8 Great Reasons to Visit the Forgotten Maluku Islands

Also known as the Moluccas or Spice Islands, the remote Maluku Islands are a forgotten part of Indonesia. The islands are blessed with peaceful swathes of white sand, picturesque villages and interesting history. This Indonesian hidden gem has Banda marine life with it is Maluku hotels that rivals world-famous Raja Ampat islands in Papua and yet few tourists go there.

The idyllic islands of Maluku once played an unlikely but hugely important role in global geopolitics and economics. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, Maluku was the world’s only source of nutmeg, cloves and mace, then vital and very valuable commodities. The search and subsequent fight for control of the Spice Islands (known then as the Moluccas) helped kick-start European colonialism and, thanks to a series of wrong turns and one auspicious land swap, shaped the modern world.

Once the islands’ spice monopoly was broken, Maluku returned to gentle obscurity. Today, the region is a little-visited tropical paradise that seems almost too good to be true. Inter-island transport can be a bit difficult to navigate but with flexibility and patience you can explore pristine reefs, stroll empty stretches of powdery white sand and climb perfectly formed volcanoes.