Comments on: The Adventure Island You’ve Never Heard Of: Morotai

By: Theodora

Theodora — Mon, 25 Jan 2016 04:26:02 +0000

In reply to Jade.

Hi Jade and Luc,

So glad you’re going to Morotai with Alex. And sorry for the delayed response. It’s rare for the best time for diving to be the best time for surfing, because of waves and surge: in Kuta, Lombok, when the surf is good, diving is out, as you can’t get a dive boat out through it safely.

Take a look at this – http://sharkdivingindonesia.com/visit-morotai/morotai-tourism/ – it offers year-round diving, but says the season is March-June. Do please note that you need to be really cautious on Morotai – I met a guy who drifted 24 hours towards the Philippines before getting picked up by a fishing boat – so start with “easy” dives (unless you’re already high-current and surge ninjas, in which case my apologies). You might consider diving out of Halmahera, instead: there’s a dive store on an island just off Daruba that has a number of sheltered sites. There’s also a new German-run resort opening on an island off Morotai, but that’s not happened yet. Do bring your computers and get dive insurance: you’re a long, long way from a chamber.

Re: surfing. I’ve not surfed Morotai – the surf spots are in the north. It looks like you have a western wind, so will want to be on the west side of the island.

From a weather perspective, Maluku doesn’t have an intense rainy season like, say, Ubud, so I wouldn’t worry about it being grim and miserable the whole time.

Hope this helps, and do shout with more questions!

Theodora

By: Jade

Jade — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 13:18:38 +0000

Thank you Theodora for all your advice and tips. My boyfriend and I loved your article and Because of it, we have decided to go to Morotai and also North Maluku, and have already been in touch with Alex, who has been super helpful. We love diving and surfing and hope to do both these activities. The only problem is that we can only go in February which is wet season and was wondering if you think this is a bad time to go? I read in another article that this is the best time to go for diving, is this correct? I don’t mind if there is rain every day for short periods of time and then clear for parts of the day, but am just worried that as it is the middle of the wet season that it could be pouring and miserable the whole time? Looking forward to hearing back from you,
Jade and Luc

By: Alex

Alex — Thu, 03 Dec 2015 01:59:12 +0000

Hi everyone, we keep exploring Morotai to find the secret beauty and we are now willing to show you. we put the picture on http://www.manadohalmaheratour.com

Alex

By: Jazzy Morotranslator

Jazzy Morotranslator — Thu, 12 Feb 2015 01:24:01 +0000

It is so great to hear a lot of beautiful stories and testimonies from all of you who visited our Island. Thank you so much for introducing Morotai to the worldwide audience, Theodora. Hope to see you all come and visit us again next time.
Cheers
Jazzy

By: Theodora

Theodora — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 00:54:53 +0000

In reply to Andrew. Ooh, excellent! I do hope you had a great time.....

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 19 Dec 2014 07:17:01 +0000

Hello Theodora. I am just writing to thank you for your information on Morotai, it is inspiring and my son (14) and I will be there at Christmas, I will let you know how we get on. All best. Andrew

By: Theodora

Theodora — Sat, 13 Sep 2014 05:55:27 +0000

In reply to Gayl Edwards. That's WONDERFUL news, Gayl! So glad everything went well for you and that you're in love with Indonesia. Keep me posted on the ANZAC day ceremony, as well!

By: Gayl Edwards

Gayl Edwards — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 02:11:08 +0000

Hi Theodora,
Morotai was everything and more than our expectations! Alex Djangu was an excellent and very professional guide, thank you for recommending him 🙂 His organization was impeccable. Rob and I now have great friends in Indonesia and are planning to return next year. The Morotai Tourism people were wonderful, they took such good care of us and were an excellent source of knowledge. So much so that I am organizing hopefully for an ANZAC Day ceremony at the Morotai War Cemetery, if our RSL will be involved. Travel to and from Morotai was a real adventure, but quite manageable for anyone with reasonable mobility. I am also in the process of putting together a tour for relatives/historians through RAAF Squadron Associations. Thanks once again Theodora 🙂

