Introduction
Our 3 days in the Bandas were just a taste. To explore all the accessible islands in the small group properly would take more than a week, and it would be a great place to just relax and do nothing for a while too. It’s a very laid back place – quiet and friendly.
We spoke to the nephew of the owner of our guest house who was home for the holidays from university in Ambon. He was bored because there were no discos or nightclubs in the Bandas. May it always remain so.
Getting There and Away Flights:
Merpati attempts a round trip between Ambon and Banda Neira on Wednesdays and Saturdays. I say "attempts" because the flight has a reputation for being cancelled for various reasons. We were lucky – we flew in both directions with few problems. Apparently in the weeks before our trip, the plane had been out of commission due to mechanical problems for an extended period, then several flights were cancelled due to bad weather.
The cost from Ambon to Banda was 279,700, and the return flight was 285,000, (higher because of a special Dept. of Communications fee tacked on in Banda) (12/98).
Ambon to Banda
Ambon is full of travel agents which sell both flights and Pelni tickets. I’m not sure if you can buy tickets directly from Merpati there. We did go to the Merpati office to reconfirm our flights to Banda which was a wise thing to do.
A couple of notes:
- The Merpati office in Ambon closes at 5:00 PM, not 7:00 PM as stated in the Lonely Planet book.
- It closes earlier on Sundays and holidays.
- Merpati would not reconfirm our Ambon – Ternate – Manado flight, as this was a charter. We had to go back to the travel agent for reconfirmation. Note that there is a Rp 8,000 airport tax at Ambon.
We checked at a few travel agents. The first one we consulted was PT Willy Alif Utama which can be found in Ambon Plaza (access from the street). The guy there told us that we would have to take the boat because the Banda plane was "broken". Either he was lying, or wasn’t aware that the plane had been fixed and was flying again.
We ended up buying our airline tickets (both from Ambon to Banda, and from Ambon to Manado) from the following reliable agency:
- PT. Tujuh Jaya Ekapesona
- Tours & Travel Service
- Jl. Kopra SK. 6 No. 142 – 143
- Tel (0911) 55555 or 48777
- Fax (0911) 52690
- They also have an office at Jl. A.Y. Patty No. 83, Tel (0911) 55333 or 49444
The Wednesday flight to Banda is scheduled to leave at 7:00 AM. This means arranging special transportation (30-35,000 – see section on Ambon), and leaving your hotel about 5:00 AM to be there at 6:00. After the Mandala flight to Ujung Pandang left at 7:00 AM we were a bit worried since the airport was pretty well empty. We were, however, summoned onto the plane at took off at 7:10, the only passengers except for the steward and one other Merpati employee. The young steward seemed to be only responsible for the tiny staircase used to get on and off the plane. The rest of the time he slept.
The flight went to Banda via Amahai in Seram, where the Merpati employee got off, and about ten Indonesian passengers got on. We only spent about 20 minutes on the ground in Amahai, then took off for the 50 minute hop to Banda Neira, arriving shortly before 9:00 AM. Apparently, the flight from Amahai to Banda Neira is much cheaper than flying from Ambon, so if you’re on Seram you might want to check this out.
No problems with the plane, which was an 18-seat Indonesian-made CASA 212. Approaching (or taking off from) Banda, you can see all the islands in the group, weather permitting.
Banda to Ambon
In Banda you get your ticket from the Merpati office, which is officially open from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, but there will be nobody there until later in the morning on flight days (they’re at the airport). We dealt with a genial fellow by the name of "Max" (Moksen Achmad). We told him our names and he took 285,000 from each of us, and said he’d have the tickets for us before flight time on Saturday morning. When asked for a receipt he told us we didn’t need one. We were relieved that he in fact was there Saturday morning at 8:00 AM with our tickets and boarding passes.
It’s kind of exciting to hear the airport fire engine siren go off announcing the arrival of the little plane. At first you see it in the distance, then it disappears behind Gunung Papenbug, then reappears as it crosses the narrow channel between Banda Neira and Banda Besar. It turns over Banda Besar and comes in for an "uphill" landing.
That Saturday, the plane delivered a total of two passengers (Italians) to Banda, and carried a total of two passengers (Canadians) away. The return flight went direct to Ambon.
The lengthening of the Banda Neira runway (out into the ocean) has been completed, so the plane would be able to take of with a full complement of passengers if such an eventuality occurred (guidebooks had reported problems leaving in the days when 18 passengers could fly to Banda, but only 11 or 12 could fly out due to the short runway).
The Pelni boats Rinjani and Bukit Siguntang include Banda Neira on their routes, and can be used to get to/from Ambon. Have a look at Johan Rotsaert's Unofficial Pelni timetable site for schedules. In Ambon, a travel agent quoted prices between 32,500 for Ekonomi and 97,000 for 1st Class for the passage. It’s only a 7 hour trip, made during the day (in both directions) if everything’s on schedule, so there’s no need for 1st or 2nd class unless you want to get a good sleep and/or a better meal.
The LP and Footprint guides mention other boats, some more frequent, between Banda and Ambon or other islands, but I don’t have any information on these.
Arriving in Banda Neira:
Representatives from various hotels on the island wait patiently at the airport for the incoming flights, and will provide transportation if you choose their lodgings. If there’s nobody there from the hotel you want, it would only be a 10 to 20 minute walk into town.
Accomodation and Food:
Based on guidebook readings, we picked the "middle class" Delfika Guest House, and, just to be safe we phoned ahead from Ambon to make a reservation. It turned out this wasn’t really necessary, since we were the only guests at the hotel until the Rinjani arrived a couple of nights later. We were told there were only about a dozen foreigners on the islands at that time.
We found out after arriving that there are now two Delfika’s (same owner). We were at the original – the Delfika #1, which is on Jalan Gereja Tua (Old Church Street, named after the old church a block away), across the street from the museum, and a few doors down from Captain Cole’s residence. The newer Delfika #2 is right on the water near the municipal docks (south of the Pelni dock).
The large, spotlessly clean and well maintained fan-cooled rooms are arranged around a lovely courtyard. We paid 90,000 for a double, including three meals per day (and of course transportation to and from the airport).
The meals are quite good. Although our main course every evening was tuna, it was prepared in different ways, and was always accompanied by rice, a vegetable dish, and a soup. Other drinks and snacks can be ordered from a menu (not free). They request that alcoholic beverages not be consumed on the premises. They will provide a box lunch if you go on an excursion during the day.
We were offered a couple of different types of lobster one day, but thought the price was rather steep (about 40,000 each, prepared and cooked). These local crustaceans did not have large claws, which are considered the best part of our Atlantic lobsters.
Since we were satisfied with the meals at the Delfika, we did not eat at any other restaurant or hotel. Had we stayed longer, we probably would have done so for variety, and negotiated a reduction in our daily rate.
Almost surprisingly, the laundry service at the Delfika was the most efficient and best we experienced anywhere in Sulawesi or Maluku.
Banks:
There aren’t any on the Banda’s. Bring all the cash you need. Perhaps if you stay at one of the upscale hotels you could use a credit card, but I can’t guarantee this.
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