Saparua

Saparua is one of the Lease islands east of Ambon, and its place in Indonesian history is the 1817 rebellion: after the Dutch returned to Maluku following the British interregnum and reimposed forced deliveries and labour, an uprising broke out led by Thomas Matulessy, known as Pattimura, a former soldier, who took Fort Duurstede at Saparua and killed the resident and his family with the exception of a young son. The rebellion spread and was put down within months; Pattimura was hanged at Ambon in December 1817. He is a national hero, on the thousand rupiah note, and the fort - a compact Dutch work on a low headland, restored - is the site. Beyond that, Saparua is a quiet island of clove and nutmeg, beaches and villages divided between Christian and Muslim negeri.

What you actually see

• Fort Duurstede - the restored Dutch fort taken in the 1817 rebellion.
• The Pattimura story - the uprising and its leader, now a national hero.
• Clove and nutmeg villages - the spice smallholdings across the island.
• Christian and Muslim negeri - the traditional village structure of the Leases.

When to go

September to March. Two days.

Honest expectations

Boats from Ambon are weather-dependent. Facilities on the island are basic homestays and small losmen. Interpretation at the fort is limited. Maluku's seasons are the reverse of Java's.

Nearby

Haruku and Nusa Laut are the other Lease islands; Ambon is west.