandas en route from Komodo Island to the Raja Ampat Islands. In addition to visiting all the popular dive sites around Run, Hatta, Ai and the lava flow off the coast of Pulau Gunung Api, they muck-dive the channel between Bandaneira, Api and Banda Besar.
Bandaneira
%0910 / Pop 9000
Little Bandaneira, on Pulau Neira, is the Bandas’ main port and administrative centre. In the Dutch era the perkeniers virtually bankrupted themselves maintaining a European lifestyle, even after the end of the nutmeg monopoly made that untenable. Today, a fair amount of colonial-era architecture still lines Bandaneira’s sleepy, flower-filled streets. It’s a charming place to wander aimlessly, admire tumbledown Dutch villas, ponder mouldering ruins, watch glorious cloudscapes over Gunung Api and trip over discarded cannon lolling in the grass.
1Sights
Several Dutch-era buildings have been restored. If you manage to gain access (knock and hope!), much of the fun is hearing the fascinating life stories of the septuagenarian caretakers, assuming your Bahasa Indonesia is up to the task. Donations (10,000Rp to 20,000Rp per person) are appropriate.
oBenteng BelgicaFORTRESS
(map Google map; entry by donation)
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 was an inadequate defence. The five massive sharp-pointed bastions were expensively crafted to deflect the cannon fire of a potential English naval bombardment. The fort is open sporadically, but guesthouses can track down the key-keeper.
Schelling HouseHISTORIC BUILDING
(map Google map; Jl Hatta; hby appointment)
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 tub resting against an exposed coral wall. Make sure to wander up to the special shuttered loft in the rear courtyard. The house is sometimes open for community events and exhibitions. Otherwise, look for the key-holder.
Rumah BudayaMUSEUM
(map Google map; Jl Gereja Tua; 20,000Rp; h9am-5pm by appointment)
Bandaneira’s little museum displays colonial artefacts including coins, silverware, crockery, pipes, swords and flintlock pistols and muskets. There’s also a smattering of Bandanese stuff, including the parang (machete) and kapsete (helmet) used in the Cakalele (the warrior dance once performed by up to 50 young males that went underground following the 1621 massacre). The caretaker Iqbal or his wife Ibu Feni have the key. They live 200m north of the museum on the same side of the street.
Hatta’s HouseHISTORIC BUILDING
(map Google map; Jl Hatta; entry by donation)
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 typewriter, distinctive spectacles and neatly folded suit are all on display. In the courtyard, where there are vintage clay cisterns and an old brick well sprouting with bromeliads, you’ll also find a schoolhouse that Hatta founded during his exile. Ask at your guesthouse to find the key-holder.
Dutch ChurchCHURCH
(map Google map; Jl Gereja Tua)
This restored 1852 Dutch church with a portico of four chubby columns is open for services. Inside are a decorative bell-clock and wooden pews, as well as ancient flagstones marking the deaths of former Dutch governors of the island.
Benteng NassauFORTRESS
Quietly crumbling among tropical foliage, Nassau was the scene of the Banda Massacre, the greatest obscenity in the violent history of Dutch Banda. The fort was built in 1609, against the wishes of the orang kaya (local leaders) by Dutch Admiral Verhoeff, on foundations abandoned by the Portuguese 80 years earlier.
Istana MiniHISTORIC BUILDING
(map Google map; Jl Kujali)
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 colonial governors, it’s now largely neglected. You can find 19th-century plaques and a bust of Willem III in the shady courtyard. The doors at the back of the building are sometimes open, revealing a tiled floor and a sole chandelier inside.
Sun Tien Kong Chinese TempleTEMPLE
(map Google map; Jl Pelabuhan; hby appointment)
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 the Banda spice trade. Ask for the key at the Chinese-run grocery store almost opposite. Otherwise, the temple is open at Chinese New Year.
SPOTTING MANDARIN FISH
A notable marine attraction is to spot populations of mandarin fish that emerge at dusk from rubble piles within Neira harbour. Snorkellers can find them near Vita Guesthouse, and divers can find deeper-water populations just off the Hotel Maulana, where most of the muck-diving happens. Bring underwater torches.
2Activities
Dive BluemotionDIVING
(map; %0812 4714 3922; www.dive-bluemotion.com; Jl Pelabuhan, Baba Lagoon Hotel; dives 500,000Rp, equipment per day 150,000Rp; hFeb-May & Sep-Dec)
One of only three land-based dive operations in the Bandas, Bluemotion also has an outlet in Ambon. It has well-maintained gear, two boats and fair prices (cheaper the more dives you do). Marine park fees for Ai and Hatta (50,000Rp per person) apply, and trips include lunch. It’s closed during the unsettled months of January and from June to August.
The Nutmeg TreeDIVING
(map Google map; %0823 9919 7798; www.thenutmegtree.co/diving; Jl Pelabuhan; 5/6 day package 10,600,000/13,300,000Rp; hMar-Jun & Sep-Dec)
This dive centre is attached to the guesthouse of the same name and offers all-inclusive five- or six-day dive packages. They don’t come cheap, but equipment and boats are well-maintained.
4Sleeping
Vita GuesthouseGUESTHOUSE$
(map Google map; Fita; %0910-21332, 0812 4706 7099; Jl Pasar; r with fan/air-con 200,000/250,000Rp; aW)
Vita offers a great bayside location with seven simple but sizeable rooms set in a colonnaded L-shape around a waterfront palm garden (ideal for an evening beer, contemplating Gunung Api). The beds are adequate, bathrooms have Western toilets and cold showers. Staff are pleasant and boat trips can be arranged.
