Bacan Islands Travel Guide
The Bacan Islands are a bunch of islands in the Maluku chain, lying off to the southwest of Halmahera Island in eastern Indonesia. The Bacans are pretty lush, hilly, and definitely remote.
You can find the Bacan Islands to the west of the large Halmahera Island and south of Ternate, the provincial capital. Luckily, there is an airport on the main island although connections are somewhat limited and flights infrequent.
Bacan Island is the largest island and the gateway. It features the regency capital, Labuha, and has pretty good trekking prospects amid volcanic landscape surrounded by tropical beaches. The highest point rises to an impressive 2,111m. The other two main islands of Kasiruta and Mandioli are also quite large and are linked by boat with Bacan. Dozens of other smaller islands are dotted about.
Getting There & Away
The best way to the Bacan Islands is to fly. Labuha has a small airport - Labuha Airport (LAH) - which is just outside the capital, Labuha, and receives flights from Ternate and other nearby islands. The nearest major airport is that of Makassar in South Sulawesi, about 800kms to the southwest, from where flights connect with Jakarta. Boats also arrive in Labuha from various port cities in Indonesia.