Cave and Karst Prospecting within

Seram Island
(Maluku province) Indonesia
An expedition by

Guido Baroncini Turricchia and Andrea Benassi.

Submitted to the Manusela National Park

23 May-22 June 2012

Cave and Karst Prospecting within Seram Island (Maluku Province) Indonesia
An expedition by
Guido Baroncini Turricchia and Andrea Benassi.
23 May-22 June 2012
Copyright 2012 Guido Baroncini Turricchia, Andrea Benassi
All Rights Reserved

EDITED BY
Guido Baroncini Turricchia, Environmental Engineer
MAPS BY
Guido Baroncini Turricchia
PICTURES BY
Guido Baroncini Turricchia
Andrea Benassi
REFEREES
Eng. Arnaldo Turricchia
Prof. Valerio Sbordoni
Dr. Marco Fressura

FRONT PAGE
The Front Page shows The Sapalewa River entering in a 100 meters portal, Taniwel, Seram.
2 55 25 S
128 28 17 E
13-June-2012
Photo by Guido Baroncini Turricchia
Panorama of 5 shots, Canon 5d Mark II + EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L II USM + Tripod Gitzo GT0541

REPORT CITATION
Baroncini-Turricchia, G.; Benassi, A. - Cave and Karst Prospecting within Seram Island (Maluku Province), Indonesia - 23 May-22 June 2012

Copyright
Guido Baroncini Turricchia, Andrea Benassi
First Edition Rome, July 2012
coprology@yahoo.com

Contents
Acknowledgments ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Past studies and expeditions.................................................................................................. 5

Maps, satellites images and aerial photos ............................................................................. 6
Logistics ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 8

Time ........................................................................................................................................ 8
Food ........................................................................................................................................ 8
Gear ........................................................................................................................................ 9
Health & Medicines .............................................................................................................. 10
Visa and Permits ................................................................................................................... 11
Trip Diary ................................................................................................................................................................................. 13

Across the World [Rome/Ambon, 23-25 May 2012] ........................................................... 13

Hello Mister! [Ambon/Masohi, 26-27 May 2012] ............................................................ 13
To the heart of Serams tradition [Masohi/Huaulu village, 28-May-12] ............................. 14
Leaches and floods [Huaulu village/Kanikeh village, 28-29 May 2012] ............................... 15
The high Binaiya range [1 Jun 2012] .................................................................................... 17
The fast drop [Wai Fuku/Sawai Village, 2-5 Jun 2012] ........................................................ 18
Cliffs, shells and corals [Sawai/Saleman, 6-8 Jun 2012]....................................................... 18
Motorized tree trunk [Saleman/Kasieh, 9 Jun 2012] ........................................................... 19
32 little cavers [Kasieh/Goa Tana, 9 Jun 2012] .................................................................... 20
The Great Sapalewa [Kasieh/Taniwel/Sapalewa, 10-12 Jun 2012]...................................... 20
Forced vacation [Taniwel/Piru/Masohi/Saparua, 13-18 Jun 2012] ..................................... 23
Big Building and little bookshops [Jakarta/Rome, 19-22 Jun 2012] .................................... 23
Cave List ................................................................................................................................................................................... 24
Expedition Budget.................................................................................................................................................................... 26
Recommendations and future activities .................................................................................................................................. 27

Top of Binaiya ....................................................................................................................... 28

Hatu Kauala .......................................................................................................................... 28
Hatu Saka.............................................................................................................................. 28
Taniwel Area ......................................................................................................................... 28
Bibliography ........................................................................................................................................................................ 30

Acknowledgments
Although the idea and the main goal of this expedition was conceived and investigated in
Italy, the success of this expedition is due to the collaboration with Indonesian people.
First of all we would like to thank the Director of Manusela National Park, Zulkifli Ibnu; he
showed great interest towards our research activity and offered men and facilities which
contributed to the success of our expedition. The collaboration of the Park also facilitated
the communication with local stakeholders.
We would like to thank Ahmad Noi Sholek for his full collaboration and friendship; he was
our main communication bridge with local people. His adventurous spirit, kindness and
diplomacy facilitated a lot our mission. As much as Ahmad, the park guard La Ato Nuru
assisted us for the entire trip, opening up our way with the machete and putting us in
contact with the local people in the area of the Park. Special thanks are also due to the
porters and guides Im, Buan, Oni, Imp, Emi and Sonny for their help. Thanks to the Kings of
Kasieh and Taniwel for having welcomed us in their community and thanks also to the
families that hosted us during our stay in Huaulu, Saleman, Kasieh and Taniwel.
A Special thanks to Roberto Ammendola who lent us his professional photographic gear and
to our partners Marina and Roberta.

