MALUKU – THE SPICE ISLANDS

Here comes the traveller’s favorite…

Also known as the Moluccas or Spice Islands, the remote Maluku Islands are a forgotten part of Indonesia. Were once considered the most legendary and desired piece of land in Asia for over four hundred years. The reason? Very simply put, it was the only place in the world where the most precious spices were cultivated and in the 15th-century, nutmeg and cloves couldn’t to be found anywhere else but here.

These famous “Spice Islands” were claimed by every colonial power emerging in Europe at the time and for centuries were the subject of conflict and epic sea battles between the English, Dutch and Portuguese. Finally, as a result of one of the treaties, ownership was settled with a swap for a small island in this Banda archipelago with another island in a completely and totally different part of the world. You all may know that island by its current name of… Manhattan!

Signs of the Spice Islands’ storied yet turbulent history are still easy to be seen. Old 16th-century forts and strongholds, dilapidated cannons blooming with rust in the bushes, 18th-century coins that are still used to barter with locals for packs of cigarettes, original colonial architecture, and fully functional nutmeg plantations are just a few examples. Swing by the local cemetery even and you’ll see gravestones with Dutch and British names harking back to the first settlers.

Maluku Islands are the perfect destination not only for history geeks but also world class diving, unspoiled jungles, pristine beaches, tribes of former head hunters, and endemic species of parrots and monkeys. Let’s be honest here – Maluku is one of our favorites in Indonesia!