Small, cone-shaped volcanic island Ternate is found in Indonesia's North Maluku province. Although it has some fascinating sites and history, it is not likely to ever be a major travel destination.

Ternate was among the most significant kingdoms in the Moluccas' "Spice Islands" in the sixteenth century, and European nations battled over dominance of the trade in spices here. This small island is still the principal entrance to the North Maluku province today.

It's worth visiting Ternate should you ever find yourself traveling on the route to another area of Indonesia.

This is a trip guide including some of the most worthwhile sights and activities on the island!

How To Reach Ternate Island

• Direct flights from Jakarta, Surabaya, Makassar, Manado, and Ambon land in Ternate (TTE). Should you be from Bali, you will first have to travel to one of these locations.

• Skyscanner allows you to search for flights; however, as just a few airlines service Maluku, all of the flights there typically seem to be a little expensive by Indonesian standards.

• Alternatively, like we did following Mount Dukono, you can ride a boat from Halmahera to Ternate. The 45-minute speedboat trip from Sofifi harbour is really cheap, but it takes time.

How One Gets Around The Island

• Ternate's tiny size makes it rather easy to go around.

• Driving the entire round of the island takes roughly 1.5 hours from the decent paved road that circles it. Like the road to Ngade Lake, some of the side roads can be somewhat steep; but, the main road is calm and level.

• Your hotel may let you rent a scooter, or you might pay a private driver with a car. We took that action. For short distance travel, Ternate also features the Grab app.

Ternate's Best Things to See and Do

Fort Tolukko

• Built by the Portuguese in 1512, the Tolukko Fort was meant to regulate the spice trade across the Maluku islands including Ternate.

• It was under Portuguese administration, local Ternate Sultanate, Dutch, British, and Spanish over the years.

• For a nominal price, explore the fort and ascend to the rooftop to get views of Mount Gamalama. One finds a photogenic and fascinating place here.

Kalamata Fort

• Built by the Portuguese in 1540, this another colonial fort was sold between the local sultanate and the other European colonial powers.

• Particularly if you climb the fort's roof, it enjoys good views of the Tidore and Maitara islands across the sea from the south side of Ternate.

The Kastela Beach

• With a collection of picturesque trees resembling those of Sumba island, this beach is among the greatest places for sunset on the island.

• We just ever saw the sunset here, but the hues were amazing!

• If you stroll out to the woods in search of a closer picture, be careful. Although the water is shallow enough, I nearly stumbled over a sea snake slinkering the rocks.

Ngade Lake

• With the volcanic peak of Tidore island in the background, this lake boasts among Ternate one of the most breathtaking vistas. Similar images appeared on 1,000 Rupiah currency notes issued by Indonesia.

• An ugly, ridiculous bicycle zipline built at the lookout nearly destroyed the landscape, but fortunately it is still able to get shots without it obstructing the view.

• We did not discover until it was too late that they charge a fee for using drones. For a nominal charge, you can also use a swing.

Toliver Lake

• At Mount Gamalama's base lies the brilliant green volcanic lake Tolire. This lake developed from a powerful Gamalama eruption in 1775 that buried one of the neighboring towns and killed 141 people.

• Local tales say Tolire is home to a white crocodile watching over the lake. Though the residents told us about how people had been attacked by crocodiles while fishing in the lake, we did not spot any there when we were there.

• Given the crater's steep margins, Tribun News posted a video of a crocodile seen in the lake in 2022; no one knows how it arrived.

• At the overlook, we did see plenty of lizards—including the first iguana we have seen in Indonesia.

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Tolare Beach

• Views of Hiri island in the distance abound from this cold beach with black sand derived from the volcano. It lies somewhat near to Lake Tolire.

• He stopped long enough for me to photograph a large red crab scuttling across the beach.

Angus Batu

• Mount Gamalama deposited a field of jagged black volcanic rocks in Batu Angus, a little park.

• It reminds us of how Ternate island has been shaped over ages by the continuous action of the volcano.

• In documented history, gamalama has erupted scores of times—sometimes violently.

Volcano, Gamalama

• Mount Gamalama, an active volcano, towers in the middle of Ternate Island.

• Starting from Moya, you can trek to the peak many hours later. This is an active, smoking volcano, hence ascending it carries considerable danger.

• You can stop midway and still get some amazing images of the top if you have a drone and find it uncomfortable climbing to there.