Introduction

Figure 1: The Indonesian Archipelago

Indonesia with its 18000 islands and 240 million people is one of the most extended and
populated countries in the world. However the Maluku province is one of the less populated
and Seram Island with its 33 people/km2 doesnt make exception. This Island, so famous in
the past for its spices products imported in Europe with long journey across the oceans, in
the last decades didnt attract the international attention with the exception of some local
separatist actions and a bloody religious struggle mainly in Ambon that unfortunately led to
the death of thousands of locals: news that pushed away any interest of international
travelers. But in the last years the political situation is back to normality and Seram Island is
again easily accessible.

Past studies and expeditions

Despite the number of publications related to Seram and Buru geology (134 at April 2011
according to (Van Gorsel 2011), and the vast extension of Limestone formations described
since the early 900 on the Islands, only 2 documented cave expeditions were organized in
this interesting and promising area of Maluku province. The first in 1996 (Jackson 1997) was
organized by the Sydney University Speleological Society (SUSS) and the Wessex Caving Club
(WCC): 10 cavers were active for one month in the area of Sawai/Saleman, in the central
north coast of Seram identifying and partially surveying 33 caves. Goa Hatu Saka, the most
important explorative result of the expedition is still nowadays the deepest cave in
Indonesia with a depth of 388 meters. In summer 2011 another group of cavers, this time
5

from Java, came to Seram Island and continued to investigate the karst massif between
Saleman and Sawai Village. The Acintyacunyata Speleological Club of Yogyakarta located 45
entrances and made the survey of 12, some of them showing prospects and potential of
further exploration. Other caves where partially documented by Archeologists in the
Southwest sector of Seram and in the Island of Ambon and Saparua (Spriggs 1990d; Kyle
Latinis 2005).

Maps, satellites images and aerial photos

Figure 2: Old Map by Le Rouge 1756

Since the Portuguese started their trade activities in Maluku region in the early 500
followed by the Dutch in the 600, the needs of maps especially for navigation were strongly
felt. Because of the difficulties to penetrate the internal part of the mountain range due to
hostile tribes and environment, to get the first good proper map of Seram we had to wait
the 3 years Dutch survey expedition of 1917-1919 described in three thesis (Valk 1945;
Germeraad 1946; Van der sluis 1950). A strong effort was done to realize a 1:100.000 scale
map, where not only the topography is quite accurate but also the toponymy reaches a high
quality mostly not improved in the following series. Thanks to Google Earth we identified
from satellite images where Sapalewa River disappear. We analyzed the DEM 1 and
determined the catchment area of Sapalewa before the cave: it cover a surface of 250km2;
considering an average rainfall of 2800 mm/year and bearing in mind that 2/3 goes in ET 2, the
average discharge should be around 8m3/s. Local measurement done during the
prospection showed a discharge around 50m3/s indicating clearly a flood event.

1
2

Digital Elevation Model

Evapotranspiration
6

Figure 3: Northwest Seram Geological map by Rutten 1919

Figure 4: Aerial Photo of Sapalewa River

7

Logistics
Logistics is an important factor to reach the goals decided at the opening of each expedition.
Time, food and weight constraints play a key role in the preparation of the voyage.

Time
The simple Indonesian tourist Visa of one month, coupled with 6 days of displacement,
reduced our effective time on the Island to 24 days. We tried to take maximum advantage
of the fact that we started our journey with only two participants: the goal was to cover as
best as possible unexplored 3 karst area to document presence of caves and other karst
features, to better understand this region and plan further investigations. Because of time
constraints we decided to focus our attention only on two areas: spend more than half of
the time to reach the top of Binaiya and prospecting the surrounding area; use the rest of
the time in the Northwest sector of Seram to survey the Sapalewa Underground River
observed by satellite and aerial photo and evaluate this karst sector.

