Banda Islands

A remote group of ten small volcanic islands in the Banda Sea, the Banda Islands were the world's only source of nutmeg and mace for centuries and the focal point of the Dutch colonial spice trade from the 17th century onward. Fortresses, colonial warehouses, and perkeniers plantation houses from the VOC era remain scattered across the main island of Banda Neira. The surrounding Banda Sea is considered one of the most pristine deep-water dive environments in Indonesia, with walls dropping into abyssal depths from the volcanic island shores.