Roma Islands in South West Maluku Regency

The beautiful Roma archipelago in South West Maluku Regency is a potential tourist destination in Indonesia. On Nelles Tourist Map of Papua and Maluku, the archipelago is called Romang Islands located in the west of Wetar island and in the north of the adjacent Kisar island and Timor island. The islanders prefer to use the word Roma than Romang for the archipelago. Roma archipelago can be reached by airplane from Bali to Kupang and then to Kisar. After that visitors need to use speed boat from Kisar to Jerusu village. It takes around 3 hours to go by the speed boat. The seascape of Roma islands is fantastic. Travelers can see small tropical islands surrounded by white sandy beaches. As there are not hotels in the main island of Roma, visitors can stay at the houses of the local people. Another route that can be used to travel to Roma islands is from Ambon city. Here budget travelers can go by Perintis Boat operated by PELNI liner. If travelers want to reach the the archipelago in faster way, they can go by Merpati airline to Kisar and then by boat to Jerusu village.

Nus Eden (Sand Island) - Photo by Chey Sahureka

Tropical rainforest of Romang  island a great place for birding and trekking

The 7 islets around the main island of Roma are empty. These islets are Nusmeten, Nusyata, Maupuora, Musang, Pasir, Nyamuk (Mosquito), Timbul. No body lives there. Here, travelers can build camps to stay for a few days. Renting the boats from local fishermen, visitors can enjoy snorkeling, birdwatching and sight seeing around this tropical islands.

Jerusu Village in the main island of Roma archipelago
Photo by Chey Sahureka

Romang Islands in the west of Wetar and north of Kisar
in Nelles Tourist Map

Most of the islanders work as fishermen and farmers. They live in 7 villages: Jerusu (the main village), Kour, Atuna, Akwalu, Rumkuda, Hwai and Dalka. There are around 1,000 inhabitants in Roma archipelago. The main agricultural/ plantation commodities of Roma islands are corn, clove, copra, and nutmeg. For fishermen, their fish catch is sold to their own villagers and the market in the Kisar island. Sea shells are sold to Chinese merchants in the Roma island who will export them to Surabaya city. The beautiful tropical islands of Roma is a perfect place for nature lovers. Here coral reef with thousands of ornamental fish can be explored under the magical turquoise water. 

Mace an important export commodity of the islanders of Roma

White sandy beach in the tropical archipelago of Roma

If you are interested in visiting the Romang archipelago, please, make sure that you have a valid visa for traveling in Indonesia. Bring extra batteries for your cameras, and if possible water casing for your camera. The water casing is needed when you go snorkeling and taking underwater pictures of the fish, sea star, coral reef and a lot of colorful marine creatures. If you still need more information about Roma islands, please, contact Richard by phone: +6282260019911 or by email to charlesroring@gmail.com

Long Beach of Maluku

Long beach (also called Ngurbloat beach) in the Ngilngof village is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Unfortunately it is relatively unknown among the holiday makers due to the lack of promotion. I have a friend who is from Ngilngof village. His name is Rudi Fofid. He works as a journalist and is now trying to promote this beautiful beach by sharing his photos in facebook. I try to help him by writing this short post on this blog. Whether you like sunbathing, swimming, snorkeling, or fishing, this Ngurbloat beach of Kei Kecil island is a recommended destination for you.

Aerial view of Pasir Panjang Beach in Kei Kecil island of Maluku

(Source: http://gayahidup.inilah.com/read/detail/1346102/indahnya-hamparan-pasir-putih-di-pantai-ngurbloat/)

If you are a birder, you can bring your binoculars and telephoto D-SLR camera to watch various species coastal birds such as kingfishers both in Kei Kecil and Kei Besar islands. Also, bring your own mask if you want to enjoy snorkeling over the pristine coral reef of Kei islands. Avoid walking on the corals. Coral reef is the tropical rainforest of the sea. It absorbs CO2 gases and release Oxygen during photosynthesis. So, it is important for all of us to protect this precious underwater environment.