Food
The choice of food was oriented at maximum efficiency: high Kcal/weight ratio, low
encumbrance, low waste, low needs of heat energy. Even if for trekking/high activity level a
daily consumption of around 3000Kcal/person/day is advised, the need to bring with us the
minimum possible weight led us to calculate the food on the basis of 1800kcal/person/day.
Here what we bought for the trekking on Binaiya.
Food
Dry fruit
Rise
Noodles
Jam
Meat
Biscuits
Bread
Coffee
Sugar
Salt
Chocobars
Oil
The
Total

Kg

Kcal/100gr
1
6
2.8
1.6
3.4
2.5
2.5
0.5
2
1
1.4
0.75
0.2
25.6kg

Kcal tot
472
362
450
252
303
450
244
0
400
0
481
900
0

Unexplored from a speleological point of view

8

4720
21720
12600
4032
10302
11250
6100
0
8000
0
6734
6750
0
92208

Gear
We spent many hours in Italy discussing animatedly for the lighter and most functional gear,
avoiding duplication and with the awareness that every extra kilogram would have reduced
the prospected surface. At the end we decided to allocate around 5kg to personal clothes,
6.5kg to the photographic gear, 6.5kg to progression gear and ropes, 12 kg to the camping
gear and accessories, and the rest for food.
Personal Clothes (x2) Units Weight per unit Total weight
Hat
2
0.09
0.18
Mosquitonet
1
0.045
0.045
Anorak
1
0.4
0.4
T-shirts
2
0.2
0.2
Pants
2
0.3
0.6
Light gloves
1
0.04
0.04
Underwear
4
0.07
0.28
Sandals
1
0.23
0.23
Boots
1
1.8
1.8
Towel
1
0.18
0.18
Socks
4
0.09
0.36
Pile
1
0.4
0.4
TOTAL
4.7kg
Photos
Units Weight per unit Total weight
Canon 5d Mark II
1
0.9
0.9
16-35mm F2.8 L II
1
0.65
0.65
70-200mm F2.8 L IS II
1
1.5
1.5
Tripod Gitzo GT0531
1
1.05
1.05
Holster 30
1
0.6
0.6
Accessories
1
0.4
0.4
Go pro Hero
1
0.15
0.15
Nikon Coolpix AW100
1
0.18
0.18
Battery
3
0.08
0.24
LED
2
0.4
0.8
TOTAL
6.5kg

Camping,
Units Weight per unit Total weight
Gear & Accessories
Tent
1
2.5
2.5
Provisions
1
0.45
0.45
Radio
2
0.15
0.3
9

Disto
GPS
Survey Book
Compass/clino
Maps
Survey bag
Battery AA
Battery AAA
Termic blanket
Lighter
Knife
Sleeping Bag
Isomat
Backpack 90
Backpack
Dry bag
Ropes
Progression gear
TOTAL

1
1
1
1
1
1
12
12
1
2
1
2
2
1
1
2
60
1

0.14
0.21
0.09
0.21
0.2
0.28
0.03
0.01
0.06
0.02
0.05
0.75
0.15
2.3
1.6
0.38
0.075
2

0.14
0.21
0.09
0.21
0.2
0.28
0.36
0.144
0.06
0.04
0.05
1.5
0.3
2.3
1.6
0.76
4.5
2
18.3kg

Units Weight per unit Total weight

Personal Clothes
Photos
Camping Gear &
accessories
SuperTotal

2
1
1

4.7
6.5
18.4

9.4
6.5
18.3
34.2kg

Health & Medicines

Because of the remoteness of many localities to be explored, we brought with us all the
remedies that a couple of kilograms allowed to carry: the impossibility to benefit for many
days of local health facilities forced us to consider many possible risk situations. We left Italy
with the following vaccines:

Anti-poliomyelitis
Anti-Choleric
Anti-encephalitis
Anti-hepatitis A+B
Anti-typhus
Anti-meningitis
Anti-rabbis
Anti-tetanic

10

None of this is compulsory to travel in Indonesia but for our kind of activities (rural area,
forest and caves) it is advisable to take in consideration this expense. Malaria is endemic in
Maluku province, so we decided to start prophylaxis against malaria 4. Mosquito were
present all along the trip with exception of the top of Binaiya. We used Autan Plus5 where
necessary, but sometimes mosquitos didnt care. In Kanikeh Village locals asked our help for
treatment of a 1 year old boy with malaria symptoms. In the past year in the same village 9
people were affected. Here the list of medicine we brought with us, their quantity and use.
Medicine
Antibiotic (Amoxicillina)
Stomach antibiotic (Bimixin)
Anti-Diarrhea (Imodium)
Lactic (Enterogermina)
Antispasmodic (Plasil)
Sore throat (Neoborocillina)
Sore throat (Froben spray)
Malaria (Lariam)
Salt
(Novalgina)
Pain killer (Orudis)
Painkiller (Buprofen)
Skin protection (Zink Oxide)
Mosquito Killer (Autan)
Gauzes and Bandages