By: Rob Sinke

Rob Sinke — Sat, 06 Sep 2014 03:40:00 +0000

Dear Theodora, two days ago we met Alex in Tobelo. He told me about you and I also remembered reading your story about Bupati Hein and the Moro.I just want to inform you about what we are doing. Shortly: conservation and education by tourism. At our web site http://www.sawai-ecotourism.com and http://www.wedaresort.com you can get an impression of our activities in Central Halmahera. Although the site is not updated since 2 years I am afraid.
The following text is about Rao (and Moro)
Magic Bay at the Island Rao, North Halmahera, East Indonesia, is a paradise for lovers of the perfect beach, a clean and crystal clear ocean, magical and unspoiled nature, and ultimate privacy. Honeymooners, a family or a small group of friends are very welcome to stay in our private beach villa. Here you can reconnect to yourself, family or friends and nature by disconnecting ,since there is no telephone and internet connection yet. In the village Posi posi, which lies at 40 minutes walking distance, cell-phones with Telkomsel access are working. In the main town on Morotai, Daruba, there is a good internet connection.
The villa is built in 2014, in traditional style. It is situated in a beautiful surrounding, 60 meter from the shoreline at 20 meters above sea level. It has two very spacious rooms, each room measures 4.40 x 6.40 and two modern bathrooms. Although the house does not have air conditioning, it is never getting too hot, because of the traditional way it is built. And there are ceiling fans installed in both rooms.
The attached terrace measures 9.00 x 4.00. On this terrace, from where you have a spectacular view at the beach, the open ocean, the mountainous forests of Rao and Morotai, your meals will be served.
From your terrace you can also see the arc shaped rock “Batu Kopi”. This rock and the near forest are mystical and sacral places for the people of North Halmahera. Although now a days all inhabitants of Rao are Christians, they still have their old believes too. They know that the old tribe of the Moro-people live here. They were the original inhabitants of Rao. Over the centuries they became more and more invisible. They welcome you with the aroma of fresh made coffee. The, very old, last caretaker of the culture of the Moro puts his trust in Adrian and gave him his blessing to protect the heritage of the Moro for the future. Practically, it means that we will not only respect the nature but we will also try to restore as much as possible of the forest. Fortunately, there is still much wonderful vegetation left.
The character of the place is unique in many ways. It is very quiet. The only sounds are the sea and the many birds. And except from the stars, the moon, fire fies and the magical lighting of the sea, there is no light pollution at all. Nights at the beach are indeed magic.
Most of the very clean, white sandy, 1400 meters long beach is free of stones or dead corals. And the sea is very shallow for a long stretch. Thus, it is very safe and comfortable to play and swim here. There no buildings at all at the beach. The bay is frequently visited by groups of dolphins. Sea turtles use the beach as their hatching ground and also the almost extinct and bizarre Coconut Crabs made this place their home and are easy to spot.
An adventurous one hour walk leads you to a waterfall. One of the two small clear water rivers starts here. These beautiful rivers are the home of many birds and butterflies. Although small islands are usually not so rich in birdlife, here we see, amongst others, many Common paradise kingfishers and Beach kingfishers. The deeper parts of the river offer a fresh water bath after the salty ocean.
The sea is very calm from May until September, but waves with surfing heights occur during December and January.
From May until September, Rao and surrounding offer excellent diving and snorkelling. Rao, being at the North tip of Halmahera, is in the middle of the heart of the coral triangle. This is the place with the most species of fish and the most species of corals ever counted during one dive, according to a scientific survey in 2008. There is no blast fishing or shark finning around Rao. Diving here is a little bit more adventurous than in Weda Bay and maybe not the best place if you hate currents. The reef at the edge of the beach offers world class snorkelling.
Our eight meter long fibre-glass speedboat was specially designed for divers. It is equipped with 2 x 70 horse power four stroke engines. The passengers are excellent protected against sun, rain and wind. To make it even more comfortable there is a toilet aboard. With our “private boat” concept, you can make your own daily schedule.
We, Adrian, Linda and Rob, are living from April to September at Rao. Linda and her family were born here, her father has been village head here for a very long period and Linda is very happy to be back again to help her village to develop. Rob and Adrian were immediately under the spell of the Magic Bay. Our own house is situated 600 meters from the villa and not visible from the beach.
How to get here?
We are happy to take care of all your domestic tickets and transfers.
From Jakarta there are two daily non-stop flights to Ternate; arriving at Ternate around 07.30 a.m. From Ternate you can fly very cheap with Susi Air to Daruba on Morotai. This small Cesna plane flies every Monday, Wednesday and Friday-morning; leaving from Ternate around 10.30 a.m. We will pick you up from Daruba. Total travel time Jakarta – Rao is approximate 8 hours, including the stop at Ternate.
From Manado there are flights to Kao (Tobelo) on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday by Wings (Lion Air); leaving at 07.00 a.m. We will pick you up from the airport and arrange the transfer by car and speedboat to Rao. Total travel time Manado – Rao is approximate 5 hours.
There are also a regular ferry and several boats from Tobelo to Morotai and Rao.
If you have to, or want to make a stop-over on your way coming or leaving we can make the hotel reservations for you. There is a nice small resort at a beach near Tobelo run by friends of ours. At Ternate there are many hotels. Villa Marasai definitely receives the best comments.

By: Theodora

Theodora — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 04:03:32 +0000

In reply to Gayl Edwards. That's brilliant news -- Alex told me you were heading out in August. I reckon the bunch of you will have an absolute blast!