It's not difficult to reach Kei Kecil island where the Long Beach or Ngurbloat beach is. Just fly from Jakarta to Ambon city - the capital of Maluku province. After that, you can continue your trip to Tual town by airplane or passenger ship. Then you can continue your trip to the Ngurbloat beach by public transportation or a rented car. Need a guide? Contact my friend Rudi Fofid by email: rudifofid@gmail.com. Rudi speaks English and can guide you on an adventure trip throughout the Mollucan islands.

Traveling in Maluku

Also read:

• What is Raja Ampat
• Raja Ampat Archipelago Region
• Raja Ampat Birds
• Snorkeling in Raja Ampat Birding in Sorong

Maluku, also called the spice archipelago, is nice tourist destination in Indonesia. Today the region consists of two provinces, i.e. the North Maluku with Sofifi as its capital and the (South) Maluku with Ambon as its capital. It is not difficult to reach Ambon. There are regular flights from Jakarta, Surabaya, Makassar, and Manado to Ambon served by Lion Air, Sriwijaya, Batavia Air, Express Air, and Garuda. Maluku with hundreds of small islands are surrounded with pristine coral reef. Several passenger ships operated by PELNI lines make Ambon as their port of call. Some liveaboard operators in Sorong and Bali provide diving trips to Maluku. A famous destination is Kei regency whose Pantai Pasir Panjang beach at Ngilngof village is perhaps the finest beach in the world.
During the spice trade between 1500s and 1800s, many European explorers came to Maluku to buy clove, nutmeg, cajuput oil, and enjoy sailing through the crystal blue water to the coral islands whose underwater world is one of the finest marine ecosystems in the world. Scientists like George Everard Rumphius, Alfred Russel Wallace also visited Maluku to carry out research on the flora and fauna of the tropical islands.

The view of Leitimor peninsula in Ambon island

In my recent trip to Maluku, I took a Perintis boat called Sabuk Nusantara 32, from Sorong city in West Papua to Harapan Jaya village in Misool islands of Raja Ampat. In the afternoon the passenger boat that was carrying around two hundred passengers arrived in Bula - the capital of East Seram regency. Then I continued my trip to Ambon by trans-Seram bus. We passed through the Manusela National Park which is a nice hiking, birding site. In general, the road condition, from Bula to Waipirit harbor, was good. Its an ideal route for cyclists and mountain bikers who want to see or explore the nature of Seram and the unique culture of the Moluccan by cycling.
Alex, an American who has been traveling for more than 1 year around Indonesia, and is now in West Papua, told me that he plans to ride from Bula to Ambon. Perhaps, he may do that in July or August 2012. Maluku between 1999 and 2004 was a dangerous destination. All countries issued travel warning to their citizens who wanted to travel in Indonesia. Now the situation in the region is safe. Contact my friend rudifofid@gmail.com if you need a guided tour in Moluccan islands with a customized itinerary. by Charles Roring

Please, support this blog by buying various merchandise that I offer in my Redbubble shop: 

Tropical Art Shop

• Rhododendron flowers and Priamus butterfly
• Moorish Idol

Purple Naped Lory

On the way to Ambon from Bula - the capital of East Seram regency, I met a bird vendor in the Transmigrasi area. That afternoon, the rain had just stopped and the driver stopped the car near a shop to load several sacks of rice. The farmers in the transmigrasi area of East Seram have turned the island into the center of rice production. 
Slowly and surely, sago and tuber roots as the staple food of the Moluccan people are being replaced by rice. It is one thing that should not have happened. The tropical rainforest of Seram that is rich of various species of plants and animals is now getting smaller due to the conversion of thousands of hectares of the forest area into monoculture palm oil plantations. I am really concerned about it. But this is a general phenomenon that occurs not only in the Moluccas but also in many islands in Indonesia that are rich of precious bio-diversity.