Visa and Permits

Bring
24
30
10
8
6
12
1
10
8
1
8
12
1
1
6

Used
0
12
0
8
2
4
1
10
8
1
2
4
1
1
2

Even if the aim of our visit to Seram was mainly scientific and speleo/explorative, since we
were just 2 persons and without too much time, we decided to proceed as tourists to avoid
bureaucracy and waste of time in preparation, deferring a more official path to next
expedition in case this preliminary activity was encouraging, as it was. We got the tourist
Visa directly at the arrival in Jakarta 6, and once in Ambon we showed up at the airport
police station to declare our presence and intention to visit the Island. We did the same in
Masohi getting a local touristic permit. Since most of our activity was inside the Manusela
National Park we also presented ourselves to the director of the Park who granted the
permits and kindly offered his logistic help. The fifth day in West Seram, in Taniwel Village,
at the police station we realized that our permit wasnt valid in that part of the island; they
recently had changed the border and this misunderstanding caused the premature end of

We decided to get Lariam, free of charge in Italy, must be taken once a week since the week before
departure and up to 4 weeks after the possible period of exposition. Side effect in psychopathic subject.
5
30% DEET
6
One month Visa, to stay more you need a special one for working or research purpose
11

our journey 7: we were invited to immediately refer to Piru headquarter and from there
kindly invited to go back in the part of the island where our permit was valid.

Fortunately a shortening of only 3 days that we wisely spent snorkeling in the coral reef of Saparua
12

Trip Diary

Figure 5: The Expedition trip

Across the World [Rome/Ambon, 23-25 May 2012]

We left Fiumicino airport (Rome) with Fly Emirates at 22.40 of May 23rd. On the 24th we
arrived with half an hour delay in Dubai, waited 5 hours for the following flight. We left with
15 minutes delay and arrived in Djakarta at night with 35 minutes delay. No turbulence
neither luggage problems, only an alarm for a passenger smoking in the bathroom. The
yellow bus free of charge took us from the international terminal to the national one. We
tried to sleep some hours on the floor outside of the airport. We took the Batavia Flight at 6
in the morning, and at 12, after more than 12000km of flights, we landed in Pattimura
Airport. At the Airports police station we reported our presence and intention to travel
across Seram, they took note of our plan and left us continue. We reached Ambon with a
couple of motorbikes crossing the Ambon bay with a ferryboat. Weather was good. We left
our belongings in the Beta hotel and started to look around asking for information in the
port and visiting the center. Local people looked surprised to see foreign people here.
Everybody was busy cleaning and refurbishing for the incoming big June political gathering.
Food was cheap, spicy and good, but we were incredibly tired after the 3 days journey and
went to bed early.

Hello Mister! [Ambon/Masohi, 26-27 May 2012]

We left Ambon before sunrise with a minibus and rapidly arrived at Tulehu port on the east
coast of the island. The internal sea was quite calm and the speedy ferryboat rode past the
waves and in 1h35 arrived at Amahai port in the south cost of Seram.
13

Figure 6: Crossing Banda Sea with the ferry

Fifteen minutes later we are in the center of Masohi the central Seram district capital. Here,
more than in Ambon, people were incredibly surprised for our presence and continuously
said Hello Mister!, with big smiles and surprise in the face of everybody- It looked like the
main island were even less visited than Ambon. We went to the Manusela National Park
Headquarter to explain our prospecting intention and to collect information about the areas
we planned to visit. The welcome was warm and after this first contact we agreed to make
an official presentation to the employees on the next Monday, before leaving the city
together with a park guard and a local caver and translator kindly organized by the director.
We passed the rest of the day to take contact with locals and the city. A strong rain in the
afternoon tried without success to bring a bit of fresh air. In the evening we discussed about
the food and material we needed to buy. Sunday morning we bought at the supermarket all
the needs for the first 10 days of trekking, again in the afternoon the rain arrived strong.

To the heart of Serams tradition [Masohi/Huaulu village, 28-May-12]

In the morning we described to the director and his employees the main places and the
targets we wanted to reach. The audience looked interested and participated with
questions to the talk. We could count on the car of the Park and Gnoman the driver to travel
across the island up to the northern part inside the Manusela National Park. When the
Parks pickup couldnt go any further due to a fallen bridge, we carried on our shoulders all
the material and continued along the path for a couple of km until we arrived at the Huaulu
Village, just in time to avoid the afternoon storm. Huaulu is a well-known place for us: In
the seventies and in the eighties Valerio Valeri, an Italian anthropologist spent with the
locals more than 40 months trying to understand local behavior and traditions, as is
described in his posthumous book The Forest of Taboos(Valeri 2000).