Bintang LautGUESTHOUSE$
(map Google map; %0822 4830 7056; Jl Pantai Serua; r 220,000-275,000Rp; aW)
The more expensive rooms have views over the harbour towards Gunung Api, but all are clean and comfortable for the price. Bathrooms are very cramped. There’s a pleasant terrace for breakfast and snorkelling trips can be arranged.
Pantai Nassau GuesthouseGUESTHOUSE$
(map Google map; %0813 4326 6771; Jl Kujali; r with fan/air-con 200,000/250,000Rp; aW)
Perched on a small black-sand beach with harbour views towards Banda Besar, the four rooms at this quiet guesthouse are reasonably-sized, bright and clean. Breakfast is included in the price, but no other meals are available.
oCilu Bintang EstateBOUTIQUE HOTEL$$
(map Google map; %0813 3034 3377, 0910-21604; www.cilubintang.com; Jl Benteng Belgica; d 450,000-850,000Rp; aW)
For comfort, service and value, Cilu Bintang remains head and shoulders above any other accommodation in the Banda Islands – an immaculate Dutch-colonial reproduction offering stylish and sizeable rooms with shared terraces, enticing four-poster beds and decent bathrooms. The location is convenient but serene, the on-site restaurant is good, and boat trips and tours can be arranged.
oThe Nutmeg TreeHOTEL$$
(map Google map; %8239 919 7798; www.thenutmegtree.co; Jl Pelabuhan; r 720,000Rp; aW)
A rustic boutique hotel in an 1859 Dutch colonial-era house; characterful if slightly overpriced rooms come with rain showers, solid wood furniture and rugs covering the stone-flagged floors. There’s a big garden with shady spots running down to the waterfront, an in-house dive operation and owner Reza is friendly.
Mutiara GuesthouseGUESTHOUSE$$
(map Google map; %0813 3034 3377, 0910-21344; www.cilubintang.com; r 250,000-300,000Rp; aW)
A guesthouse with a homestay feel, Mutiara is owned by the same team who run the more upmarket Cilu Bintang. There’s no hot water but rooms are cosy, the vibe is friendly and the front garden is a wonderful spot for an afternoon siesta, or to watch the resident cuscus raiding the cinnamon tree at night.
DelfikaGUESTHOUSE$$
(map Google map; %0910-21027; delfika1@yahoo.com; Jl Gereja Tua; r with fan/air-con 300,000/350,000Rp; aW)
Set around a pleasant, plant-filled courtyard, the charming Delfika has a range of mostly well-renovated and large rooms, although beds can be a little creaky and bathrooms are basic. There’s a bric-a-brac-stuffed sitting room and the attached cafe is one of Banda’s best.
New Selecta HotelHOTEL$$
(map Google map; %0910-21029, 0812 4702 0529; Jl Pelabuhan; r 450,000Rp; aW)
New Selecta’s name is reminiscent of a bad DJ and it’s an oddity in untouristy Bandaneira, offering a chain hotel-like experience with little atmosphere and generic rooms. But they are comfortable and well kept, if compact, and come with proper showers. Rooms on the higher floors have bay views.
Delfika 2GUESTHOUSE$$
(map Google map; %0910-21127; r 250,000-350,000Rp; aW)
A guesthouse of two halves (and floors); the more modern and expensive upstairs rooms offer splendid bay and volcano views. Downstairs rooms are old-fashioned and not worth the money. It’s located on a twisting alley between the market and the sea.
Hotel MaulanaHOTEL$$
(map Google map; %0910-21022; Jl Pelabuhan; r 375,000-650,000Rp, f 450,000Rp plus 10% service charge; aW)
You’re paying for the prime location on the waterfront – with great views from the garden and the huge communal terrace on the upper floor – at this longstanding hotel in a dilapidated but still impressive Dutch colonial building crying out for a makeover. The rooms need updating, while the 10% service charge is cheeky given the lackadaisical staff.
5Eating
At night, street vendors set up, offering pre-smoked fish on a stick, chicken sate, sticky rice, dried nutmeg-fruit slices and delicious halua-kenari (almond brittle). Most guesthouses will serve lunch and/or dinner (from 50,000Rp per person per meal) if notified in advance.
Nutmeg CafeINDONESIAN$
(map Google map; Jl Hatta; mains 15,000-70,000Rp; h8am-10pm)
Bolted on to a family home, sleepy and shuttered Nutmeg Cafe is a charmer. It serves noodles, juices, fish and rice, a good soto ayam and thick pancakes to slather with house-jarred nutmeg jam.
Rumah Makan NusantaraINDONESIAN$
(map Google map; Jl Pelabuhan; mains 25,000-75,000Rp; h8am-10pm)
A friendly spot for ikan bakar (grilled fish), chicken in all its forms, and rice and noodle dishes. Decent juices and coffee are on offer too.
oCilu Bintang EstateINDONESIAN$$
(map Google map; %0910-21604, 0813 3034 3377; www.cilubintang.com; Jl Benteng Belgica; mains 40,000-80,000Rp, buffet 100,000Rp; h7-9pm; W)
The best place to stay in Bandaneira is also a good place to eat. During high season, or when there are enough guests, there’s an excellent evening buffet of spanking-fresh baked fish, soups liberally spiced with Banda nutmeg and cinnamon, curries, fritters, salads and more. But you can also order off a menu of mostly Indonesian classics.
