Banda islands

The banda islands are a volcanic archipelago of 9 islands in the banda sea between Ambon and Kei, you can reach it by ferry from Kei each week. 

The village of Banda Neira is in front of the Gunung Api volcano it will be your first settlement when reaching the archipelago. 

Banda is the beginning of the the spice road where in the XVI century the Dutch and the Portuguese discovered nutmeg,
cinnamon and clove.

Here a woman cutting the Kenary nut.

At that time a hand of nutmeg was worth an entire cow in Europe.

The majority of people in Banda are Muslims and there is very big arabic influence in the culture and food coming from the Hisory of the island.