14

Figure 7: Huaulu Village

Based on his book we had imagined for many months this place and his people and with
insatiable curiosity we tried to match our fancy with reality. Initially our hosts were
somewhat detached but when we showed them the book they immediately changed their
attitude and showed to be glad and surprised about our deep interest for their community.
We passed a nice evening sharing stories, smiles and experiences.

Leaches and floods [Huaulu village/Kanikeh village, 28-29 May 2012]

In the morning, in the south direction, it appeared
clear to us the Hatu Kouala Its limestone cliffs were
visible and attracted our attention. The locals
informed us that is was possible to get there in 1-2
days, and we decided that it could be a possible
target for a future expedition especially because from
DEM information a big close valley is hidden behind
that range. Thanks to Ato we made a deal with 2 local
porters, Buan and Im; they would have helped us to
transport food and materials up to the Binaiya. The
path started quite steep and Guido soon realized that
his training in Italy was not sufficient due to the
different moisture and temperature conditions. In
this first day we experienced the body loss of many
liters of water. Once in the river the situation got
better and we could proceed more easily thanks to
the water that cooled us down a bit. We passed Figure 8: Bamboos Bridge near Kanikeh
through Roho Village without any stop and from there for many kilometers we didnt see
15

rivers anymore. Guido had to stop every 2-300 meters due to the incredible humidity,
whereas the locals are completely at ease. As a holy liberation the rain arrived. We had
never before experienced such a strong flow of water. We were amazed that even by
screaming aloud we could not communicate with each other, we asked if this intensity was
normal and they answered that is an average rain. Even if completely wet the rain
regenerated our spirit and we started to walk faster. After less than one hour we reached
the Wasamata River. The view was astonishing: the brown water flowed furiously, the water
level increased 2 meters above normal conditions and we could not cross it. Buan upon
discovering a leech in the Guidos eye snatched it away. After this first shocking contact with
the hungry little beast we started to check each other anxiously to be sure we were clean.
Since the camp area was completely muddy Im and Buan started to cut bamboos and in less
than one hour the dry floor of our camp was ready their ability with bamboos is incredible:
they can do everything with them. The morning after the water level had sufficiently
lowered and we could cross the river. After some hour we finally met a first evidence of
karst: a little outcrop area populated by limestone blades was located on the right of the
path. Just before arriving to the Kanikeh village we stopped near a nice clean river. Here we
could again appreciate the incredible engineering capability of the locals who had built with
only bamboos a long and resistant bridge that allowed us to cross safely the river even in
case of flood. Kanikeh village is very nice and well maintained, nice soft grass and flowers
are present in the garden of all the houses and in the main road. Nowadays it has become
Christian but we had the chance to notice that their old traditions and beliefs are still very
much present.

Figure 9: Talking about Binaiya with locals

16

As we already knew from our internet investigations before going up to the Binaiya we
were invited to participate to the Betels protection ritual and the signing of the guest
book, 2 practices in between the real beliefs and the tourist trap. We took advantage of this
meeting to get some information about names of local places and mountains. We slept in
our tents under a concrete open structure.

The steep climb [Kanikeh village/Wai Fuku, 30-31 May 2012]

Early in the morning we woke up with the intention to climb up as much as possible. At
around 1500 m elevation we started again to see limestone outcrops and much time didnt
pass before we met the first pit: it was 15m deep and could possibly continue but without
air flow. Before the end of the day we collected the points of other 6 entrances, entered
into a couple of them, noticing some little concretion and some presence of fauna not
particularly specialized. All the caves were of small dimensions and without any explorative
interest but important to determine a limestone layer between 1500 and 2000 meter with
an impermeable layer interval. We comfortably slept in Wai Huhu camp. The day after with
a hike through a fast vegetation change we arrived to Way Fuku. Here we arranged the
camp near a small pond. The temperature of around 14 degrees was perfect to us, whereas
the locals, not accustomed to it were visibly affected.

The high Binaiya range [1 Jun 2012]

We left one porter at the camp and in 5 we
moved in the west direction along the crest out
of the touristic path and in an area unknown
both to the park guard and to the local porters.
The karst structure changed along the path,
passing from a more fractured rock to a more
compact limestone rich in siliceous inclusion.
Often the closed valleys that we crossed and
where we hoped to find entrances of caves
were hosting small ponds, where deer grazed.

Figure 11: Epikarst features at 3000 meters.

