MOUNT GAMALAMA TREKKING

Gamalama, dubbed as the Peak of Ternate, is a near-conical stratovolcano that comprises the entire Ternate island in Indonesia. The island lies off the western shore of Halmahera island in the north of Molucca Islands. For centuries, Ternate was a center of Portuguese and Dutch forts for spice trade, which have accounted a thorough reports of Gamalama's volcanic activities.

Since 1538, Gamalama has erupted explosively at least 57 times. The most recent eruption was in 1993 and lasted about 2 weeks. The eruptions are commonly moderate to moderately large (VEI=2-3). Six eruptions have caused fatalities. In 1775, a maar -forming eruption on the north coast of the volcano produced a base surge that killed 141 people. In all, about 1,300 people died in this eruption. Gamalama erupted in October of 1994, creating a 1,000 foot (300 m) tall plume and depositing a thin layer of ash on nearby villages. No one was injured

TERNATE AND HALMAHERA
The administrative and geographical district of the northern third of Maluku, north of Seram, is dominated on maps by Halmahera, but tiny Ternate island is the real centre of power and communications as it is the capital of North Maluku province. Two-thirds of the island’s 80,000 people live in Ternate town, the business and market centre of the region.

One of the major clove-producing islands of Maluku, Ternate sultans had been trading with Chinese, arab and Javanese merchants hundreds of years before the first european arrival. The Portuguese were there in the early 1500s, followed by the Dutch at the start of the 17th century. Benteng Oranje was built by the Dutch in 1667 and is currently used by the Indonesian police and military. There are many ancient cannons in the large complex. On the outskirt of town, in the direction of the airport, there is a mosque whose foundation date back to the 15th century. Its multi-tiered roof covers an airy space, beautifully designed for prayer and meditation.
 

A bit further out on the road to the airport, the Kedaton, or Sultan’s palace, houses a museum. Prior arrangements can be made through the local tourism office to see the museum’s jewel: the magical crown, reputed to be a personal gift from Allah to the first sultan who submitted to Islam. Some hair attached to the crown is said to be growing, requiring periodic trimming. A few years ago, when Gunung Gamalama threatened to erupt, the son of the last officially recognized sultan took the crown on a boat ride around Ternate to calm the impending eruption. It worked. Three times a week the crown and the resident spirits receive offerings of flowers, holy water and betel nuts.

A 45-km (30-mile) paved road encircles Ternate, never wandering far from the coastline and the volcanic slopes of the 1,720-metre (5,640-ft) Gunung Gamalama. At Dufa-Dufa village, the Portuguese Benteng Toloko fort stands on a seaside cliff, in surprisingly good shape and with a still-legible seal on its main entrance. Batu Angus (burnt rock) is a former lava flow, now jagged rock, which continuous underwater for quite a distance. On the northeast coast, the steep slopes of Hiri island pop into view. Nearby, there are two crater lakes, both called Danau Tolire. The smaller one is near the sea, while the other is a short distance inland.
 

After rounding the north of Ternate, the crumbling Portuguese Benteng Kastella fort comes into view. From here, there is a path to the sacred royal springs of Akerica and to the huge old Afo clove tree. Past Kastela and just before the village of Ngade is Danau Laguna. This lake, partially covered with lotus plants, is home to sacred crocodiles who, it is believed, trace their ancestry to a princess. Seeing on the them is said to lead to a lifetime of good luck. A path along one side of the lake rises to give a splendid view of Danau Laguna, with Maitara and Tidore islands in the background. The last stop, Benteng Kayu Merah fort, offers a sea-level view of the same islands.

Tidore islands, a bit larger than Ternate, is for the less energetic, belying its history as a former rival of Ternate’s clove production in the 17th century. Frequent boats leave Bastion for Run, where there is a weekly market. Tidore is dominated by the volcano, Gunung Kiematubu. A paved road goes around most of the islands, but beyond the main town of Soa Siu, the surface degenerated considerably.

The island of Ternate was a major regional center in the Portuguese and Dutch spice trade for several centuries, which contributed to the thorough documentation of Gamalama's historical activity. Three cones, progressively younger to the north, form the summit of Gamalama, which reaches 1715 m. Several maars and vents define a rift zone, parallel to the Halmahera island arc, that cuts the volcano. Eruptions, recorded frequently since the 16th century, typically originated from the summit craters, although flank eruptions have occurred in 1763, 1770, 1775, and 1962-63. Some eruptinos such as in 1771, 1773, 1775, 1838, 1871, and as lately as in 1962 caused fatalities.