Must-see attractions in Maluku

  • Benteng Belgica

    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…

  • Pantai Ngurtavur

    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 –…

  • Gunung Api

    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…

  • Benteng Hollandia

    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…

  • Manusela National Park

    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…

  • Benteng Duurstede

    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…

  • Pantai Ohoidertutu

    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…

  • Pulau Neilaka

    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…

  • Goa Hawang Caves

    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…

  • Benteng Nassau

    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…

  • Rumah Budaya

    Banda Islands

    Bandaneira’s little museum displays colonial artefacts including coins, silverware, crockery, pipes, swords and flintlock pistols and muskets. There's…

  • Hatta’s House

    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…

  • Istana Mini

    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…

  • Schelling House

    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…

  • Sun Tien Kong Chinese Temple

    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…

  • English Fort

    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…

  • Benteng Revenge

    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…

  • Mesjid Hatta-Syahrir

    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…

  • Pantai Daftel

    Maluku

    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…

  • Dutch Church

    Banda Islands

    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…

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