Fakfak: a small town with a long history

Fakfak is one of those places that has been important for longer than its size suggests. It was a sultanate, a Dutch administrative post and a nutmeg trading port, and it still has the bones of a town that once mattered: old buildings, a mosque with history, and families who have been there for generations.

Today it is a quiet provincial town on the Bomberai Peninsula, with an airport, a market and a coastline of limestone cliffs and hidden bays. Very few foreign visitors come. That is both the appeal and the practical difficulty: there is almost no tourist infrastructure, so you need to be comfortable arranging things as you go.

The town and the sultanate

Fakfak grew up around the nutmeg trade and the Sultanate of Fakfak, which controlled the coast and its produce before the Dutch took over. The old mosque and the royal graves are still there, and the town retains a Malay-Papuan character that is different from the rest of West Papua.

The centre is small enough to walk in an hour. Look for the colonial-era buildings near the harbour, the market in the morning, and the views from the hills above town. There are a couple of small museums and monuments, but the real interest is the ordinary life of a place that has been trading with the outside world for centuries.

The town is also unusually mixed for Papua. Malay traders, Papuan families, Bugis fishermen and Chinese shopkeepers have all left their mark, and the result is a place where the mosque, the church and the market sit within a few streets of each other. That history of exchange is the most interesting thing about Fakfak, more than any single building.

Limestone country

The landscape behind Fakfak is karst: pale limestone towers, caves, sinkholes and springs, covered in a thin skin of forest. It is dramatic country, and much of it is inaccessible without a guide and a lot of time.

The accessible parts are still good. The road along the coast passes cliffs and viewpoints, and the caves near town can be visited with a local guide. Bring a torch, wear shoes with grip, and do not enter a cave system without someone who knows it. The rock is sharp and the passages flood.

Arguni, Toran and the coast

Arguni is a small island in the bay south of Fakfak, reached by boat, with a village, a beach and water clear enough to snorkel. Toran bay, further along the coast, is the other excursion: a deep inlet with cliffs, forest and a reputation among the few divers who have been.

Boats can be chartered in Fakfak, and the crossings depend entirely on the weather. Agree the price, the route and the return time before you leave. There is no rescue service, no fuel station on the islands, and no phone signal once you are out of sight of town.

• Charter boats in Fakfak and agree the return time first.
• Carry water, food and cash for the day.
• There is no phone signal along much of the coast.
• Snorkelling is good around Arguni in calm weather.

Nutmeg and the market

Nutmeg still grows around Fakfak, in gardens shaded by other trees, and the fruit is dried and sold locally. If you are interested, ask at the market and someone will explain the difference between the nut and the mace, and why the region was worth fighting over.

The market is also the best place to eat: sago, fish, greens, fruit and the sweets that come from the Moluccan kitchen. Go early, take your time, and buy something you do not recognise. The town is small enough that you will see the same faces again the next day.

Getting there and when to go

Fakfak has a small airport with flights from Sorong and Ambon, usually in propeller aircraft and often via Kaimana. Schedules are thin, weather matters, and bookings should be confirmed more than once. The alternative is a long boat journey that most visitors are happy to skip.

The calm season runs roughly from October to April, when the sea is flat and the coast is at its best. Outside that window the crossings are uncomfortable and the rain is heavy. Whatever the season, allow a spare day for the flight out: it is the most common thing to go wrong.

Bring more cash than you think you need. There is an ATM or two in town and a bank, but they run out, and cards are accepted in very few places. Fuel, boat charters and guides are all paid in cash. Download offline maps before you arrive, because the signal outside the town is unreliable.

Questions people actually ask

How do you get to Fakfak?

By small propeller aircraft from Sorong or Ambon, sometimes via Kaimana. Flights are infrequent and weather-dependent, so confirm your booking more than once and allow a buffer day before your onward travel. Boats also connect the coast but take much longer.

What is there to do in Fakfak?

Walk the old town and the market, visit the sultanate mosque and graves, and take a boat to Arguni island or Toran bay for the coast and the water. The limestone country behind the town is dramatic but needs a guide and time.