Elevation	1,750 m (5,741 ft); Prominence: 1,750 m
Province	Maluku Utara (North Maluku)
Ribu Category	Kurang Tinggi
Also Known As…	Tidore
Links	Wikipedia English

Photos

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Bagging It!

The island of Tidore consists mostly of this now dormant volcano and many people still refer to it as Mount Tidore or Gunung Tidore. Kiematubu is featured on the Rp 1000 bank note and is a beautiful symmetrical cone shape especially when seen from Ternate island. Interestingly, it is slightly higher than Ternate’s legendary Gamalama volcano yet easier to climb due to the higher trailhead.

The starting point is the hill village of Gurabunga which lies roughly 900 metres above sea level and can be reached via ojek or car from the island’s main town of Soasiu. This high start means you can get to the summit in less than 3 hours and descend in just over 2 hours. If you are staying in Ternate island, the first ferry leaves for Tidore at 7am and the last one returns to Ternate at 5pm. Additionally there are local private boats but you could easily spend hours negotiating a reasonable price. It takes about 90 minutes by car/motorbike to reach Gurabunga from the ferry port but that should still leave you enough time to climb Kiematubu as a day trip to the island. If you have met a good ojek driver in Ternate, it might be an idea to take him over to Tidore for the day in order to save time.

Compulsory local guides can be found in Gurabunga and the going rate for non-Indonesians in Rp 300,000. As is common, there are a number of plantation paths on the lower slopes of the mountain but with local help you should have no trouble reaching the edge of the forest after about two hours of steep trails. At one point near the beginning the track widens out to almost the width of a car. You need to make sure you take a left turn next to a nutmeg tree about 50 metres before a wooden hut. This smaller trail descends slightly before ascending steeply up the side of the mountain. After two hours of hiking, the route follows a small stream running down from the peak. There is usually water to be found at this point.

After the edge of the forest, the vegetation is mostly comprised of ferns, shrubs and reeds. In clear conditions you should be able to see the volcanic cone of Gamalama to your right, Gurabunga village way back down the track, plus Kie Besi volcano (in the distance on Makian island) and Halmahera to your left. It is just over half an hour from the edge of the forest to the summit which is marked with a graffiti-covered cement pillar. The path leads round the steep cliff edge of the impressive dormant crater which is now overgrown with plant life. The panorama from the peak is fantastic and there is room for 3 tents in between the reeds. Return the same way in just over 2 hours.

Practicalities

Bagging information provided by Daniel Quinn