Benteng Hollandia

Banda Islands


One of Banda's best views is from the chunky, overgrown ruins of Benteng Hollandia. Built in 1624, this was once one of the biggest Dutch fortresses in the East Indies until it was shattered by a devastating 1743 earthquake. Set high above the village of Lonthoir, make the 15-minute climb to enjoy perfect palm-framed views of Gunung Api with a magical foreground of sapphire shallows.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Banda Islands attractions

1. Gunung Api

1.87 MILES

The 656m-high still-active volcano of Gunung Api can be climbed for awesome views (especially at sunrise) in two to three hours if you are fit, but the…

2. Benteng Nassau

1.89 MILES

Quietly crumbling among tropical foliage, Nassau was the scene of the Banda Massacre, the greatest obscenity in the violent history of Dutch Banda. The…

3. Dutch Church

1.93 MILES

This restored 1852 Dutch church with a portico of four chubby columns is open for services. Inside are a decorative bell-clock and wooden pews, as well as…

4. Sun Tien Kong Chinese Temple

1.96 MILES

There are still a few Chinese families living on Bandaneira and the 300-year-old Sun Tien Kong Temple is testament to the ancient Chinese involvement in…

5. Istana Mini

1.99 MILES

This grand, atmospheric yet empty 1820s mansion gives a sense of the scale of the Dutch enterprise in the Banda Islands. Once the residence of the…

6. Rumah Budaya

2.01 MILES

Bandaneira’s little museum displays colonial artefacts including coins, silverware, crockery, pipes, swords and flintlock pistols and muskets. There's…

7. Hatta’s House

2.03 MILES

Of three early-20th-century ‘exile houses’ in Banda, Mohammed Hatta’s house is the most appealing. It’s partly furnished and photos of the dissident, his…

8. Mesjid Hatta-Syahrir

2.05 MILES

Behind the main port are the eye-catching minarets of the Mesjid Hatta-Syahrir. Some locals claim this was converted into a mosque from the mansion that…

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