Pulau Ternate Travel Guide
Pulau Ternate is the island capital of North Maluku Province in eastern Indonesia. It lies just offshore from nearby Halmahera and comes with many historical sites and stunning scenery on the active Mount Gamalama.
Ternate is a stunning cone-shaped island with Gamalama rising up 1,715m over the town of Ternate. The island is one of the four ancient sultanates of North Maluku and was known for its clove production. Reasons for visiting include staying in the pretty capital, hiking Mount Gamalama and visiting the many nearby beaches.
The capital, Ternate City, rests in the southeast of Pulau Ternate on the lower slopes of Mount Gamalama and has many forts, mosques and churches to seek out. The
Benteng Kalamata, originally the Red Wood Fort, is a highlight and was built in the 16th century by the imperialist Portuguese.
Hikes of Mount Api Gamalama are best done from nearby Air Tege Tege village. The neighboring island of Pulau Tidore is also worth visiting while staying in Ternate.
Getting There & Away
Due to its relative remoteness, Pulau Ternate is best reached by air and there are daily flights from Makassar (South Sulawesi) to Ternate’s Sultan Babullah Airport. Flight time from Jakarta, via Makassar, is about 5 hours. Boat times are fairly excessive to Pulau Ternate and come in from Ambon (southern Maluku) and Manado (North Sulawesi).