The Ladder

The old, traditional village of Tanimbar Kei is built on a hill, protected by its steep rocky slopes, and traditionally only accessible by climbing wooden ladders. These days, much of the populkation lives in the modern village by the seaside below, and a concrete flight of stairs has been built from the western side. Still, the most interesting way of reaching the old village is by climbing up the original way.

The Gateway

At the top of the stairs, a finely carved wooden gateway welcomes you to the old village. It once had two carved wooden doors too, but one was stolen (and found its way to Ambon's Siwalima Museum) and the other was removed for safekeeping.

The Upper Village

The upper village only has a few houses left, most of them still in traditional style. Most of the inhabitants are elderly, and the houses tend to be in pretty poor condition. Don't come expecting architetural marvels as in Tanatoraja or Lake Toba, but be aware that what you see is already a very rare thing in Maluku!

Carvings

Several of the old houses are decorated with interesting traditional carvings on their doors or on the lower part of the walls. Most of these are geometric or floral designs, but some depict clan sybols.

The Lighthouse

For a more modern attraction, hike across to the south coast of the island, where you will find a lighthouse. It is a well-built metal structure so it is both safe and worthwhile climbing up to the top for some great views.

Beaches

Though Tanimbar Kei seems to be surrounded by great white sand beaches when seen from the air (eg flying from Saumlaki to Langgur), they tend to be less impressive once on the ground. While there are several longer beaches around the island, the finest one I found was the short stretch of sand a short distance west of the lighthouse.

Chasms

Walking trails along the island's southern coast are sometimes interrupted by impressively long and deep chasms runningway inland from the sea. Enjoy the view, and then walk around them inland!

Sorgum Fields

Tanimbar Kei's traditional staple food is not cassave as in thye rest of the Keis, but sorgum. This is still planted in a highly ritualized matter, with elaborate ceremonies. The harvested seeds can not be sold, just given away to outsiders!

By Sea

Village boats travel between Tanimbar Kei and Kei Kecil's Debut village a few times every week unless the sea is too rough. They do not travel every day, and there is no real schedule, so you will just have to head for Debut and ask. They usually head back to Tanimbar Kei sometime after noon.

Walking

Walking trails cross the island in all directions, though they can be indistinct and hard to follow on your own.