Maluku is one of the oldest provinces in Indonesia’s history. The name itself is taken from the word al-Mulk, which means Land of the Kings. The Maluku Islands, are known for abundant natural wealth, especially spices, which was then targeted by many countries such as the Dutch and Portuguese colonisers.
Once the favourite Dutch colony – for precious spices that grew nowhere else on earth, today, Maluku is an attractive travel destination, when it comes to yachting and scuba diving. The archipelago includes thousands of inhabited and uninhabited volcanic islands and many small isles. What really stands out though, is the scenery in Central Maluku. The chain of forested mountain islands are fringed by immaculate beaches and secluded bays, turquoise lagoons with overwater bungalows, virgin coral reefs; and all that is concluded with perfectly-shaped volcanoes in the background – a perfect holiday hub! If you can get there. Luckily for us we have our floating home and she has delivered us to one of the most beautiful places to be found. This is our first stop along this chain of islands that will take us from the Kei Kecil Islands across the northern route of Seram to Buru.
Back in the days, the famed ‘Moluccas’ was a place where a great wealth grew on the trees – quite literally. Mace, nutmeg and cloves were found nowhere else in the world, which reinforced the Dutch colonial power. Though the spices are still grown and exported, these days, it is rather the Polynesian look that draws the visitors. Indeed, some of the islands in Central Maluku could easily compete with Tahiti.
Picture yourself on an exotic beach surrounded by enchanting small restaurants with nothing but vast stretches of white sand as soft as flour beneath your feet. No, this is not some imaginary beach on a fantasy land reality TV show; this is what awaits you at Ngurbloat Beach on Kei Island. These are not the regular images we see of Indonesia, this beautiful country has many unique destinations just like this and you won’t be sharing it with hundreds of other anchored boats or the never ending tourist boats dropping people off. No this Beach you will need to share with the local people on Sunday but apart from that you will need to bring your own crowd on any other day of the week.
Ngurbloat Beach is also known by locals as the Long Sands Beach, since it goes on and on for 5 km from Ngurbloat Beach in Ngingof Village all the way to Ngursamadan Beach in Ohilir Village.
This swathe of white sand is also what makes this beach so exceptional. The sand is so smooth and soft that the National Geographic dubbed it as: the softest sand beach in Asia. Rows of coconut trees decorate the shores over overlooking the vast blue sea, creating a truly magnificent sight. Simply lay back in one of the bright coloured beanbags and soak it all in under the tropical sun.
The lagoon anchorage is well protected from the SE trade winds. Passing over the reef into the lagoon we dropped the hook in 15 meters of sand. There are some coral heads to look for but they are relatively deep. The fringing reef closer to the beach rises quickly so keep a lookout on the bow. We spent a memorable few days here and recommend it to anyone sailing this way to drop the hook you won’t be disappointed.
If you want to know more about this area make sure you checkout our YouTube Channel Dreamtime Sail Episode 85
Cheers R&K
