Beautiful Beaches in Tanah Manise

Frans Pati Herin

· 5 minutes read

Ambon Island is a storehouse of many beautiful and charming islands that is worth a visit. Tracking the white sands of Liang Beach and Natsepa Beach in Central Maluku is just part of memorable travel experience in Ambon city.

From the wooden bridge, a number of children jumped into the sea, swimming above the expanse of white sand and coral in the clear blue water. It is like a universal aquarium which forms Ambon Island. It is also popularly called Tanah Manise, which literally means the pretty land.

The boys demonstrated various swimming styles, like an artist jumping from the stage into the crowd or performing somersaults like a soccer player after scoring a goal.

Their excitement invites visitors to Liang Beach on the east of Ambon Island. For those who are reluctant to swim, just immerse the body up to the neck, and then splash the sea water into the face. Alright... The soft sand massages the soles of the feet. There is no sharp coral or sea urchins, the sea biota with black spines.

Another option is to ride a banana boat. When it reaches its full speed, the driver maneuvers sharply and the riders are thrown out of the boat. Don\'t be afraid of drowning because everyone wears a life vest. At the end of March 2019, the sea current is usually friendly. The blue water is clear as glass. Hordes of mullet and pompano fish march to the edge. They are clearly visible with the naked eye.

Want to see dolphins, go to Liang Beach from September to November. At that time, a group of dolphins passes through the Seram Sea and the Banda Sea. They can be seen from about 100 meters from the shoreline. It is a good moment for photography enthusiasts. Liang Beach with its white sand and clear blue sea extends about one kilometer.

A wooden bridge protrudes into the sea. In this era of social media, the end part of the bridge is a favorite location for selfie hunters. Liang Beach is getting more famous at present. Just type ”liang beach ambon” into Google and within 0.53 seconds, the search engine will display hundreds of thousands of images of the bridge with various angles.

Shady and dense vegetation on the shoreline becomes shelter on a sunny day, while fresh young coconuts can be enjoyed. For visitors who like the outdoor atmosphere, camping on the beach is one fun option.

The place is quiet and far from residential areas. Many adventurers spend the night on Liang Beach. It is safe from criminals.

In 1990, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) named Liang Beach one of the best beaches in Indonesia. After nearly 30 years, the authenticity of the beach is still well protected. Except for one thing: people still throw garbage into the sea.

"This is how beautiful Liang Beach is. No need to build a hotel or restaurant so that it stays natural. People come to see the beach, not the buildings," said Hidayat Nugraha, a resident of Surabaya, who visited the beach last March.

Liang Beach, 38 kilometers east of Ambon city, is under the control the Central Maluku regency administration. The road to reach the location is pretty good. There is no traffic congestion. It takes only about 45 minutes to get there from Ambon.

For fruit lovers, March to April is the right time to enjoy local fruits. Durian, langsat, duku and markisa tropical fruits are sold at the road side. They are taken from other regions or picked from the local people’s plantations. During harvest session, durian is sold for just Rp 1,000 each.

Natsepa Beach

About 15 minutes’ drive from Liang Beach, there is Natsepa Beach. It is almost the same as Liang Beach, but its coastline is only 300 meters long. Liang and Natsepa beaches add to the beauty of Ambon Island.

Natsepa Beach is a choice for family trips with small children. The water is shady at the mouth of the Baguala Bay. Another attraction in Natsepa is its legendary salad called rujak in Ambon.

More than 30 salad vendors sell the dish there. Rujak contains a mixture of local fruits, such as pineapple and mango, mixed with beans, brown sugar, and a little chili that adds sensation to the tongue.

There is also young coconut. If you feel tired after traveling, you can enjoy the famous Tulehu hot spring. It is located about 10 kilometers from Natsepa Beach.

For many visitors, the hot water that comes out of the rock slit can rinse the saltwater after bathing in the sea. For only Rp 5,000, you can bath as long as you like. Some visitors go to the hot spring for health therapy.

To get to Liang and Natsepa beaches from the center of Ambon City, you can take city transportation or an online taxi. You can also rent a car for Rp 600,000 per day.

Liang and Natsepa beaches are the only coastal locations near Ambon City. In Maluku, many other beautiful beaches, such as those in the Banda Islands and Ora Beach on Seram Island, have been internationally recognized.

Back in Ambon city, the charm of the city can be enjoyed by watching the sun sink from the Merah Putih bridge, the longest bridge in eastern Indonesia today. It\'s charming.

For coffee lovers, Ambon city is the house of a thousand of coffee. Hotels and accommodation in the city are also quite good. The chairman of the Maluku hotels and restaurants association, Theny Barlolo, said visiting Maluku had become very expensive following the sharp increase in airfares in October, 2018. The ticket price for Jakarta-Ambon, for example, has risen to Rp 2.7 million from only Rp 900,000.

"Later many tourists canceled their trips. Hotels and souvenir businesses were severely affected. In fact, many foreign tourists left their souvenirs at the airport because of the expensive luggage tariffs," he said.

As long as tickets remain expensive, the joy of the boys on Liang Beach cannot be felt by other children elsewhere.

Editor:

kompascetak