Maluku Travel Information - Activities

Maluku: Activities
Diving & Snorkelling

Maluku has some of Indonesia's richest coral reefs, though some spots have suffered from dynamite fishing.
While facilities for diving were initially limited to the Banda Islands and Ambon, in recent years new operations (often still in their infancy) have been opening up on Saparua, Lelei and even Halmahera, and those really determined might be able to dive with commercial divers on more remote islands, too.
Snorkellers who bring their own mask can find marvellus marine-life throughout Maluku.
Surfing

There is some very little-known surfing potential in the northernmost corner of Maluku, at North Halmahera and Morotai.
Very few surfers even know about this, let alone have found their way out there, and facilities are totally non-existing.
See my Morotai and Loloda pages for more info!
Hiking

The active volcanoes of North Maluku and the Bandas can all be climbed in a day.
Long-distance hiking through mountainous terrain is best in Seram, notably through the Manusela National Park, though Buru and - to a lesser extent - Halmahera are also good.
Many of the settlements on the smaller islands are only connected by footpaths, which make for good, shorter hikes.
Birdwatching

Maluku is a birdwatcher's dream, with some 80 endemic species. The highest number is found in Halmahera (24) and Seram (21), but Buru (10), the Sulas (8), the Tanimbars (8), the Keis (4), Wetar (3), Damer (1) and Obi (1) all have unique, endemic species, and trying to see all of them would in fact make for a very comprehensive, off the beaten track tour of Maluku!
Many of these endemics are actually beautiful parrots and cockatoos, and they even include 2 species of birds of paradise! The non-endemics are no less beautiful and prolific.
Only Halmahera was ever visited by birders with any regularity - Labi Labi used to be the very best spot there, but has now suffered from logging, and it is necessary to go deeper into the forest.
Alas, you may see many more captive parrots than wild ones..
Watching Wildlife

As in neighboring Papua, most native mammals found in Maluku are small and nocturnal.
Other than bats and rodents, they are mostly marsupials: cuscuses and sugar gliders.
Some of them are endemic to certain islands of Maluku though, which makes them interesting to serious wildlife enthusiasts.
The herpetofauna is more readily visible, and includes several species only described in recent years.