Kalamata Fort in Ternate Island, North Maluku Province

Some travelers choose Ternate Island as their destination due to its historical value. It is because the island had been a prime colony before the independence of Indonesia. At the time Portuguese built a reliable fort in the coastal area called Santa Lusia or Kalamata Fort. They built it as a base or defense during their territory expansion in North Maluku Province. These days, though, the fort has become a new tourist attraction in Ternate and has been visited over time by tons of people. In terms of location, it is in Kayu Merah Village and it belongs to South Ternate Sub-District. No wonder, the locals also call it Kayu Merah Fort due to the location.

The Nuance
In terms of nuance, Kalamata fort looks both gorgeous and unique. One thing that makes it special is none other than the location, which resides by the sea. No wonder, visitors can witness beautiful sea scenery while exploring the fort! They can even see Maitara and Tidore Island clearly from the site. When it comes to the design, it definitely resembles Portuguese’s architecture. It features unique pointed sides, which makes it distinct as compared to other forts of North Maluku Province in Indonesia. However, it is not as thick as those of the Dutch fort. The height is about 3 meters and it has the thickness of about 60 cm.

Exploring Kalamata Fort
It is, without a doubt, Kalamata Fort has a valuable history for tourists to learn. Even the atmosphere of the past remains on the site due to the foundations including the old well used by the Portuguese as the source of water back then. The unique shape of the fort also becomes another allure for tourists, actually. This explains why a certain activity like photography is quite recommended for tourists to enjoy while exploring the fort.

The next thing to do in Kalamata Fort is indeed to learn the history. In this case, it is better to come with a tour guide so tourists can get thorough story regarding the site from this service. In the past, Portuguese used it as a fortress and repel any attacks from Spaniards who ruled Tidore Island at the time. Later, the Dutch took over the fort but they left it in 1625. Several years later, in 1663, Spaniards took over Kalamata Fort but it fell to the Dutch once again in 1798. Only in 1810, the locals were able to take it over during the reign of Sultan Nuku of Tidore Sultanate with the help of England troops.

Today, both locals and outsiders take advantage of Kalamata Fort as a tourist site. These people come to the location in order to learn its history and photography, after all. Not to mention they are impressed with the sea scenery since the fort resides by the coast! That means sightseeing is also recommended there.

Nearby Attractions

• Bastiong Port
• Makugawene Monument

How to Get There
In order to get to Kalamata Fort of Indonesia, tourists can take any local transportation service from Ternate City and head to South Ternate Sub-District. Next, they only need to visit Kalamata Village where the fort resides. In fact, it takes only 5 minutes to get there as the distance is 1.4 km. For the most comfortable trip, though, the best route to take is Jeruk Street.

Where to Stay

• G Hotel
• Ayu Lestari Hotel
• Bukit Pelangi Hotel