The island of Labobar, just off the coast of northwestern Yamdena, is noted for being home to the highest mountain in the Tanimbar Islands. It is physically quite different from the rest of the archipelago, more remiscent of islands off southern Thailand or Peninsular Malaysia. It is also different culturally from the rest of Tanimbar, being home to a single Muslim village. The main attraction here is probably climbing the mountain, but the beautiful nature makes a visit memorable even if you fail to do so.

Labobar Village

The single village on the island is a rather scruffy place by Tanimbarese standards. The locals are friendly enough and you will most probably have to stay here though.

Beaches

Labobar is home to some of the most scenic beaches in the Tanimbars, especially at the foot of the mountain where they back on green limestone hills. Note that the better beaches are quite far from the village - a long walk, or  boatride is required to reach them.

Pulau Nustual

This beautiful little island just off the southeastern corner of Labobar is home to a single family who live a Robinson Crusoe existance here. Snorkeling possibilities around the island could be worth checking out.

Pulau Unggar

A bit further away from Labobar, between it and Yamdena, the beautiful, long beach on Pulau Unggar is also well worth a daytrip. It has little to offer for snorkelers (right off the beach anyway) but the beach is stunning. There are no villages here either, just a pearl farm on the other side of the island.

Climbing Gunung Labobar

Gunung Labobar is a somewhat hard, but very rewarding climb, rather different from the usual volcano hikes elsewhere in Maluku. Be prepared that it will take longer than you'd estimate just by looking at the mountain, and unless you hire a boat to a trailhead, it will take you over an hour or so just to walk there. The walk to the start of the easiest trail, up the mountains western slope, takes you past the large, scenic bay shown on this picture. Unless you are an experienced hiker with good route-finding abilities, hire a guide in the village as the trail is anything but clear!

The Trail

From the western side, you basically just keep climbing uphill along what is the closest thing to a ridge, until you come to a small plateau before the final ascent. This plateau has a cave and several viewpoints back towards the village. From here, the climb becomes a real scramble uphill along and skirting sharp limestone rocks - bring sturdy footwear. Note that when you are descending from here, there is an alternative trail taking you straight down the northern slopes, which takes you through a gorgeous canyon (see the photo) but ends up with some truly dicey descents on nearly vertical cliffs. Better to stick to the more gentle western slope!

The Top

When and if you do reach the top, you will actually find two peaks up there. The second one is the real thing, the highest peak of the mountain. It had been cleared shortly before my visit for a Japanese expedition, that involved camping up there for weeks with a radio. This has left behind a clear ground should you wish to camp out yourself, but unfortunately a lot of rubbish, too.

The Views

The views from both peaks are stunning. From the first one, you can look east towards Yamdena and Unggar, from the second one west and south towards Seira. Both peaks offer great views back towards the village to the north.

Wildlife watching

As the people here are all Muslims, they are not interested in hunting like the carnivorous Christian inhabitants of the rest of Tanimbar. As such, the island is something of a wildlife haven. Monitor lizards are regularly seen along the coast, while on the mountain itself there is plenty of evidence of wild pigs.

Birdwatching

Though parrots are scarce for some reason, plenty of other birds can still be seen on Labobar. Along the beaches, watch for the Beach Thick-Knee which I found unusually approachable here, as well as for herons. I even saw a pelican swimming by! When climbing the mountain, you may also pass megapode nesting grounds, though as usual, those shy birds themselves are hard to spot.

The People of Labobar

The Muslim inhabitants of Labobar are of mixed origin. Puzzlingly, many of them are descendants from Tobelorese and Tidorese migrants from distant North Maluku! After living among and intermarrying with the Fordatan people of the other islands in North Tanimbar for generations, they also speak the Fordatan language though. I found them quite a friendly lot.

The only way to reach Labobar is by the village boats that run between it and Larat a few times every week.

Once there, the island has no roads just walking tracks, and boats are also a major way of getting around.