Loading ...Maluku Moluccas Indonesia Travel
Formerly known as ‘the Moluccas’, these petite little morsels of paradise are a dream-come-true for seekers of superb snorkelling and picture-perfect white-sand beaches. Protected from mass tourism by distance and a (now outdated) reputation for civil unrest, this is one corner of the world where dreamy desert islands remain remarkably hospitable and inexpensive. In Maluku everything still moves delightfully slowly, except perhaps the lilting sound of Poco Poco, the home-grown answer to line dancing. With rustic but acceptable facilities and not another tourist for miles, this is somewhere to wind down a few gears, to learn Bahasa Indonesia and to revel in a tropical discovery that seems almost too good to be true.
Makassar – the long-time gateway to Eastern Indo, and Sulawesi’s most important city – can be unnerving, so most travellers immediately head for Tana Toraja. But there’s poetry in this mad swirl. Chinese lanterns dangle and sway from makeshift power lines in the bustling seaside city centre that’s home to some of the best eating in Indonesia. The busy port is stacked and packed with Bugis schooners, and the neighbourhood surrounding it is accented by children playing football on dry docks, as huge trucks are loaded down with endless bananas and a windfall of rice.
Lovina manages to exude a sedate charm even as the number of hotels and other tourist places grows. Almost merging into Singaraja to the west, the town is really a string of coastal villages – Pemaron, Tukad Mungga, Anturan, Kalibukbuk, Kaliasem and Temukus – that have taken on this collective name.
Lombok is the most popular destination in Nusa Tenggara, with the fabled Gili Islands drawing visitors for action both in and out of the water, mighty Gunung Rinjani luring trekkers, and the big breaks on the south coast a magnet for surfers. Matram, Lombok’s capital, is a good spot for day trips to the surrounding areas, and nearby Senggigi is superbly positioned along a stretch or sweeping bays. In east Lombok, the very scenic Sumbawa offers low key tourism and some good surf breaks.
A busy little port of rusting tin-roofed houses at the eastern end of Flores, Larantuka nestles around the base of Gunung Ili Mandiri, separated by a narrow strait from Pulau Solor and Pulau Adonara. Most folk choose not to linger here and quickly depart for the Solor Archipelago or Kupang by boat.
A picturesque fishing community clinging to the western tip of Flores, Labuanbajo has an agreeably weathered, slightly ramshackle charm. It’s the main jumping-off point for Komodo and Rinca, and with dozens of world-class dive sites and fine snorkelling nearby there’s every reason to spend a few days here. The attractive harbour is scattered with outrigger fishing boats and is sheltered by the islands, giving the impression that you’re standing on the shores of a vast lake.
Lombok’s Kuta beach is a magnificent stretch of white sand and turquoise sea with rugged hills rising around it. Surfers are drawn here by the world-class waves, but the village has a languid charm of its own with some delightful hotels and a succession of dramatic bite-shaped bays nearby.
Kupang is all energy and commerce, a bustling city that’s the capital of East Nusa Tenggara province (NTT), which includes West Timor, Rote, Sabu, the Solor and Alor Archipelagos, Sumba, Flores and Komodo. The city centre is scruffy and noisy, with streets patrolled by squadrons of Indonesia’s most outrageous bemos, each kitted out with a bombastic sound system. Though Kupang is virtually bereft of cultural or architectural attractions, it’s not a threatening or intimidating place. It’s a reasonable base to linger for a few days if you’re waiting for a flight or boat – English naval officer Captain William Bligh did after being cast adrift by the mutinous crew of the Bounty in 1789.
Clinging to the volcanic cone of dramatic Gamalama, Kota Ternate offers some lovely glimpses of neighbouring islands but is mainly useful as a base for exploring North Maluku. There are a couple of partly restored forts and a palace to visit. For now most other architecture looks rather drab and haphazard, spiced painfully in some suburbs by occasional ruins of churches gutted in 1999. However a massive land-reclamation and building programme seems set to transform the city over coming years. Several fine new mosques are already under construction.
By the region’s dreamy tropical standards, Maluku’s capital is a dusty, throbbing metropolis. But compared to ‘real’ cities elsewhere, Kota Ambon retains a languid charm emphasised by a perfect arc of bay and its lushly mountainous backdrop. Sights are minimal and architecture wins no prizes but the scars of the 1999–2002 civil war are quickly healing and the town has regained its role as the regional transport hub.