The Kei islands aren’t Paris (or Jakarta) but there are some good places to eat. It isn’t easy to find restaurant information in Kei so this post should be helpful: 1. Forganza Cafe This isn’t really a cafe but it is a superb restaurant. There is a beautiful view and a tranquil seaside atmosphere as well. In addition, the prices are quite reasonable. It is popular with locals and I highly recommend eating here at least once during your stay…
Yes, I am now up to 8 waterfalls on Kei Besar. There are at least 2 more waterfalls that I haven’t been to. These are all time consuming to get to from Kei Kecil and even from Elat on Kei Besar. They are all worth seeing but it is does take a lot of time and effort. I’ve now been to Kei Besar 4 times for a total of 12 days and I have yet to see another tourist. Tourists…
There are a lot of places to stay in Kei. In this post I’ll try to summarize and provide photos of the best ones: 1. Savana Cottages This small group of cottages in Ohoidertawun is my favorite place to stay in Kei. They have great food, nice rooms, and are right next to the beach. There are four rooms and four shared detached toilets–2 Western style and 2 squat. There isn’t hot water or AC here but there are fans…
In May/June 2018 I spent another 40 days in Kei. I’ll write some more posts later on the Kei Besar waterfalls, accommodation and eating but for now here are some new places. Some of these are difficult to get to and require more time/effort than the typical tourist has. I list these in order of how much I enjoyed them: 1. Banda Efruan waterfall This waterfall is about 30 minutes walk from Banda Efruan in the northeast of Kei Besar. …
Every time I come to the Kei islands, I am amazed by the quality and number of destinations in this island group. Here are my favorites: 1. Ohoidertawun beach and tidal flat The weather, lighting conditions and water levels in Ohoidertawun are constantly changing, resulting in an ever-changing dream landscape. 2. Madwaer-Ohoidertutu beach Sometimes referred to as Metro beach, this seemingly endless expanse of white sand is made all the more unlikely by the fact that it is rarely visited….
There are 3 waterfalls near Hallatt on Kei Besar that are very worthwhile to visit. I stayed 2 nights in Hollatt and went to all three waterfalls and also visited Banda Ely. To get to this area from Kei Kecil, there is a public boat twice per day (90 minutes, 50000/60000 IDR economy/VIP) from ‘Pelabuhan Watoek’ in Langgur: On arrival in Kei Besar, Hollatt is another hour and a half by ojek on a rough hilly road: Before I went…
Bair island This is a small tropical island which is separated into multiple pieces and navigable channels. At low tide ‘Bair Mas Beach’ connects the two bits and that’s where our boat arrived. They say a photo is worth a thousand words, so here is the route we took within Bair island: On arrival, there is a short route heading up a cliff that is half rock climb. It is okay going up but it requires a great deal of…
My trip to Tanimbar Kei was beautiful, rewarding, and difficult. Not many tourists go to Tanimbar Kei and it only advisable if you have a lot of time and like remote destinations. There are about 3 boats a week to Tanimbar Kei from Debut but there isn’t a fixed schedule and they will only leave in good weather conditions. The public boat I took was supposed to leave at about 6 a.m. but it didn’t leave until 8 a.m. because…
On July 8 (2017) I took the Pelni from Kei to Banda. I have actually taken Pelni many times before in both directions. The ship is often crowded but it is also can be quite fun and interesting for the approximately 12 hour trip between the 2 islands groups. This is also an inexpensive way to travel as the ticket is only 146,500 IDR one way. You may however, have to plan your trip dates well in advance as these…
I joined 2 other tourists for a short trip to Ohoiew island. This island has accommodation at Ohoiew Island Resort and is easily reached by boat from the mainland. The village of Ohoi Ngilngof is the main access point, 1.6 kilometers from the island and near other points of interest in northwest Kei Kecil. We took a quick car ride from Coaster Cottages to Ohoi Ngilngof, near Pasir Panjang, and then an even faster hop across to the island in…
In August 2016, I stayed with a family in Ohoidertutu and decided to walk to Madwaer which is about a 2.3 kilometer beach walk. This is probably the best beach in the Kei islands and has absolutely no tourist infrastructure. Some local children joined me on the walk and it was a great experience. There is nothing between the 2 villages so bring drinks from the store in Ohoidertutu. Starting from Ohoidertutu: After few minutes you will pass a picnic…
Advantages of Kei over Banda: With at least 3 flights a day to Ambon, you are much less likely to get ‘stuck’ in Kei. The only reliable transport to Banda is the Pelni ferry and they are infrequent and can have large delays. The beaches in Kei are much better and are often considered to be among the best in the world. Amazing beach walks. Kei has less tourists. That doesn’t mean that Banda is overrun with tourists, just that…
I went to Dobo on the Aru islands for 3 nights in June 2015. I stayed with a very nice family that I previously met on a Pelni boat from Ambon to Banda. I didn’t do a lot of sightseeing as I was only there for 3 days and never left the island of Pulau Warmar where Dobo is located. There is a very nice beach near Dobo: The market area is nice as well and a good spot for…