The Banda Islands are a group of ten volcanic islands, three of which are uninhabited, located near the Indonesian province of Maluku.

One of the most unique features of this archipelago is its exclusivity brought about not by the cost of visiting them but rather by the difficulty of reaching the islands. The only airline, NBA, flying into Bandaneria does not run regularly scheduled flights which are often cancelled due to weather and can only be booked one-way by phone. There are two ferry operators that run trips from Ambon to Bandaneria once every two weeks or so and should return five days later, unless they decide to continue on to Keis. Once there you will have joined an elite group of adventures travelling to this pristine set of islands.

If you opt to stay on the islands you can organize excursions with Bluemotion, Banda’s only dive operator. Otherwise, there are several Liveaboard operators visiting the archipelago. The waters surrounding Banda are every bit as exclusive as the islands offering an enormity of diverse locations. Divers will find huge table corals growing from the last volcanic flows. The nutrient rich environment is inhabited by schools of tuna, hammerhead shark, napoleon wrasse and the famous Mandarin fish. The richly coloured corals and teaming micro-life make for a photographer’s paradise and set the Banda Islands apart from the rest of the world’s dive locations.

The beautiful Banda waters, Credit