Delfika CafeINDONESIAN$$
(map Google map; Jl Gereja Tua; mains 25,000-75,000Rp; h10am-10pm; W)
Attached to the penginapan of the same name, Delfika serves seasonal fruit juices, delicious nutmeg-jam pancakes, soto ayam (chicken soup), nasi ikan (rice and fish) and a variety of fried noodle and vegetable dishes. Look out for local favourites such as fish in nutmeg sauce and aubergine with kenari-almond sauce. No alcohol.
NamasawarINDONESIAN$$
(map Google map; %0910-21136; Jl Pelabuhan; mains 25,000-80,000Rp; h7am-10pm)
Opening on to the courtyard of the owner’s house, this reliable rumah makan (eating house) offers ice cream and some Western dishes, alongside well-executed Indonesian staples.
7Shopping
MinimartALCOHOL
(map Google map; Jl Gereja Tua; h9am-1am)
Hole-in-the-wall, no-name minimart that sells beer and stays open later than most other shops in Bandaneira.
8Information
There’s no tourist office in Bandaneira, but several guesthouses have helpful English-speaking owners and they are generally the best source of local information. Most guesthouses can arrange charter boats for snorkelling trips.
BRI Bank (Jl Kujali; hMon-Fri 8am-3pm, Sat to 1pm) Has a 24-hour ATM (which only accepts MasterCard), but you can’t change money here.
8Getting There & Away
Despite having a small airport, which is reportedly set for a major upgrade, and a fast-boat link to Ambon, getting to Bandaneira still often involves a long and uncomfortable ride on a Pelni ship.
AIR
Small propeller planes are supposed to link Bandaneira and Ambon, with the airline operating the route changing each year, but at the time of research the route wasn’t being flown by any airline. When planes do fly, it’s wise to book tickets well in advance. Cancellations are likely in bad weather.
BOAT
A twice-weekly fast ferry has made reaching the Bandas much easier in dry season (the service is generally suspended between June and August). But the speedboat is also sometimes out of action at other times of the year too. When operating, the Express Bahari 2B leaves Tulehu on Ambon for Bandaneira at 9am on Tuesday and Saturday, returning at the same time on Wednesday and Sunday (regular/VIP 410,000/650,000Rp, six hours).
You can normally count on four Pelni (%0910-21196; www.pelni.co.id; Jl Kujali; h8.30am-1pm & 4-6pm Mon-Sat) ships a month travelling between Ambon and Banda, a nine-hour journey in calm seas, before journeying on to the Kei and Aru islands and then Papua. Economy adult tickets are 115,000Rp. Pelni timetables (available online) change monthly. The ships are always packed and normally dirty. Beware of pickpockets at any Pelni embarkation or disembarkation.
BOATS FROM BANDANEIRA
| DESTINATION | TYPE | FARE (RP) | DURATION (HR) | FREQUENCY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amahai (Pulau Seram) | kapal malolo (cargo) | 40,000 | 9 | varies |
| Pulau Ai | public longboat | 25,000 | 1 | 11am, 1pm daily |
| Pulau Ambon | Pelni | varies | 9 | four per month |
| Pulau Ambon | kapal malolo (cargo) | 40,000 | 15 | varies |
| Pulau Banda Besar | public longboat | 5000 | 15min | when full |
| Pulau Run | public longboat | 30,000 | 2 | 1pm daily |
| Tehoru (Pulau Seram) | longboat | 6,000,000 | 4 | charter |
| Pulau Hatta | public longboat | 50,000 | 1½ | 11am |
8Getting Around
The island is small and walkable but ojeks save sweat at 3000Rp for a short trip, 10,000Rp to the airport or 15,000Rp to Pantai Malole. Cilu Bintang rents old pushbikes (50,000Rp per day). Several guesthouses offer free airport pick ups.
Typical boat-charter rates for full-day trips include snorkelling stops on Ai (500,000Rp), Hatta (600,000Rp), Karnopol and Pisang (400,000Rp), or Run (700,000Rp). Run trips normally include a stop on Ai and Neilaka as well.
Pulau Gunung Api
This impish little 656m volcano has always been a threat to Bandaneira, Banda Besar and anyone attempting to farm its fertile slopes. Its last eruption in 1988 killed three people, destroyed more than 300 houses and filled the sky with ash for days. Historically, Gunung Api’s eruptions have often proven to be spookily accurate omens of approaching European invaders or traders.
The waters around Gunung Api are home to lurid purple-and-orange sea squirts, remarkably fast-growing table corals, leatherback turtles and concentrations of (mostly harmless) sea snakes. The submerged north-coast lava flows (‘New Lava’) are especially good for snorkelling and shallow dives.
oGunung ApiVOLCANO
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 unrelenting slope is arduous and the loose scree is dangerous on descent. Take lots of water and don’t climb if it is wet. Guides (from 100,000Rp) are prepared to accompany hikers but the path up is fairly obvious. Your boatman will drop you at the start of the trail.
Allan’s BungalowsBUNGALOW$$
(%0812 4706 7099; allandarman@gmail.com; Pulau Gunung Api; bungalows 250,000-350,000Rp; W)
Allan’s has five bungalows, all jutting out over the bay and sharing a terrace. The largest and most expensive is well-suited to a family. Rooms come with comfy four-poster beds, OK bathrooms and are fan-only. It’s super peaceful at night as you gaze across the bay at the lights of Bandaneira. Kayaks (50,000Rp) and snorkelling gear (45,000Rp) can be rented.
8Getting There & Away
No scheduled boat service connects Gunung Api and Bandaneira. Your guesthouse will act as your taxi service across the bay, or hail any passing local in a boat (5,000Rp).
