The tiny nutmeg island England traded to the Dutch for Manhattan in 1667.
Run is a small, quiet island at the edge of the Banda group with an outsized place in history. In the 1600s its nutmeg made it so valuable that England and the Netherlands fought over it, and in the 1667 Treaty of Breda the English gave up their claim to Run in exchange for the Dutch settlement of Manhattan, in what is now New York. The swap sounds absurd today, which is exactly why people come.
There is little grand to see on the ground, just a village, old nutmeg, a few traces of the English period, and a short walk to a viewpoint.
The draw is standing on the speck of land once judged a fair trade for Manhattan, and the boat ride and snorkeling along the way.
Getting there
Run is reached by boat from Banda Neira, typically a chartered trip arranged through your guesthouse, taking around an hour or more each way depending on the boat and the sea. There is no scheduled ferry, so you go as part of a day trip, often combined with snorkeling stops. Confirm the boat and price the day before.
Best time
Visit in the calmer-sea months (roughly March to April or September to November), since the open crossing can be rough and trips are cancelled in bad weather. A clear, calm day also makes the snorkeling on the way far better.
Good to know
Come for the history and the journey rather than dramatic sights, and bring a guide or host who can tell the story on the spot. Carry cash, water, sun cover, and your own snorkel gear. Treat the boat timing loosely, as weather dictates whether the trip runs at all.
Effectively yes. Under the 1667 Treaty of Breda, England relinquished its claim to nutmeg-rich Run and the Dutch kept Manhattan (New Amsterdam), which the English had taken. At the time, Run's spice wealth made it look like the better prize.
Not in a grand sense. It is a small village island with nutmeg, a few faint traces of the English era, and a viewpoint walk. The appeal is the history and the experience of getting there, not big sights.
By chartered boat arranged through your guesthouse, usually as a day trip of an hour or more each way, often with snorkeling stops. There is no regular ferry, and trips depend entirely on the weather.
Add it to a route across Indonesia and we will work out the travel time and cost between every stop.
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