I got off from the busto straighten my aching legs. I took the chance from this short stop to urinate at the nearby bush. When I walked out of the bush, I saw the bird seller was standing in front of the bus carrying an arch cane where a black head lory was perching. A passenger approached the bird seller and asked its price. The seller said that it was 1 million rupiahs. 

This price is considered high for local standards. But as someone who has been working in the world eco-tourism business, I consider the price as relatively small or cheap. I can only hope that there will be birdwatching tour operators who are willing to help this bird trader by providing birding trips to the natural habitat of this bird. When writing this article, I try to find the name of this bird on the internet. After searching on the internet for around 2 hours, I managed to get some accurate information about the endangered bird. Its name is Purple-naped Lory (Lorious Domicella). According to CITES, the bird has been put in the Endangered status. It means that this bird may become extinct. Why is it endangered or threatened? Because birds are hunted and traded as cage pets.

Purple-naped Lory in Seram Island

It is sad to see that these birds of Seram island are continuously captured and sold to buyers outside Maluku. Moluccan birds will face extinction soon. 
It's a pity to loose all these important birds of Maluku. Although they look small and weak, they play important role in maintaining the balance of the environment. Birds spread the seeds of fruits that they eat to all corners of the forest. This function as seed dispersers makes Moluccan forests remain green. In addition, coastal birds that eat fish have directly provide natural fertilizer to forests in Seram, Ambon, Buru and other islands in Maluku that were formed from the coral reefs that came out of the sea water due to tectonic pressures. As a result, these rocky islands can now become fertile islands covered by tropical green vegetation.

Birding Tour in Sorong regency of West Papua

Golden Myna (Mino anais)

There is a birding site in Sorong regency called Klasow valley. It is covered by lowland tropical rainforest. Birds such as Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot, Papuan hornbill, Large Fig Parrot, Black Lory, Magnificent Riflebird, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Lesser Birds of Paradise, Pink-spotted Fruit Dove, Brahminy Kite, Friarbird, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Dwarf Kingfisher make the forest as their natural habitat.
As a tourist guide, I often organize birding trips to the valley where visitors stay for 3 to 4 days to explore the wealth of avifauna of the forest. However, it is not only birds that we can see while walking in the jungle. There are butterflies such as the Silky Owl (Taenaris catops), Blue Mountain Swallowtail (Papilio ulysses).
Visitors, guided by local vilagers, can also do night walk to see wallaby (a kind of small kangaroo).

How to get there?

• Fly from your country to Jakarta (the capital of Indonesia)
• Fly to Sorong city
• I will meet you at the airport to organize your trip and guide you into the valley.

Cost: Please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or send your message by whatsapp to my number +6281332245180 for customized itinerary and budget calculation.
by Charles Roring.

Ambon is now safe for foreign travelers

I visited Ambon last week. It was a beautiful coastal city. As the capital and gate of Maluku province, Ambon can be reached by airplanes and by PELNI passenger ships. Daily flights served by Lion, Batavia, Sriwijaya connect Ambon with major cities in Indonesia. Open pelni.co.id if you want to find ferry that goes to Ambon that is match with your itinerary. From Ambon, you can explore the nearby Seram and Buru islands or fly to Banda to snorkel over the pristine coral reef. As a matter of fact, you can enjoy snorkeling in some small islets near Ambon such as Pulau Tiga (consisting of three islets) and Pulau Pombo. The most famous beach is Natsepa but Liang is the one that is covered with white sandy beach. Those who like hiking will find Mount Salahutu as a nice destination. In Indonesia, Ambonese are known as good singers. You can easily buy CDs of Ambonese songs at music stores in Ambon. 

Ambon is a small but very crowded town. Town dwellers build their houses from coastal areas up to steep slopes in Batu Gantong, Air Salobar and Kuda Mati.

Most of the villages in Ambon are located in the coastal area. Fish are consumed every day. Go to Paradise Resto if you want to eat traditional Moluccan cuisines. If you need a guide to show you interesting places in Ambon city and other places in Central, North and South East Maluku, I recommend that you meet Rudi Fofid. You can contact him by email: rudifofid@gmail.com.