Pulau Banda Besar
The largest island of the group, hilly Banda Besar makes a great day trip and offers the chance to wander through the Kelly Plantation, where centuries-old, buttressed kenari trees tower protectively over a nutmeg grove. Banda Besar is also home to the Van den Broeke Plantation, known as the last Dutch-owned plantation in the Banda Islands until its owner was killed in the 1998–99 sectarian violence.
Most boats from Bandaneira arrive at Walang. A 25-minute walk west of Walang is Lonthoir, the largest village on the island. A long stairway from behind the Masjid Al Taqwa mosque in Lonthoir leads to the Kelly Plantation and Benteng Hollandia. In the northwest of Banda Besar, the secluded white-sand beach of Timbararu, a short walk from the village of Selamon, offers great snorkelling. There is also fine snorkelling off the east coast, although you’ll need a boat to visit.
Benteng HollandiaFORT
(Lonthoir)
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 the East Indies until it was shattered by a devastating 1743 earthquake. Set high above the village of Lonthoir, make the 15-minute climb to enjoy perfect palm-framed views of Gunung Api with a magical foreground of sapphire shallows.
Homestay LeidenHOMESTAY$
(%0852 4401 2394; Jl Warataka, Lonthoir; r incl meals 200,000Rp)
A basic but friendly homestay just behind the mosque in Lonthoir. Rooms are compact and clean with Western toilets and mandi (ladle bath) bathrooms. The owner Usman speaks some English.
8Information
Cilu Bintang on Bandaneira offers informative tours of the Kelly and Van den Broeke plantations (per person 200,000Rp, minimum four people).
8Getting There & Around
Boats shuttle regularly from Bandaneira to several Banda Besar jetties, most frequently to Walang (per person/boat 5000/50,000Rp, 15 minutes).
Ojeks from the jetty at Walang run to Lonthoir (5000Rp) and Selamon (15,000Rp).
Pulau Hatta
A stunning flying-saucer-shaped island of jungle-swathed limestone trimmed with white sand, Pulau Hatta, once known as Rozengain, has no nutmeg. Thus its only historical relevance was a comical episode where eccentric English Captain Courthope raised a flag merely to enrage the Dutch.
These days Hatta is one of the most popular destinations in the Banda Islands, thanks to its crystal-clear waters and reefs rich with marine life. Just off the fine beach at Kampung Lama, where the island’s accommodation is clustered, a natural underwater ‘bridge’ creates a beautiful blue hole over part of Hatta’s stunning vertical drop-off. Forests of delicate soft coral alongside huge table and fern corals, clouds of reef fish and superb visibility make this Banda’s top snorkelling spot. Leatherback turtles, reef sharks, trigger fish and a seemingly endless roll-call of species can easily be encountered.
2Activities
Bring your own snorkelling gear if possible, as only a few places rent fins and masks.
Naira DiveDIVING
(%0813 4347 0279; www.nairadive.com; Kampung Lama; h7am-6pm; diving Feb-May & Aug-Dec)
A longstanding Banda dive shop, Naira Dive is the only dive operator based on Hatta. It leads trips to dive sites off Pulau Gunung Api and Bandaneira too. Various multiday packages are available.
4Sleeping
There’s an ever-growing number of homestays on Hatta, virtually all stationed in a line on the beach at Kampung Lama. Many have just one or two rooms and almost all offer similar, basic accommodation: plain fan-only rooms with a bed and mosquito net, plus a rudimentary bathroom.
SE HatiHOMESTAY$$
(%0822 3923 3997; Kampung Lama; r incl meals 300,000Rp)
A step up from most of the other homestays: well-kept wooden rooms come with basins, reasonable beds and a water machine. The shared terrace for meals couldn’t be closer to the beach.
Penginapan TiaraGUESTHOUSE$$
(r incl meals 250,000Rp)
Away from the main stretch of beach, a 10-minute walk south of the mosque in Kampung Lama, this place has OK rooms with Western toilets and a pleasant shared terrace. On your doorstep: 400m of pristine coral, then the drop-off. Snorkelling gear (45,000Rp) is available for rent.
Rozengain Vitalia GuesthouseGUESTHOUSE$$
(%0822 4803 3199; Kampung Lama; r/bungalow incl meals 250,000/300,000Rp)
The biggest guesthouse on Hatta, with seven concrete rooms, two wooden ones and a big bungalow set back from the beach, this place attracts people here for the long haul. Rooms are decent-sized, although the bathrooms are still basic. Owner Sofian speaks some English.
Homestay SaraHOMESTAY$$
(%0813 4472 3338; Kampung Lama; r incl meals 250,000Rp)
Sara doesn’t speak English, but she is friendly and offers big wooden rooms with attached Western toilets and mandi (ladle bath) bathrooms. All share a terrace looking out on the beach.
8Getting There & Away
There’s a 7am boat from Hatta to Bandaneira (50,000Rp, 1½ hours), which returns to Hatta at 11am.
You’ll need to charter a boat (600,000Rp) for a day trip from Bandaneira.
Pulau Ai
Ai’s greatest attraction is snorkelling or diving the remarkably accessible, brilliantly pristine coral drop-offs just a flipper-flap away. There’s a lot to see directly in front of the village, especially in October when groups of Napoleon fish appear along with migrating dolphins and whales. Sea life is likewise impressive off Pantai Sebila, the island’s best beach (a 15-minute walk west of the village), where an exceptionally stark wall, crusted with coral and laced with sea anemones, juts straight down.
Ai is essentially just an extended village interspersed with plantations. The island blipped on the global map in the 17th century, when English agents armed the locals against a 1615 Dutch attack. The islanders inflicted some 200 casualties on the astonished Dutch. Their reward was to be abandoned by the British and then massacred by the returning Dutch. Ai was subsequently repopulated with slaves and prisoners.
