Saparua

Saparua is one of the Lease Islands in the Maluku archipelago in Indonesia. Saparua is a popular getaway from nearby Ambon. pleasant beaches, coral reefs and historic Dutch fort all the time. This island -the largest of the Lease Islands- is restoring its former tourist facilities and is being rediscovered as a fun destination in this part of Indonesia.

Understand

View of Saparua from the Dutch Fort

Political unrest caused a dramatic drop in tourism in all of the Maluku islands, but before that, visitors found their way to Saparua

This is a mostly Christian island with some 17 villages and about 32.000 inhabitants, making it the most populous of the Lease Islands. The most notable towns include Haria and Saparua city.

Get in

The typical way in is (unsurprisingly) by boat. Starting in the early morning, several speed boats normally leave from Port of Tulehu on the east side of the Leihitu peninsula of Ambon. They usually arrive at the village of Haria on Saparua. Around noon there's a daily connection by wooden boat, stopping in Haria as well. This is also your only rather secure option when getting out, but to go back you'll need to catch the wooden boat as early as 06:30 in Haria. There are no guarantees for speed boat connections and you may have to wait for a while or pay up and charter one if you're in a hurry.

From Tulehu, a slow car-passenger ferry heads to the port close to Kulur, which is in the northwest of Saparua and most useful if you want to get to the beach there. The villages of Itawaka and Mahu also have irregular speedboat connections to Tulehu.

Get around

There are fairly good roads on the island, and share taxis and motorcycle taxis are a good way to get around.

See

Fort Duurstede

• 1 Fort Duurstede (Benteng Duurstede). This historic Dutch fort was established by the Dutch East Indies Company in 1691. In 1817 the fort was conquered by local leader Thomas Matulessi, or famously known as Pattimura, who had all the soldiers as well as the official Dutch Resident and his family killed. The fort has been restored and is open to visitors. Free. (updated Oct 2022)
• Ouw. Several of the villages are nice enough to visit, but Ouw is one of the most interesting ones. It's the best place to see pottery makers at work and it has a small, half overgrown fort of its own. Quite unlike Fort Duurstede, the fort here has not been restored at all and some locals live within its walls, but it has a nice forgotten glory vibe over it. 
• 2 Nolloth (Nolot). This village on the north-eastern corner of the island has a pretty church, dating back to colonial times. The sago-thatch roof has unfortunately been replaced by tin, but it's still a friendly and peaceful place. 
• 3 Baileu Saparua. A traditional house of Saparua.This house is thought to have been built by four original clans who simultaneously migrated to the Saparua area from a place called Souhuku on Seram Island around 1514 as a sign of their attachment consisting of the Titaley, Anakotta, Ririnama, and Simatauw clans. (updated Oct 2022)

Do

A white sand beach in Molana Island

There are some good beaches in Saparua. If you're up for a day of swimming and sunbathing and you don't mind going through some trouble to get there, try the sandy beaches near Kulur or Laino Beach (beyond Haria). The village of Paperu has a dive resort, but there are diving opportunities elsewhere as well.

If you have an extra day or so, head to the tiny and almost deserted island of Pulau Molana (Molana Island), just off the coast of Saparua. Apart from some newly established bungalows, there's almost no one here and the island has some fabulous beaches.

Buy

Pottery is the main handicraft here, with the village of Ouw as the main centre.

Eat

• 1 Rumah Makan Dulang Raja, Jl. Benteng Duurstede Tengah, ☏ +62 812 475 04947. 09:00-22:00. Indonesian food and seafood. It also serves fruit juices. (updated Oct 2022)
• 2 RM. Raja Rasa, Jl. Terminal Saparua, Tiouw, ☏ +62 821 994 31099. 10:00-24:00. Indonesian food, chicken, and fish. From Rp12,000. (updated Oct 2022)

Drink

• 1 Cafe Honimua, Siri Sori. Cafe on a beach. It serves coffee. (updated Oct 2022)

Sleep

• Penginapan Lease Indah, In the centre of Kota Saparua. Not located on the best beach, this place is not ideal if you want to go swimming or sunbathing, but in terms of views it's a nice location. It has different types of rooms. 
• 1 Penginapan Perdana (Hotel Perdana). Rp100,000-200,000. (updated Oct 2022)
• 2 Mahu Lodge, Ihamahu, Saparua Timur. Gardens and a pool also there is a dive operator. Rp600,000. (updated Oct 2022)
• 3 Putih Lessi Indah, Kulur. Bungalows on a beach. (updated Oct 2022)

Connect

The dialing code for Saparua is 0931.

Go next

Much smaller but pretty and intimate is the nearby island of Nusalaut, also visit an island west of Saparua, Haruku.