17

Figure 10: Crystallized inclusion in Triassic limestone

Only in one case at an elevation of 2750 meter we found one entrance but as the previous
one without any explorative continuation. We finally reached the true Binaiya peak, 30
meters higher than the most known one but half hike day far. Here the epikarst features are
dominant and big dark karst blades are everywhere but no evidence of underground access.
This limestone is commonly interpreted as Jurassic but paleontological evidence appears to
suggest a late Triassic age (Martini, Zaninetti et al. 2004). We left happy to have reached this
incredible place but a bit disappointed for the absence of big caves. At Wai Fuku we found
that a group of Javanese hikers were also camping.

The fast drop [Wai Fuku/Sawai Village, 2-5 Jun 2012]

Our way back was quite fast. We started to run out of food and the idea of a nice bath in the
coral reef of Sawai was leading our thoughts. The first day down to Kanikeh, with the
exception of Ato who involuntarily kicked down a stone almost hitting Iyek, passed quite
smoothly. Unfortunately the day after, due to the long numbers of hours of walk in the
rivers, with suspended sandy solids inside the boots, the feet skin affected Iyek and Andrea,
who despite the zinc-oxide protection couldnt advance easily. We arrived in Sawai Village
late in the afternoon just in time for a tasty snack and an incredible swim.

Cliffs, shells and corals [Sawai/Saleman, 6-8 Jun 2012]

Figure 12: Sawai's Cliffs

The north coast between Sawai and Saleman, with its high
limestone cliffs that enter directly in the sea, was object of
attention by the 1996 international expedition and the
2011 Indonesian expedition (ASC 2011). So we limited
ourselves to verify the description of some features made
by the past cavers sailing with a little local canoe along the
coast and enjoying the incredible and colorful undersea
with his enormous corals and the astonishing beach full of
big shells. An appointment that was repeating every
evening was the exit of a long column of bats out of the
Luisiala cave just above Saleman Village; they leave their
home to go hunting along the coast and coming back
before the sun rises. This corner of the Manusela National

18

Park is one of the most beautiful, but despite its nice and various attractions only a few
hundred
tourists
visit
this
place
every
year.

Figure 13: Sawai bay

The only remarkable negative point, that as far as we could see is common to all the villages
along the Seram coast, is that the local people throw directly into the sea all their garbage,
then the sea currents spread this waste all along the coast impoverishing the value of the
natural landscape. Only some ten years ago this waste disposal behavior wasnt harming the
environment because all the product were natural (biodegradable) whereas now many
things are made on plastic that can stay thousands of years before degradation.

Motorized tree trunk [Saleman/Kasieh, 9 Jun 2012]

Bridges in the north coast way were possibly down due to strong flood events. We decided
to reach the Taniwel area by the sea and arranged with a Saleman fisherman to rent a boat
for the crossing. But after seeing the boat we were not sure anymore that we had done the
right choice. The voyage was almost 90 km long and we were a bit scared and doubtful that
this little boat obtained from a tree trunk could transport 6 people and 100kg of material
without problems. We left the village at 4h30 in the morning. It was still dark but at least
the sea was completely flat. The boat captain mounted 2 little motors (very similar to the
grass cutter motors) on the tree trunk: they had to ensure a speed of 13 km/h and give also
the direction to the trunk that was not fitted with a tiller. The crossing was 7 hours long. We
passed near a big spectral ferryboat stranded in the coral reef. Some km north a storm
menaced our way. To understand if we were in trouble we used to give a look at the captain
19

face: if he was relaxed we were relaxed. Iyek was occupied all the time in emptying the boat
from the in leaking water, some dolphins jumped far from us and the coast showed some
white cliff. Binaiya skyline moved away and Cecilias range was approaching and we are
impatient to reach our destination. Suddenly the face of the captain was not relaxed
anymore: a strong sea current mixed with unexpected wind forces forced us to retreat
quickly to the coast.
We
waited
the
passage of this little
maelstrom
and
continued, but one
motor was damaged
and we could rely
only on the one left.
Fortunately
we
arrived safe at Kasieh
village where we
were
guests
of
captains relatives.
Figure 14: Hatu Patola karst cone from Kasieh Beach

32 little cavers [Kasieh/Goa Tana, 9 Jun 2012]

In Kasieh, after a nice lunch welcome, Guido and Iyek went to talk with the King of the
village to tell our intentions. Meanwhile a large group of kids gathered around offering to
take us to some really nice caves nearby. The group increased along the way and we arrived
at the entrance of the first cave, Goa Toke (Geckos Cave), with 32 kids. It was really nice to
see the enthusiasm of these children who fought with each other to show us their place. We
entered in Goa Tana (Soils Cave), at the beginning a bit selective due to some narrow
passages and a little jump of a couple of meter and only in 16 continued with us. We had
just 3 led light with us and we started to be a bit scared fearing that the situation could
become dangerous, but the kids pushed us to continue and we entered 2/300 meters inside
the mountain along nice and long galleries up to a big room with the high roof completely
full of bats. Life was everywhere, swallows, amblypygi, uropygi, orthoptera, coleoptera and
we noticed a couple of possible explorative continuation that required gear. We left the
cave with the little friends singing happily all around us.