Benteng RevengeFORT
Ai’s four-pointed star fortress sits in the centre of the village, its walls still intact. The fort has been known as Benteng Revenge ever since the locals were slaughtered by the Dutch after siding with the British in the early 17th-century battle for control of the spice trade.
Ardhy GuesthouseGUESTHOUSE$
(%0812 4862 2559; Jl Patalima; r incl meals 150,000Rp)
Simple fan-only rooms with mandi (ladle bath) bathrooms in a biggish house a five-minute walk east of the jetty. Look for the sign. The helpful owner speaks a little English.
oCDS BungalowBUNGALOW$$
(%0813 8198 4414; Pulau Ai; r per person/2 people incl meals 300,000/500,000Rp)
To find the class crashpad on Ai, walk up from the jetty, right at the T-intersection, past the fort, then 500m further past a school and pineapple plantations. Once there, you’ll find three wooden bungalows with decent beds and bathrooms and a wide verandah stilted over a secluded beach that’s fine for snorkelling. Good food too. Some English spoken.
Green CoconutGUESTHOUSE$$
(%0812 4241 0667; ayem_nasrun@yahoo.com; Jl Patalima; r incl meals 250,000Rp)
The Green Coconut has a pleasant seafront location in the village (walk east from the jetty), with a common dining room and wonderful sea views from the shared balcony (if you’re lucky you’ll spot Napoleon fish). Rooms are decent-sized and come with some furniture, although the beds can be lumpy.
8Getting There & Away
Two or three passenger boats (25,000Rp, one hour) leave Ai for Bandaneira when full between 7am and 8am, returning between 11am and 1pm.
To make day trips from Bandaneira you’ll have to charter a boat (500,000Rp). A combined charter to Ai, Run and Neilaka is 700,000Rp.
GO ON, TAKE NEW YORK!
After the 1616 Dutch ravaging of Ai, English forces retreated to their trading post on Run. Increasingly besieged, the same eccentric Captain Courthope who had taunted the Dutch on Hatta (formerly Rozengain), put honour above survival in a preposterously futile last stand, refusing even the most reasonable offers to leave. Somehow British sovereignty was maintained, even after the 1621 Dutch atrocities during which all of Run’s nutmeg trees were systematically destroyed. The Dutch eventually took Run, so the English agreed, in 1674, to swap it for a (then equally useless) North American island. That island was Manhattan. Not a bad deal, as it turned out.
Pulau Run
Run, for all its historical gravitas, is simply a remote chunk of limestone, swathed in jungle and surrounded by deep blue sea. The village is an appealing little network of steps and concrete paths backed by vine-draped limestone cliffs, with attractive views between the tamarind trees from the top end of Jl Eldorado.
Run’s main attraction is diving the wall that lies 70m to 150m off the island’s northwestern coast (accessible by boat), known as Depan Kampung (next to the village). Visibility is magnificent.
Pulau NeilakaISLAND
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 in dazzlingly photogenic views of Gunung Api.
English FortFORT
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 to the main lower path, turn right, and follow the stairs up, up and up to the rough track leading to the vague, overgrown ruins.
Homestay ManhattanHOMESTAY$
(r incl meals 200,000Rp)
Reached by steps cut into ossified coral, this proudly immaculate concrete home is located on the second ‘tier’ of the village. Its three rooms all have private mandis (ladle bath) and squat toilets.
Homestay NeilakaHOMESTAY$
(%0813 4460 2095; Jl Eldorado; r incl meals 150,000Rp)
Run from a gleaming, comfortable (if small) family home, Neilaka offers three rooms with shared bathrooms in a new concrete building with a wooden ceiling and a tiled facade.
8Getting There & Away
A morning boat (30,000Rp, two hours) leaves Run at 7am for Bandaneira, returning around 1pm.
Chartering (700,000Rp return from Bandaneira) is the only way to do a day trip. You’ll need a boat anyway to reach Neilaka and the offshore drop-offs, plus you can stop by Pulau Ai on your way home.
Kei Islands
%0916 / Pop 172,100
The trump cards for the Kei Islands are kilometres of stunning white-sand beaches and a deeply hospitable population. Beneath the majority Christian facade, Kei culture is fascinatingly distinctive with three castes, holy trees, bride prices paid in lela (antique table cannons) and a strong belief in sasi (a prohibition spell). In Kei language bokbok means ‘good’, hanarun (li) means ‘(very) beautiful’ and enbal (cassava) is a local food staple.
The driest season is September to December. While the islands are all reef-fringed, illegal fishing has affected the coral in some places.
8Getting There & Away
AIR
All flights in or out of Langgur’s small airport go via Ambon, Makassar or Manado. There are daily connections to Jakarta.
BOAT
Four Pelni ships a month call at the Kei Islands en route from Ambon, before travelling on to the Aru Islands and Papua.
8Getting Around
A daily speedboat connects Kei Kecil and Kei Besar. To reach the other islands, you are reliant on expensive boat charters.
Tual & Langgur
Bridging the two central islands of Kei Kecil and Kei Dullah, these twin towns form the Kei Islands’ commercial centre and transport gateway. Christian Langgur is marginally more relaxed, strung along broad avenues. Tual, predominantly Muslim, is home to the main port in the Kei Islands. It’s a jumble of different cultures, including the descendants of Arabs who migrated from the Middle East 250 years ago.
