Pulau Ambon
Waai is famous for its 'lucky' belut (moray eels). For 10,000Rp, a 'guide' tempts the eels from dark recesses in a concrete-sided pond by feeding them raw…
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Pulau Ambon
Maluku’s most prominent and populous island is lush and gently mountainous, indented with two great hoops of bay. Around the busy capital Kota Ambon, villages merge into a long, green, suburban ribbon. West of the airport, this gives way to a string of charming coastal villages where, if you take the time to explore, you'll discover Ambon is not just an unavoidable step on the road to the lovely Lease, Banda and Kei Islands. The bay is known for excellent muck-diving, while the southern coast has clear waters and intact coral.
Attractions
Must-see attractions
Pulau Ambon
Kaitetu’s pretty little wood and thatch-roofed Mesjid Wapaue was originally built in 1414 on nearby Gunung Wawane. The mosque was supposedly transferred…
Pulau Ambon
This modest museum is ten minutes south of Kota Ambon, set in sloping landscaped gardens adorned with Japanese and Dutch cannons and a scowling statue of…
Pulau Ambon
In Hila, the 1649 Benteng Amsterdam is an impressive, old, walled fort. Though the walls are obviously rebuilt with concrete, the inner tower, with its…
Pulau Ambon
Known to locals as the Australian Cemetery, this neatly manicured cemetery was designed by a British landscape architect in honour of Allied servicemen…
Pulau Ambon
Undramatic Benteng Victoria (out of bounds due to army use) is a Dutch-era fortress. The site of Indonesian national hero Pattimura's hanging, it’s…
Pulau Ambon
The town’s biggest mosque, Masjid Raya al-Fatah is a modern concrete affair, its gold-and-brown onion dome visible across much of central Ambon. Non…
Pulau Ambon
Named for the Basque missionary who visited Maluku in the 16th century, Francis Xavier Cathedral has a facade crusted with statues of saints and…