The Great Sapalewa [Kasieh/Taniwel/Sapalewa, 10-12 Jun 2012]

In the northern part of the island the fuel is 2 times more expensive than in the Masohi
area. Considering our limited budget and no access to cash machine we decided to continue
by foot. In 1h30 we were in Taniwel and we went to the local King to explain our
prospecting plans. He put us in contact with a local guide, Sonny, who offered to lead us
along the Sapalewa River up to the two main cave entrances. We organized the food and
20

left the same morning Taniwel Village. The path was long and full of annoying insect and
spiders. In some part was it also dangerous due to steepness of the terrain and thorny
plants but the magnificence of the high trees with enormous roots and the inviting noise of
the River forced us to continue. It was already dark when we planted our tents on the
surface full of roots. That night, due to the fatigue caused by the steepness of the mountain,
we were running out of drinking water, despite the fact that we were just at 400 meters
from the river cave. The day after we continued our hike in the forest, Sonny left us just for
a moment to find the better path and disappeared for almost 3 hours. After the first hour
we were already quite worried. He knew the way, he had the food, but he had disappeared.
Andrea and Ato decided to go to look for him in case he was in trouble while Guido and Iyek
waited in the last place we had sawn him. We were already organizing our way back to look
for help in the search for the missing man when he reappeared. Finally, after a long round
walk, we arrived in the proximity of the River in the point where it comes out of the
mountain. The discharge flow rate was impressive. Despite the fact that we were in dry
season the brown color of the water suggested that the Sapalewa was in spate. We
estimated of a flow rate 50m3/s.

Figure 15: The low entrance of the Sapalewa cave

We were all astonished and excited about the finding and started to explore the cave from
the top. We advanced 4-500 meters also along a huge lateral fossil gallery that brought to
another entrance. The discharge prevented us from continuing along the main way so we
decided to document the place with pictures and went back to the camp, as usual under a
heavy afternoon rain. The day after we crossed the mountain and along the walk we
explored Goa Patune, a cave of medium size that once was probably connected with the
21

underground system but not anymore. Limestone features started to be evident along the
path and we saw a couple of little rivers disappear. When we arrived at less than 400 meters
from the Sapalewa River sinkhole, we encountered an incredibly well maintained old Dutch
road, 250 meters long 1.5 meter wide and with a variable height between one and five
meters. Evidently the colonists, in order to maintain the contact between Piru and Taniwel
avoiding the long circumnavigation of Hoamoal peninsula, had decided to build this road in
the only place where the Sapalewa doesnt need to be forded. Nearby was the nice Goa
Batu Sori (Stones afternoon cave) with its little clean lakes, nice formations and old graffiti,
a cave already mentioned in the 1918 Dutch expedition.
Just before reaching the great sinkhole we also explored another couple of caves of 70/80
meters, the second one showing evidence of airflow and nice exploration perspectives.
Finally we arrived where the Sapalewa River enters into the mountain. The view was
incredible, the portal high between 80 to 100 meters and the River entering violently into
the dark. Swallows fly in and out and big tree trunks are embedded up to 30 meter above
the present river level. We documented with photos and movies the place but we could not
continue with the limited gear we brought with us, so we decided to go back the same day
to Taniwel. 2 km far away, on the Buria/Taniwel road, a big panel informs about the
imminent start of work to modify the flow and realize a 10MW hydro plant. We were really
disappointed: the most incredible wonder of Seram, one of the biggest underground rivers
in the whole world, still unexplored, will be probably soon be ruined to produce just a little
amount of energy. A deep sense of sorrow and bitterness overtook us in our way back.

22

Forced vacation [Taniwel/Piru/Masohi/Saparua, 13-18 Jun 2012]

We had just woken up when our presence was requested at the local police station. Once
there Andrea was questioned. For more than one hour and It turned out that our Visa was
valid only in the central part of Seram (Masohi Province) but not in Piru Province where we
then were. They explained to us that we had to report to the police headquarter in Piru. In
Piru they told us we had to leave the province and if we wanted to come back we had to ask
the visa in Ambon. At that point, since only a few days of stay remained, we decided to
dedicate the last days to relax. We went back to Masohi where we organized a short
presentation about our explorations. The day after we moved to Saparua Island, in a nice
bay near Kulor where we spent the last 3 days in complete relax: exploring and surveying
some aquatic caves and enjoying the coral reef and the incredible sea food.