4Sleeping & Eating
Langgur offers the best accommodation options for a range of budgets, although most visitors wisely head straight for the beach.
oGrand Vilia HotelHOTEL$$
(map Google map; %0916-252 0035; www.grandviliahotel.com; Jl Telaver 1; r 600,000-850,000Rp; 
naWs)
By far the best hotel in Langgur, the Grand Vilia has spacious, comfortable and modern rooms with excellent beds, decent bathrooms and safety boxes. There’s also a small pool and staff are efficient.
Hotel DragonHOTEL$$
(%0916-22082; Jl Jenderal Sudirman 154; r 130,000-330,000Rp; 
paW)
There’s a languid, siesta-at-any-time-of-the-day feel to the Dragon, but that’s not out of keeping with Langgur generally. There are a variety of room options at this sprawling place, ranging from clean budget singles that share squat toilets and mandi (ladle bath) bathrooms, to big, comfortable-enough rooms with hot water and Western toilets.
Hotel SuitaHOTEL$$
(%0916-24007; suitahotel_langgur@ymail.com; Jl Jenderal Sudirman 99; r 355,000-600,000Rp; aW)
Behind the tiled lobby, where there’s a useful travel agent and the local Garuda desk, the Suita is rather faded. Bathrooms especially are plain. But the reasonably sized rooms are light and the beds are OK.
RM AyahINDONESIAN$
(Jl Jenderal Sudirman; mains 25,000-45,000Rp; h24hr)
Reliable and tasty Padang-style rumah makan (eating house) where you can pick and choose from slices of spicy omelette, chilli-stewed aubergine, grilled fish, chicken and beef, potato patties, curries and greens. They never close.
Warung SarabaSEAFOOD$
(beside Watdek Bridge; mains 20,000-40,000Rp, fish by weight; h11am-2am)
This local institution is a no-frills wooden hut perched above the water. The service isn’t great, but you can’t go wrong with the grilled or fried fish. Choose from the fresh catch (prices by weight). Look for the ramshackle green building by the bridge that connects Langgur to Tual.
7Shopping
GotaDEPARTMENT STORE
(Jl Jenderal Sudirman; h9am-10pm)
The biggest supermarket and department store (second floor) in Langgur. Stock up on packaged food, fruit, cheap clothes and phone accessories.
8Information
BNI Bank (Bank Negara Indonesia; Jl Dr Laimena; h8am-3pm Mon-Fri, to 1pm Sat) Has the only official currency exchange (poor rates) and an ATM. Also has ATMs (Jl Jenderal Sudirman) in Langgur.
Tourist Office (Dinas Parawisata; %0813 4331 2704; Jl Hotel Langgur; h8am-2.30pm Mon-Sat) The helpful staff will track down their boss Vicky, who speaks good English and is a great source of local information.
8Getting There & Away
AIR
The only airport in the Kei Islands is called ‘Langgur’ and is a 30-minute drive south of its namesake town; the trip costs 150,000Rp in a taxi or 50,000Rp by ojek.
All flights in and out of Langgur go via Ambon, Makassar or Manado. If you’re flying to Ambon, aim for a southern window for gorgeous views of Tayando and the Bandas en route. There are daily connections to Jakarta.
BEMO (MOBIL) & OJEK
Mobil for Debut (5000Rp, one hour) and infrequent ones to Ohoidertawun, Ohoililir, and Ngur Bloat (all 5000Rp, one hour) depart from the bemo terminal (Pasar Langgur) in the south of town beside Pasar Langgur. Or you can take an ojek (30,000Rp, 30 minutes) or taxi (150,000Rp, 20 minutes).
BOAT
Up to four Pelni (%0916-22520; www.pelni.co.id; Jl Pattimura; h8am-2pm) liners call monthly, bound for Bandaneira (12 hours), Ambon (22 hours) or east to the Aru Islands (eight hours), Kaimana (22 hours) and Fak Fak (36 hours) in Papua.
Pelni ships dock in Tual, just across the bridge from Langgur on neighbouring Pulau Dullah. An ojek from Tual to Langgur is 10,000Rp, or 40,000Rp to Pasir Panjang or Ohoidertawun.
The daily speedboat to Pulau Kei Besar (50,000Rp, 1¼ hours) departs from Watdek Ferry Terminal (Off Jl Jenderal Sudirman) at 9am.
8Getting Around
Bemos (from 3000Rp) are common along Jl Jenderal Sudirman, mostly continuing to Tual’s big Pasar Masrun market. Southbound from Tual, ‘Langgur’ bemos pass Hotel Vilia and terminate at Pasar Langgur.
Ojeks start at 5000Rp per ride. Savana Cottages in Ohoidertawun offers motorbike rental (semi-auto/auto 50,000/75,000Rp per day plus fuel).
Pulau Kei Kecil
Separated from neighbouring Pulau Dullah by a narrow strip of water, Kei Kecil is the most developed of the Kei Islands, with bustling Langgur as its commercial and transport hub. Kecil is also home to many of the best beaches in the island group, including Pasir Panjang and the wonderful bay of Ohoidertawun. The northwest of the island is the most touristed strip, although relatively few foreigners make it here, but new roads mean that getting to the far south and east coast – almost virgin territory for travellers – is much easier than it was.
Little English is spoken here, but the locals are overwhelmingly friendly and pleased to see visitors to their island.
oPantai NgurtavurBEACH
(Pulau Waha)
The most popular Instagram and selfie destination in the Kei Islands for domestic tourists, Pantai Ngurtavur is a stunning and slender strip of sand – supposedly the longest sandbar in Indonesia – emerging out of the Banda Sea just off Pulau Waha at low tide. It’s only accessible by charter boat (700,000Rp, 1½ hours), from the port of Debut on Kei Kecil’s west coast.
