Pulau Kisar Travel Guide

Pulau Kisar is a small, remote island of southern Maluku Province in eastern Indonesia. It lies just off the northeast coast of Timor-Leste, and although traditionally very hard to get to, it now has a small airport.

Parts of Pulau Kisar have that untouched look and it was generally only the adventurous type who would make the several-day journey out here from Ambon by boat. It is a small, rocky island and, along with neighboring Pulau Wetar, is one of the remotest in the country, being a lot closer to Darwin than Jakarta for instance.

There are not that many attractions here, however, and unless you are into barn owls and solitude, it’s not worth the effort. The Kisar barn owl can be seen at various points on the island, while a lighthouse lies at the tip of Cape Loronwisi, not far from Oirata village in the southeast.

Getting There & Away

Pulau Kisar has a small airport (Purpura Airport) that receives flights from Ambon (Maluku), Kupang (East Nusatenggara), and Surabaya in East Java. Flights go Mondays and Fridays from Ambon (1 hour, 45 minutes) with Merpati Nusantara Airlines. Passenger ships also call at Pulau Kisar from Ambon, Kupang and Surabaya.