The Island of Seram in the Moluccas is one of the best-kept secrets in Indonesia. Ora Beach Resort has a magnificent view like Bora Bora, and most of the island is still relatively unexplored.
This is one of the best places to visit in Indonesia if you are looking for a secluded paradise with a Jungle, mountains, beaches, and wildlife.
Seram Island isn’t exactly easy to get to and Ora Bay is even more secluded, but you’ll be rewarded with breathtaking scenery and plenty of snorkeling opportunities, without the crowds you’d see in places like Bali.
In this guide, you will learn how to get to Seram Island and Ora Beach, where to stay, what to do in the area, and everything you need to know before you go!
How to get to Seram Island
Seram Island is located near the bustling island of Ambon in the Moluccas, Indonesia. Getting there is a whole journey in several stages.
Currently, there is no active airport on The Island of Seram, so you cannot get there yet. The nearest airport is Pattimura International Airport in Ambon (AMQ), which offers direct flights from Jakarta, Makassar, Ternate, Sorong, and other places in Indonesia. You can buy flights on Skyscanner.
Once you arrive in Ambon, you will need a Taxi for the one-hour journey from the airport to the Tulehu ferry port. Here you will take a fast ferry to the port of Amahai on The Island of Seram. The boats are old but comfortable and take about 2 hours to get to Amahai.
How to get to Ora Beach in Seram
Once arrive on the Island of Seram, the next step is to go to the village of Saleman and the beach of Ora. The journey from Amahai to Salemen takes about 2 hours and it is a picturesque jungle road that winds through the mountains. The road is paved everywhere, although there are many broken places.
Your hotel in Ora or Saleman can arrange a car and a driver to pick you up in Amahai and take you to the bay. Our guesthouse put us in touch with a friendly driver named Rudi, who managed our transfer to Saleman Village and back.
Once you arrive at the village of Saleman, you can reach Ora Beach by boat in just 10 minutes. The guesthouse where we stayed in Saleman had half-day boat trips to Ora Beach Resort, or you could take a full-day trip to several places in the area for 900 km by boat.
Lodging in Seram Island
There are a number of new guest houses in the Ora Bay area that are highly rated, economical and relatively comfortable.
The best place to stay in Seram was The Ora Beach Resort, but unfortunately it seems that things have been going downhill lately. It was The original Saleman Hotel, founded in 1997.
The Bungalows at The Ora Beach Resort are beautiful, as is the location, but I have recently seen very bad reviews about the lack of maintenance since recent time happened. It looks like the Bungalows there are totally dilapidated and falling apart.
Don’t get me wrong, you should definitely visit Ora Beach for sightseeing and snorkeling (on a day trip from Saleman), but I wouldn’t recommend staying there unless things get superior. Instead, stay in one of the places in the village of Saleman.
The best things to do in Seram
Ora Beach
One of the main attractions of the Island of Seram is the very beautiful Ora beach. The view of the overwater bungalows with the mountains in the background is simply magnificent, like something from French Polynesia.
Ora is a small soft sandy beach with a palm tree swing. You can snorkel right next to the pier and see a lot of beautiful fish and corals.
Sawai Cliff
The Sawai Cliff is a great white limestone cliff accessible in about 10 minutes by boat from Ora Beach or 20 minutes from Saleman. We visited this place on a day trip.
