Maluku, The Hidden Pearl of Indonesia Tourism

Overview

Maluku (known in English as the Moluccas), an archipelago in the eastern part of Indonesia, is nowadays an increasingly favorited spot in Indonesia tourism. It is also known as "the Spice Islands", where cloves and nutmeg, spices highly valued for their aroma and preservative ability, naturally grow. It is located geographically between Sulawesi Island to the west, the Philippines to the north, New Guinea (or Papua) Island to the east, and Australia and Timor Leste to the south; and astronomically between 2d30'N - 8d30'S and 124dE - 135d30'E. The Maluku Islands have a total area of 850,000  km², 90% of which is sea. There are an estimated 1027 islands.

Maluku's climate is tropical. In other parts of Indonesia it is typically quite humid and warm, with the sunny weather often being a little oppressive and sticky; however, the weather in Maluku is really quite different, since its seasonal trends don't follow the norm. Central and southern Maluku Islands experience the dry monsoon between October to March and the wet monsoon from May to August, which is the reverse of the rest of Indonesia.

Islands of Maluku archipelago are mostly surrounded by coral reefs and deep waters. Compared with the western provinces of Indonesia, Maluku is sparsely populated, and many of the smaller islands are uninhabited. The majority of the islands are forested and mountainous, with rainforests covering most of northern and central parts of the region. They comprise some of the most geologically complex and active regions in the world, resulting from its position at the meeting point of four geological plates and two continental blocks.

Brief history

Maluku had for centuries been well-known among foreign spice traders. Chinese annals of the Tang dynasty from around the middle of the 7th century A.D make mention of a land named Mi-li-ku, and the 14th century Javanese manuscript Nagarakertagama mentions the name Maloko. Maluku was part of the Javanese Majapahit empire and Sriwijaya empire up to the introduction of Islam in the 15th century.

Early 16th century saw the first European presence, the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch in 1599. Monopoly of spice trade enforced by these Western colonial settlers upon local inhabitants and their attempts to establish their power and influence, e.g. by the so called Hongi expeditions launched by the Dutch to maintain their trade monopoly and power,  resulted in the entire villages being razed to the ground and death of thousands of islanders

Fort Duurstede captured by Pattimura and his troops

The British occupied Maluku for a brief period during the Napoleonic war between England and France, and in 1814 the Dutch came back to grab the power in the region. However, this time it was met with strong resistance. One of the most famous rebellion was led by Thomas Matulessy a.k.a. Kapitan ("captain") Pattimura, in 1817, resulted in temporary victory with the capture of Fort ("fortress") Duurstede in Saparua. Unfortunately, much more sophisticated weaponry of the Dutch eventually outgunned that of the Moluccans, and the rebellion was finally defeated.

Dutch colonial government in Maluku lasted for approximately 2 centuries since then, until the Pacific War broke in December 7, 1941 as part of World War II that represents the new era in the history in the colonial domination in Indonesia. In Maluku islands, the Japanese troops entered through Morotai in the North and Misool Island in the east, and so began their short period of occupation all over the region. Two days after the proclamation of Indonesian independence in 1945, Maluku was declared one of the provinces of Indonesia.
 

Tourist Destinations in Maluku

You may begin your Moluccan travelling experiences in Ambon city, which is the capital of this vast archipelago province. Historically, it began with the foundation of Nossa Seinhora da Annunciada fort by the Portuguese settlers around late 1500s and early 1600s, before taken over by the Dutch in 1602, later renamed Kasteel ("castle") Nieuw Victoria; feeling save to live and work in and around the fort, local people began to settle near the fort and so the city began to grow until the present day Ambon city.

Nieuw Victoria fort in Ambon

Right in front of the Nieuw Victoria fort stands the Pattimura Memorial, at the very spot where Thomas Matulessy (or Kapitan Pattimura), one of the 19th-century popular uprising's leaders against the Dutch colonial force, was executed on the gallows by the Dutch authorities.

Another site related to Maluku's historical figures is the Martha Christina Tiahahu Memorial on the hillside at Karang Panjang, named after a heroine who also fought the colonial Dutch in 1817 and died at the age of only 18 on her way to exile on board of a Dutch warship and buried at sea.

If you're interested to learn more of Moluccan culture and natural history, Siwalima Museum can be an excellent choice to visit next. Located around 3 km from the city center, you can find Maluku's heritage preserved and portrayed in this museum, with collections of ethnographic, historic, cultural and other scientific interests. You can even have the opportunity of watching local music, performances and hand woven cloth demonstrations on special requests.

For those who enjoy sunny tropical beaches with fresh seawaters, you can find such beaches with coral reefs around Hunimoa, Latuhalat, Pintu Kota (literally, "door of the city") and Namalatu beaches in Ambon Island.

Outside Ambon Island, there are interesting historical sites such as Fort Duurstede at Saparua Island where local fighters led by Pattimura defeated the Dutch military force defending the fortress in 1817.

Manusela National Park in Seram Island is another favorite tourist spot especially for eco-tourism lovers. 

The Salmon-crested cockatoo

 It covers a huge chunk of Central Seram's interior and reaches down to the north coast west of Sawai and east of Wahai. The park offers great scenery and good (but tough) hiking, though wildlife, even birds, can be hard to spot.
It is a natural home to various species of vegetation and fauna, including 118 species of birds, 15 of which are endemic (native or restricted to a certain country or area). The Salmon-crested cockatoo shown in the picture is one example of them.  It also harbors 38 ma
mmal species and includes nine species that are endemic or near endemic.

Ngurbloat Beach

Far to the southeast, Ngurbloat Beach is one of the world's rare natural feature. With its coastline extending as far as 5 km and covered by extremely soft, white sand, this beach is hard to miss. White sand on the beach is so soft, that even National Geographic classified it as the finest sand beaches in Asia. Indeed there are many beach activities you can do here: swimming, snorkeling, sunbathing, playing volley or soccer or just relaxing and watching the beautiful sunset.

There are still so many, many other magnificent tourist destinations across Maluku, and I have just mentioned a few above. But one thing I can assure you of: an unforgettable traveling experience is always awaiting you here - in Spice Islands! ^_^