Ambon Island

Ambon Island is a tropical island in Indonesia’s Maluku province, part of the Maluku Islands group. It is the location of the city of Ambon and functions as a regional administrative and transport hub.

The island offers beaches, sheltered bays and reef diving; coral gardens and wreck dives are popular within a few kilometres of the coast. The city of Ambon provides markets, ferry links and local seafood restaurants for visitors. Small bays and villages around the island give access to traditional fishing communities and boat excursions.

European colonial powers and local sultanates competed for control of Ambon during the spice trade era; the island later formed part of the Dutch East Indies and then the Republic of Indonesia. It was occupied during the Second World War and has experienced periods of conflict and reconstruction in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Ambon Island lies off the west coast of the larger island of Seram in eastern Indonesia, at approximately 3.6°S, 128.2°E. The city of Ambon sits on a narrow peninsula and the island is the main population centre in central Maluku.

• Diving: Best diving and snorkelling are around fringing reefs and coral gardens on the island's leeward shores, accessible by short boat trips from Ambon City.
• Access: Pattimura International Airport serves regular flights to and from larger Indonesian hubs, making the island the main transport gateway for the central Maluku region.

What to See #

• Ambon City: Covers the provincial capital **Ambon City** on the northeastern peninsula, the main population and administrative centre with harbours, markets and colonial-era buildings.
• Ambon Bay: A sheltered inlet on the island known as Ambon Bay that separates the northeastern peninsula from the main island body and provides calm waters for fishing and diving access.