Sidetrip to Aru islands

Sidetrip to Aru islands

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:

Beach near Dobo - Aru islands
Beach near Dobo

The market area is nice as well and a good spot for photos:

Dobo market on the Aru islands
Dobo market

There were no other tourists here and I’ve never heard of a tourist coming here either. The people are very friendly and welcoming:

Bemo near Dobo
Bemo near Dobo

This isn’t an essential stop and it is well off any kind of tourist trail. If, as I do, you enjoy going to places without any tourists you will probably like it as well. I hope to return someday.

Practicalities:

There are flights to Dobo from Ambon and there have previously been flights from Kei as well. There are also Pelni and other more frequent ferries that travel between Dobo and Tual (about 8 hours).

3 thoughts on “Sidetrip to Aru islands”

  1. Hi
    Great website.
    1. Can you please tell me how much you paid for the ojek from Eilat to Hollat and then from Hollat to Banda Ely?
    2. Where did you arrange the ojek – do you have a name and contact details?
    3. Is Hollat a Muslim village like Banda Ely ?
    4. What is the name of the homestay in Hollat you stayed in and how much did you pay?
    5. Do you recommend Dobo – nice beaches etc..?
    6. Where in the Kei’s is the best snorkelling?
    Planning to go to Kei soon so am planning meticulously as I will only have 7 days and time is precious and I want to do as much as I can.
    Thanks
    Terry

    1. Hi,

      Sorry for the late reply, I’ve been traveling from Kei to Canada (via Nepal) for the past week. Here are the answers as best as I can.

      1. One way ojek from Eliat to Hollatt is about 100,000-200,000 IDR. I paid 150,000 IDR this year but I think locals pay about 100K and ask 200 for tourists.

      Hollatt to Banda Ely and back is probably about 150K. The trail can be bad sometimes. There is a large waterfall 30 minutes walk from Banda Efruan which I will write about soon.

      2. You can arrange in Elat or the Southeast Maluku tourist office in Langgur. Also, your accommodation may also be able to help.

      3. No, Hollatt is Protestant.

      4. I stayed with a friend in Hollatt this year and didn’t pay anything–other than buying some food and stuff of course. Last year I stayed at Wisma Andi Delon and probably paid about 150k including food.

      5. Dobo is nice but the beach I saw isn’t comparable to the beaches in Kei. I much prefer Kei and Banda.

      6. The best snorkelling I know of in Kei is near the Ohoi Ew Resort. The snorkelling in Banda and Raja Ampat should be much better. I had great snorkelling in Banda. Unfortunately, Kei has seen a lot of dynamite used in the past. Kei Pirate Divers might be able to help more with that question. http://kei-pirate-divers.com/en/

      Hope you have a great trip!

  2. Thanks very much Chris.
    Look forward to you putting more info about Kei on the website.

Comments are closed.

Comments are closed.