The thousand islands of Maluku (formerly the Moluccas) were the fabled spice islands of history, which attracted Indian, Chinese, Arab and later European traders, who came in search of the cloves, nutmeg and mace which grew here and nowhere else. Today these islands, sprawled across a vast area of ocean, offer tropical scenery with a Polynesian feel, exotic bird life, old forts, lovely villages and beaches, good snorkelling and diving, and no touts or pollution. Most visitors used to head for Ambon, the Bandas and Ternate, all stepping-off points for a swarm of tiny islands far from the tourist trail. But Ambon was rocked by communal violence in 1998 and 1999, tens of thousands of refugees have fled and it has fallen off the traveller's circuit. You'll need at least five weeks to explore the islands in any depth if you travel by boat; a minimum of three weeks if you intend to fly. It's really best not to come here at all unless you throw away your watch before arriving.