Here’s the second part of Thrifty Traveller’s first-hand “imagined holiday” to Banda Neira, part of a trio of islands in the Maluku province of Indonesia.
Armed with his trusty internet connection and research prowess, he embarked on a three-day “visit” to this exotic location that was once renowned for – and is still redolent with – its nutmeg trade.
Read part one here.
Day 2
- Gunung Api
Early the next day, I arranged through my hotel for a boatman to ferry me over the short stretch of water from the Banda Neira market jetty to the trailhead of Gunung Api, the perfect cone-shaped volcano.
Some 640m high and still active with its last major eruption being in 1988, the volcano spewed a river of lava into the sea, though luckily not in the direction of Banda Neira town.
On this day there was just a wisp of smoke rising from the summit, merging with low clouds.
The hike started with a sweaty but pleasant climb through spice gardens, bamboo glades and jungle before emerging onto a steep, bare slope covered in loose volcanic scree. This part was exhausting, though from around 500m above sea level the path became firmer underfoot.
With no shade, I was glad of my long sleeves, hat, sunblock, and plenty of water.
The view from the crater rim was great, especially looking back over Banda Neira. I could see the airport where the runway looked worryingly short from this height.
I descended without incident and managed to find a boatman to take me back to the hotel. The whole hike took me about four hours up and down. Younger, fitter people could probably do it in three.
- Banda Besar
Since I still had half a day ahead of me, I asked the boatman to drop me off at the third of the Banda islands, Banda Besar. As the name suggests it is the largest of the three, though thinly populated and mostly covered in jungle.
Above the village of Lonthoir, reachable via a 313-step staircase, is Kelly Plantation, where I could see nutmeg trees up close.
In the early 1600s nutmeg was more valuable than gold. A small sackful could fetch enough money in London to last a lifetime.
Why was it so valuable? During the Black Death, it was believed to be able to ward off bubonic plague, perhaps because fleas dislike the smell of nutmeg. (Would it work on Covid-19? Probably not.)
Being an efficient preservative, it also allowed meat to be kept for longer periods without going off.
The Dutch tried every trick in the book to hang on to their nutmeg monopoly, even going so far as to produce deliberately misleading maps to hide the islands’ location.
But eventually, nutmeg plants were smuggled out and successfully transplanted elsewhere. One man who is often credited with doing this was Pierre Poivre, an 18th-century French missionary, trader and adventurer who went on to become governor of Mauritius, where he established botanical gardens for propagating his smuggled nutmeg, cloves, and other spices.
This man, whose name literally translates to “Peter Pepper”, is often thought to be the inspiration behind the tongue-twister “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers”.
- Benteng Hollandia
Close to Kelly Plantation is another old Dutch fort, Benteng Hollandia, which was built in 1624 to guard against approaches by sea, and to monitor the activities of the nutmeg and mace trade in the area.
The fort was devastated by an earthquake in 1743, and was later repaired but neglected again from 1811 onwards.
Today it is in ruins. Its hilltop position means it has excellent views of Gunung Api.
Day 3
- Snorkelling
The manager at my hotel recommended the best spots for snorkelling in the sparkling-clear waters around Banda. When Gunung Api erupted in 1988, lava killed off the coral in this area, but it has since recovered and regenerated into a location that is rich in diverse marine life.
I spent a pleasant day relaxing on the beach and snorkelling above the coral, relishing the breathtaking underwater-scape.
Thus ended my online holiday. Having spent considerable time researching this location, I think I now know the Banda islands quite well… it sure has saved me a lot of money!
This article first appeared in Thrifty Traveller.
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