Remember, the beach is only visible at low tide, so arrange your trip accordingly. Enterprising locals on Pulau Waha may try and charge you a 200,000Rp ‘tax’ for your presence on their sand.
Meti Kei FestivalCULTURAL
(Pasir Panjang, Pulau Kei Cecil; hOct)
Held every October, Meti Kei festival celebrates a natural phenomenon where the tide recedes way off Kei Kecil for a few weeks a year, sometimes up to 5km or more offshore. The locals celebrate on Pasir Panjang and other beaches with an orgy of fishing, using spears or traditional ‘nets’ made of coconut palm leaves to sweep in the fish.
8Getting Around
Infrequent bemos (from 5000Rp) run from Langgur’s bemo terminal to points around Kei Kecil. Ojeks are the easiest way to get around and cost 150,000Rp per day to hire.
Ohoidertawun
The charming village of Ohoidertawun sits by a lovely bay that at low tide becomes a vast, white-sand tidal flat where craftspeople sit in the palm shade carving out canoes. A holy tree on the waterfront beside Savana Cottages is believed to enforce peace or bind relationships. A footpath and stairway leads north to Ohoider Atas village. At low tide you can splash across the sand flats past small caves cut in the limestone cliffs (some contain human bones). After around 25 minutes you’ll begin to notice the mysterious red-and-orange petroglyphs painted on the cliff faces.
2Activities
Guesthouses can organise snorkelling trips to the nearby, coral-rich reefs of Pulau Ngaf, Pulau Er and Pulau Godam (700,000Rp per day).
Snorkelling gear can be rented (50,000Rp per day) and motorbikes can be hired (semi-auto/auto 50,000/75,000Rp per day).
SASI SAVVY
Call it ‘magic’ or ‘earth knowledge’, Maluku experiences many hidden undercurrents of almost voodoo-esque beliefs, beautifully described in Lyall Watson’s book Gifts of Unexpected Things. One such belief still widely prevalent is sasi, a kind of ‘prohibition spell’ used to protect property and prevent trespass. Physically the only barrier is a janur palm frond. But few would dare to break a sasi for fear of unknown ‘effects’. For countless generations sasi have prevented the theft of coconuts and ensured that fish aren’t caught during the breeding season. However, in 2003 some cunning Kei Islanders put a sasi on the Tual–Langgur bridge. With the bridge off limits the boatmen made hay, until the authorities finally stumped up the cash for a sasi-removal ceremony. Other jokers made a sasi across the access route to Tual’s government offices so employees couldn’t get to work.
4Sleeping
Savana CottagesBUNGALOW$
(map; %0813 4308 3856; Ohoidertawun; r 225,000Rp, meals 170,000Rp)
For pure soporific serenity, few budget guesthouses in Indonesia can beat Savana Cottages. Watch the swooping curlews and the tide retreating in the moonlight, while sipping an ice-cold beer or swinging from the hammock between sighing casuarina. Four simple, compact, fan-only, bamboo-and-wood rooms share mandi (ladle bath) bathrooms. Owners Lucy and Gerson are charming and helpful. Dinner is excellent.
oLucy’s HouseBUNGALOW$$
(map; %0813 4308 3856; Ohoidertawun; r 200,000-350,000Rp, meals 130,000Rp)
Seven spotless rooms on a peerless stretch of beach sit with splendid views of the bay. All rooms share terraces and have their own bathrooms, the most expensive have the luxury of hot water. A 10-minute walk from the village, Lucy’s feels like a private retreat, making it ideal for honeymooners and those seeking solitude. Meals are brought to your door.
8Getting There & Away
Infrequent bemos run from the village to Langgur (5000Rp).
An ojek to/from Langgur should cost 30,000Rp (30 minutes). An ojek to Pasir Panjang is 15,000Rp.
Pasir Panjang
The Kei Islands’ most famous tourist draw is Pasir Panjang, 3km of highly photogenic white sand so powdery it feels like flour, fringed with swaying coconut palms. Despite its beauty, the beach is often quiet, except on local holidays and weekends when karaoke outfits crank up the volume near the beach’s access points: Ngur Bloat (south) and Ohoililir (north).
Like many beaches on Kei Kecil, Pasir Panjang is very shallow. At low tide, the water recedes a long way. Snorkellers will find more joy at the reefs of the nearby islands.
2Activities
The nearby islands of Pulau Ngaf, Pulau Er and Pulau Godam offer fine snorkelling and diving. Guesthouses can arrange charter boats (700,000Rp per day), but bring your own gear.
Kei Pirate DiversDIVING
(map; %0813 3951 7790; www.kei-pirate-divers.com; Ngur Bloat; 2 dives inc equipment rental 1,450,000Rp; h7am-5pm)
The only dive operator based in the Kei Islands, Kei Pirate Divers is German-run and gets good feedback, taking small groups to dive sites around Kei Kecil and Kei Besar. They’re open year-round.
4Sleeping & Eating
A growing number of guesthouses can be found at the Ngur Bloat end of the beach. Most are simple, fan-only places but almost all have wi-fi (there’s no phone signal at Pasir Panjang).
Johanna CottageGUESTHOUSE$$
(map; %0822 382 4447; Ngur Bloat; r 250,000Rp, meals 50,000Rp; W)
Friendly and sweet Johanna offers two simple but spotless rooms with fans, OK beds and reasonable bathrooms, both with terraces directly overlooking the far southern end of the beach. Her cottage is popular, so call ahead.
