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