Introduction
Chances are that someone at your hotel will try to arrange various excursions for you.
It doesn’t hurt to shop around, and of course taking a public boat will cost a small fraction compared to chartering one. Due to the lack of other travellers to share with, when we were there, some possible charters were quite expensive.
Around Pulau Neira:
Consult the guidebooks – there’s lots to see, and the island is compact enough to walk everywhere quite easily. You could rent a bicycle if you wanted if you wanted to speed up a trip to the north end of the island. Delfika had mountain bikes for rent – the asking price was 25,000 for a half day. Had we wanted them I would have done some serious bargaining – it wasn’t like there was a supply/demand problem.
The large restored fort "Benteng Belgica" is worth exploring – entry costs about 5,000. Lower down you can wander into Benteng Nassau for free. The entrance gate and dated wall are about the only thing interesting here.
I especially liked wandering around the somewhat decrepit Christian Cemetery (inhabitants include Dutch, local Christians, and at least one Frenchwoman). This place is full of atmosphere and history. Some of the folks here were born in the 18th century, and some are recent.
Just west of the Christian Cemetery is a new white mosque, and just beyond it (to the right) is the Chinese cemetery, also worth a brief look.
If you’re there when a Pelni boat docks, it’s a bit of an exciting event. The merchants line the streets in preparation for the docking, and half the town comes down to watch. Of course if this is how you arrive in the Bandas, you’ll be part of the scene by default.
The museum across the street from the Delfika seemed to be perpetually closed. We were told one day that it would open at 5:00 PM, but it didn’t. We didn’t try too hard though – I suppose we could have tried to knock on the door (it’s easy to be lazy and mellow in the Bandas).
Excursions:
Snorkeling and Diving:
We’re not divers. Consult the guidebooks for the scoop on diving, including the stranglehold Des Alwi has on that activity in the Bandas.
There are some excellent snorkelling sites near the lava flows off Gunung Api (excellent young coral gardens, also abundant colourful sponges and fish), and also off Pulau Karaka. A large motorized boat chartered for about 80,000 the half day. It’s close enough to Banda Neira that you could paddle over in an outrigger canoe in about an hour for much less money. The Delfika rented masks/snorkels for 10,000, as well as fins for 10,000 the pair.
Gunung Api: Count on 20 – 30,000 for a guide, including the canoe ride to and from Banda Neira. A guide isn’t really necessary since once you land on the dock on the east side of Gunung Api, there’s only one way up and it’s pretty obvious. If you’re alone and safety conscious, you may wish to take a guide since the trail is quite treacherous.
I would not really recommend this climb unless you’re at least somewhat athletic. I’m an experienced mountain hiker, and found the route short, but steep and fairly difficult. Don’t underestimate the amount of water you need. I would say at least two litres per person, and three would be better. We started climbing at 6:15 AM, and the sun was already up and shining strongly. The night before it had rained heavily so we got quite wet from the bushes lining the path.
The path pretty well goes straight up. There are wooden stairs for the 1st half, but these deteriorate and much of the way is loose rocky volcanic rubble which slides around under foot. Our guide brought along a pair of shoes, which he didn’t attempt to put on until we got to a covered shelter about ¼ the way up. They didn’t fit his feet and he gave up. It was amazing to see him climb those rocks in bare feet.
The summit was reached after 80 very sweaty minutes. Spectacular views – especially down into the caldera (not recommended if you’re afraid of heights), down over Pulau Neira and Banda Besar, and out to Ai and Run. Coming down was not much easier than going up, due to the difficult terrain and steepness. Be very careful – you wouldn’t want to injure yourself on this trail.
Banda Besar: Although we could have gotten over to Banda Besar very cheaply on a public boat, for convenience, we paid 20,000 for a charter to take us over to the Lonthoir dock, and pick us up from Mr. Van den Broeke’s. The friendly boatman was from Lonthoir, and guided us through the town and up to Benteng Hollandia. This fort is nothing spectacular, but the village is beautiful and friendly, and there are good views from up by the fort back over to Pulau Neira and Gunung Api. Apparently there’s an entrance fee to the fort, but nobody was around to collect it when we were there.
We said goodbye to our boatman at the fort, and walked east along the north coast along the beach where we saw traditional boat building) and through the peaceful florid villages, of Bioyouw, Waling Kecil, and Waling Besar, where you’ll find the Van den Broeke residence. We bypassed the residence and continued past the village to the nutmeg plantation. After taking a quick look at a Japanese / Indonesian run mother of pearl "farm", we did a little hiking through the plantation. The local workers offered to guide us but we declined. We then returned to Waling Besar to visit the Van den Broeke residence.
If you want to visit Mr. Van den Broeke, his house is along the main (read only) road, surrounded by a corrugated iron fence, opposite a small graveyard (containing his relatives, plus one other family). Go around the fence on the west side, towards the beach, to access the house. We were met by barking dogs (which probably woke Mr. VdB from his afternoon siesta), and a delightful old Javanese woman, who everybody told us was his wife (and he did tell us himself that his wife was Javanese), but she told us she was "never married". Mr. VdB is a rather eccentric individual, proud of his heritage. Apparently the original Van den Broeke was an admiral who came to the Bandas from Antwerp in 1600. After quaffing a few fruit drinks with the chain smoking Van den Broeke, he showed us a bit of his ancestral home, then the mysterious Javanese woman showed us around the grounds, including the nutmeg drying "kitchen".
To get on our boat when it arrived to pick us up, we had to wade out about 50 metres from the shore, but the water was very shallow.
The guidebooks state that there are no motorized vehicles on Banda Besar, but we did see two trucks during our six hour stay.
Other Islands: We had planned on visiting Pulau Ai, but laziness got the better of us. It sounds like a great place to relax for a week or two. There is a public boat, or charters run close to 200,000. Sometimes the seas are too rough to cross. There are no public boats to Pulau Run, but boats can be chartered. |
