Tidore Island is one of islands in North
Maluku, Indonesia. The location lies at the west of Halmahera Island and close
to Ternate Island. As a historical island, Tidore has many interesting spots
for tourist destinations. Besides that, the panorama in Akesahu which lies on
the coastline looks so stunning because it has a background of Tidore Mountain
and Maitara Island. This area becomes more popular because all of Indonesian
people recognize Maitara Island on the banknote of IDR1,000.
As natural and historical
tourism, the local government has been trying to develop the infrastructure and
facilities here. It is not surprising because Tidore Island has potential
tourism in Eastern Indonesia. With the natural scenery, beaches, peculiar
tradition and culture, it makes Tidore becomes one of tourist destinations in
Indonesia.
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| Picture Tharaes.blogspot.com |
Tidore Island doesn’t have
an airport. If you start your journey from Jakarta, you can take a flight to
Babullah Airport at Ternate Island. You can take Garuda, Lion Air, or Sriwijaya
Air that takes around four hours. As you arrive at the airport, you can
continue your trip to Bastiong Port for about 10 minutes. From Bastiong, there
are two options to go to Rum Port in Tidore Island, i.e. by a speedboat and
ferry. If you choose a ferry, you need to pay IDR5,000 or US$0.5 per person for
about 30 minutes. If you choose a speedboat, you need to pay IDR8,000 or US$0.8
per person for about five minutes.
After you arrive at Rum
Port, you can take local transportation to Soasio City, the capital of Tidore
Islands by paying IDR9,000 or US$0.9 for about 30 minutes. Along the journey to
Soasio City, you will see the coastal area with beautiful scenery and witness
Gamalama Mountain in Ternate. The easier way to reach Soasio City is by riding
a bentor or motorcycle. for this, you only need to pay around IDR4.000 or
US$0.4.
Accommodations
The accommodations in the
Tidore Island are adequate. When you decide to stay in Seroja Hotel, you need
to pay IDR200,000 or US$20 per night. Besides that, you also can stay in the
guest houses. If you want to taste local dishes, you can come to Waroeng
Alriska.
Activities
As you come to Tidore
Island, you can visit many tourist destinations here. First, you can go to Keraton
Tidore or Tidore Palace. In this place, you can see a luxurious Tidore Palace
with the background of Kie Matubu Mountain that has altitude 1,730 meters. On
the first floor, there is a museum. The museum collects the journey of
Kesultanan Tidore and the arrival of colonizer to search condiments.
The next destination is Gura
Bunga. Gura Bunga is a village on the slope of Kie Matubu Mountain. This
village is so popular as the residence for sowohi or the connector between
Kesultanan Tidore and the spirit of the ancestors. As the residence of suwohi,
you will see six houses there. The age of the house is considered about hundred
years.
But, don’t think you will find
modern houses, electricity and sophisticated appliances because you will only
see simple houses. It was made from bamboo, ground floor, and the roof made
from sago leaves. To reach Gura Bunga, you can take public transportation and
you need to pay around IDR10,000 or US$1 from Soasio Terminal. If you want the
easy way, you can rent a car and pay IDR150,000 or US$15 per day.
The last destination is
visiting Tahula Fort in Soasio City. The fort was made by Spanish sailors. To
reach the fort, you need to come up on the stairs. Then, you can continue your
trip to visit Tore Fort. The fort was made by Portuguese. Generally, it is easy
to find these forts. As you come there, you can see the scenery of beaches that
separates Tidore Island and Halmahera Islands.