Bernadeth CottagesGUESTHOUSE$$
(map; %0812 4035 6105, 0812 8361 8268; Ngur Bloat; cottages 350,000Rp, meals 50,000Rp; aW)
Five wooden cottages set 100m back from the beach, with comfy beds, Western toilets and balconies. They’re more expensive than other nearby options but this is the only place on the beach with air-con.
Coaster CottagesGUESTHOUSE$$
(map; %0813 4347 2978; bob.ayz@yahoo.co.id; Ohoililir; old/new r 165,000/250,000Rp, cottage/villa 350,000/800,000Rp, meals per day 125,000Rp)
At the beach’s reputedly haunted and much quieter northern end, 700m beyond Ohoililir village, Coaster Cottages is a wi-fi–less retreat with a variety of rooms. All are spacious with high ceilings, if plain and sometimes a little musty. The cottage and villa make sense for groups. Affable owner Bob speaks good English and can arrange boat trips.
EvalinINDONESIAN$$
(map; Ngur Bloat; mains 35,000-100,000Rp; h8am-10pm; W)
Pasir Panjang’s only genuine restaurant is set back from the Ngur Bloat end of the beach. Unpretentious Evalin specialises in fish, grilled or fried, as well as chicken, rice and noodle dishes and breakfast. There’s outdoor seating and they serve beer too. Get here earlyish, as they have been known to run out of food at busy times.
8Getting There & Away
Infrequent bemos (5000Rp) run to the bemo terminal in Langgur. An ojek to/from Langgur costs 30,000Rp (30 minutes).
Southern Kei Kecil
Despite its relative proximity to Langgur, you may be surprised by just how remote the far south of Kei Kecil feels. The only way down here is by ojek or rented motorbike, but if you make the journey there are caves, freshwater springs and stunning beaches to enjoy, as well as villages that hardly see foreigners. Folks will be joyfully surprised at your presence.
1Sights & Activities
Pantai OhoidertutuBEACH
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 yourself, unless it is a holiday or weekend.
Goa Hawang CavesCAVE
(map; 10,000Rp; h8am-6pm)
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 caves can get crowded at weekends.
Evu Freshwater PoolSWIMMING
(map; Evu; 20,000Rp; h6am-6pm)
This outdoor swimming pool is filled with clean, cool water from mountain springs that also supply water to Langgur. It’s a popular spot at weekends.
4Sleeping
There are no hotels or guesthouses in southern Kei Kecil, but it’s an easy day trip from Langgur or Pasir Panjang. If you are stuck overnight, ask the local village chief if he can arrange a homestay.
8Getting There & Away
The only way to travel to the far south of Kei Kecil is by ojek (150,000Rp round trip) or rented motorbike. Roads have improved but can be rough in places.
Pulau Kei Besar
Scenic Kei Besar is a long ridge of lush, steep, forested hills edged with remote, traditional villages and a few white-sand beaches (better for taking photos than for swimming). Roads are very poor – no more than dirt trails in places – and outside of a handful of places in the main village of Elat there are no guesthouses or restaurants. Expect intense curiosity from locals and take your best kamus (dictionary) as nobody speaks English.
1Sights & Activities
Easy ojek excursions from Elat include picturesque Yamtel village (4km east), Waur (4km south), or the charming west-coast villages of Ngurdu (3km), Soinrat (4km), Bombay (7km) and Watsin (8km), all with bay views, stone stairways and rocky terraces.
The east coast has attractive tidal rock pools but no beaches. Villages are comparatively isolated, steeped in superstitious traditions, and locals tend to speak the local Kei language rather than Bahasa Indonesia. Banda Ely is the extreme northeast in a settlement founded by Bandanese refugees from Dutch atrocities. Its predominantly Muslim people preserve their Bandanese culture.
There are lots of big fish to be seen diving off Kei Besar’s far southern tip but strong currents mean the area is for experienced divers only. Kei Pirate Divers on Kei Kecil can organise day trips.
Pantai DaftelBEACH
Southwest of Elat, a lane through palm fronds and bougainvillea leads 6km to Pantai Daftel, 1.8km of shallow and slender white-sand beach that stretches all the way to the village of Lerohoilim. An ojek from Elat to Pantai Daftel costs 20,000Rp.
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
PULAU TANIMBAR KEI
A series of outlying islands with lovely beaches and turquoise waters surrounds Kei Kecil, the most intriguing of which is Pulau Tanimbar Kei, southwest of Ohoidertutu. The island is famed for its traditional village, powdery sand and magnificent snorkelling. There’s no tourist infrastructure but the locals here are friendly and welcoming.
Upon arrival, visit the kepala desa (village head) to arrange a homestay. Expect to pay 200,000Rp or more for full board.
The only way to get to Tanimbar Kei is by chartering your own speedboat from Langgur or Debut (2,000,000Rp round trip, two hours), or with local villagers who come to Langgur to shop. Their powered canoes are the cheaper (50,000Rp, three hours) option. However, you may have to wait a few days for a ride back.
4Sleeping
Penginapan SanohiGUESTHOUSE$
(map; Elat; r 150,000Rp)
There’s one fan-only room with a shared bathroom at this no-sign place on the road from the jetty and just before the mosque in Elat. Look for the downstairs restaurant (which serves tasty chicken).
8Getting There & Away
A daily speedboat leaves Elat at 2pm for Waldek in Langgur (50,000Rp, 1¼ hours), returning to Elat at 9am. En route notice the bagang (fishing platforms) sitting above the sea like giant wooden spiders.
Ojeks meet the speedboat at Elat.