ID · North Maluku · 0.78°N 127.38°E

ternate

Spice-trade forts, crater-lake views and fish dinners beneath Gamalama volcano.

Best time
August to October is usually the least wet stretch, but Ternate gets rain all year and no month is reliably dry. Leave room in the plan for a wet day in town.
How long
3 days
Getting there
No direct flight from KL. Connect in Makassar (about 3 hours from KL, then about 2 hours to Ternate) or in Jakarta; the Makassar route often needs an overnight. Sultan Babullah Airport is about 15 minutes from town. Ternate is 1 hour ahead of KL.
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ID · North Malukuternate0.78°N 127.38°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Spice-trade forts, crater-lake views and fish dinners beneath Gamalama volcano.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingTernateID, North Maluku
KLternate
≈ 2,867 km from KL, as the crow flies
Ternate as view from north side.

Photo: Fdprasetyo · CC BY-SA 3.0

1 / 4

Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

A small, round volcanic island that was once the centre of the world's clove trade, with a sultan's palace, Portuguese and Dutch forts and Gamalama volcano in the middle. A drive round the island takes in forts, a crater lake, black-sand beaches and old lava fields, with Tidore across the strait.

Makan

  1. Gohu ikanRaw tuna dressed with lime, chilli, basil and hot oil, North Maluku's answer to ceviche.Map ↗
  2. Papeda and fish soupSago porridge with a sour, spicy fish broth.Map ↗
  3. Ikan fufuSmoked skipjack tuna, eaten with rice and sambal.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Fort OranjeThe big 17th-century Dutch fort, now in the middle of the busy modern town.Map ↗
  2. Kedaton of the Sultan of TernateThe sultan's hilltop palace and museum, still the seat of one of Indonesia's oldest sultanates.Map ↗
  3. Tolire LakeA deep, steep-sided crater lake at the foot of Gamalama, seen from the rim.Map ↗
  4. Batu AngusA field of black lava boulders from an 18th-century eruption, running down to the sea.Map ↗
  5. SulamadahaA black-sand beach and a clear-water cove on the north coast, good for a swim.Map ↗

Good to know

  • A driver for a day makes the island loop easy: forts, Tolire, Batu Angus and Sulamadaha all fit.
  • Food is halal as standard; Ternate is overwhelmingly Muslim.
  • Tolire is a viewpoint, not a swimming spot. Stay at the rim.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.