The Banda Islands - Maluku - Indonesia

**Backpacker** · 26-09-2011, 12:04

The Banda Islands (Indonesian: Kepulauan Banda) are a volcanic group of ten small volcanic islands in the Banda Sea, about 140 km south of Seram island and about 2000 km east of Java, and are part of the Indonesian province of Maluku. The main town and administrative centre is Bandanaira, located on the island of the same name. They rise out of 4–6 km deep ocean and have a total land area of approximately 180 km². They have a population of about 15,000. Until the mid 19th century the Banda Islands were the world's only source of the spices nutmeg and mace, produced from the nutmeg tree. The islands are also popular destinations for scuba diving and snorkeling.

Banda Ecoworld :

The Old Naira Town

Naira town is very different from it was in the old 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The offices of the controleur and the houses of the perkeniers are mostly in ruins today. These buildings have no longer the original huge paving slabs, polished marble, brightly glazed floor tiles, heavy beams, and large shuttered doors and windows. These marble tiles and other home and office furniture are brought from Holland and functioned as ballast on the ship sailing to Banda. These ships returned to Holland laden with spices (cloves, nutmeg, and mace) as trade commodities which also functioned as ballast. Once there was a proper gravel roadway shaded by trees which enriched the beauty of the town of Naira. The trees were cut down in the 1960s, leaving only the trees grew in the residential yards

The Perken

The Banda Archipelago was the original product center of the world-renowned spices, the nutmeg and mace. When the Dutch took it over by force from the Portuguese, they established their perken, the so-called nutmeg-plntations all over these islands. There are about 68 perkens on these islands: 3 are found on Naira Island, 34 on Lonthoir or Banda Besar, and 31 on Ay islet. Before, during and after the Banda massacre in 1621, the original inhabitants of the Banda Islands fled to Seram, Kei and other islands. The Dutch then brought in people from Java, South Sulawesi (Buton) and Central Maluku to work as farmers, picking and collecting, peeling and sorting, drying and loading the nutmeg and mace, under the supervisions of Dutch Perkeniers. Photo courtesy of Kai Muiier So the present day inhabitants of the Banda Islands are a mixture of Dutch, Javanese, Butonese and Central Malukan ancestry. There are still nutmeg trees of over two centuries old which are still producing. These nutmeg plantations on the Banda Islands are still to be seen, some are planted among the tall canary trees to shade and protect the nutmeg trees from the sunrays. Most of these nutmeg plantations are still productive and managed by P.T. Perkebunan Pala Banda. lonthoir Island or also known as Banda Besar, is the largest island in the Banda Islands (appr. 2.800 ha.). It looks like a great wall hiding and protecting the Naira and Gunung Api Islands from the south*eastern winds and waves. This island also has many attractions to offer to the visitor, among others:

Banda Island's Volcanoe

One can reach this islet only in 5 minutes by canoe, from Naira. The top of Banda's active volcano is appr. 600 meters above the sea level. Best for those, who like hiking. From the top, you'll have a very nice view of Naira and the surrounding islands. The last volcano eruption was on May 9, 1988. It forced the inhabitatnts of Naira and Lonthoir islands to evacuate. The ash covered the sky for about one week, and even the Ay Island was invisible.

Recreational & Leisure :

Ay Island

This is a tiny islet between the volcano and Run islets. You'll pass this islet if you travel to Run. Certain parts of the shoreline have beautiful white sandy beaches. Cup-shaped sponges, coral trees, ferns, etc are located off the drop*off. A nice spot for snorkeling and scuba diving.

Run Island

The underwater world of Run Islet is an ideal spot for snorkellers, professional as well as amateur divers or just hobbyists. A very exciting array of marine life on the ledge between the lagoon and the drop-off invites the divers to experience the natural underwater world of this spot. A lush carpet of living organisms not found anywhere else awaits the divers.
One may take a public boat from Ay. There is no public boat from Naira to Run, so one must hire a boat from Naira.

Nailaka Island

Nailaka is situated at the northern most tip of Run Islet. To get to this spot, you have to rent a boat from Naira. This Islet has a beautiful white sandy beach. This is the place in the Banda Islands for recreation, fin swimming, snorkeling and diving. The reef organisms cling to the steep wall and one can see the huge colourful gorgonia fans. An ideal spot for scenic divers and underwater photo*graphers.

Hatta Island

Hatta is situated just on the other side of Lonthoir Island. Lonthoir, Naira, and the Volcano islet are located between Ay and
Hatta islets. Around this islet there are living corals, and white sandy beaches.

Saaru (Hatta Islet)

Saaru is the Ambonese term for reef. This Saaru referred to the reef of Hatta Islet as one is heading south east from Banda Besar. There are various corals with exotic views of a steep underwater wall for scuba divers and snorkellers.

Source: disbudparmaluku.org