Figure 16: Seven princes cave

Big Building and little bookshops [Jakarta/Rome, 19-22 Jun 2012]

We left Ambon with a little delay. After a stop in Surabaya airport where they checked again
our hand luggage we finally arrived in Jakarta. A fast bus left the airport and in one hour we
were in the center of the capital. Jakarta is a young city and is growing fast, high skyscrapers
near modern mosques mixed with a mess of poor neighborhoods. We spent quite some
time trying to find a bookshop, but without any sucess. We decided to concentrate our
efforts in tasting all the marvelous food varieties that were available almost everywhere
along the streets. After a hot walk around the national monument we went directly to the
airport. An unpleasant tentative of extortion by a public officer at the passport control point
left us with a bitter taste. We arrived in Dubai with one hour delay; after ten hours we got
the airplane to Rome where we arrived in perfect time happy to find our baggage.

23

Cave List
Here we present the list and position of the caves found during our prospection in Seram
Island. The coordinates are expressed in UTM 52M; the precision of the cave entrance
depends on GPS signal at the moment of acquisition 8 ; the GPS allowed us to reach a
precision in between 5 to 50 meters depending on land cover. Were also realized two maps
representing Karst feature and distribution in Seram Island: A general overview, adaptation
of different geological papers and another map zoomed in the North West sector, where 12
underground rivers were localized based on Dutch geological maps and satellite
information. Only Sapalewa River was reached during this prospection. Based on NorthWest Seram geological map by Rutten we calculate the area covered by Triassic (670km2),
by the interbedded karst (66km2) and by the Koral karst (148km2).

Cave Name

Location

Lat

Long

Gua Satu baik

Gua Dua
Gua Tiga
Gua Empat
Gua Lima
Gua Labah-labah
Gua top
Gua Hatu Patola
Gua Toke
Gua Puhon
Gua Tana

Waensela
Waensela
Waensela
Waensela
wai huhu
wai huhu
Binaiya
Hatu Patola
Hatu Kasieh
Hatu Kasieh
Hatu Kasieh
Hatu Toisiwa
Hatu Toisiwa
Hatu Toisiwa
Hatu Toisiwa
Hatu Toisiwa
Hatu Toisiwa

9652004
9651860
9651773
9651544
9650469
9650409
9649090
9684232
9683982
9684038
9684045
9677900
9676886
9677227
9676736
9676975
9676958

552699
552860
553003
553132
553603
553584
551555
453009
449306
449143
449100
440066
441299
439775
440692
440743
440989

Gua Sapalewa (spring)

Gua Sapalewa (sink)

Gua Patune
Gua Batu Sori
Gua cepat cepat
Gua Kelelawar Hijau

We used a GPS Garmin Map 60 CSx

24

Elev

1567
1550
1599
1697
1969
1989
2796
248
90
62
63
220
344
430
422
414
413

Prec

15
15
15
15
15
15
30
50
30
30
30
50
50
15
30
30
30

Lenght

15
5
5
5
5
21
12
5
80
10
250
500
100
88
200
70
60

Depth

-15

-8

-30
-10
+80
+30/-70
-35
+15/-10
-8
-30

Figure 17: Caves and Karst Distribution in Seram Island, adaptation of difference sources

25

Expedition Budget
Flights Rome/Dubay/Jakarta and Back
Flights Jakarta/Ambon and Back
Porters and Guides
Fuel
Speedboat
Regular boat
Motor
Trunk boat
Truck
Bemos/car
Bus
Visa, permits and taxes
Food and accommodation
Caving Material
Maps, Remote Sensing and GIS data
Vaccination, medicine and cure

Unit cost
Units
570
153
14
0.4
8
1
5
53+12+12
40
2
20+5+2+3
215
155
103+105+230
350+150

Total Cost
2
2
15
55
2
2
2
3
1
4
2
2
2
1
3
1

Total Cost

1140
306
266
22
16
2
10
77
40
35
4
60
430
155
438
500

3501

transportation
food & accomodation
caving material and data
Vaccination,medicine and cure

Figure 18: Partition of expedition expenses

26

Recommendations and future activities

After this first speleological overview of the Island, it is clear to us that Seram karst can offer
to cavers, scientists and locals many opportunities. Four are the possible areas of interest
for future expeditions.

27

Top of Binaiya
We just had the time to scratch the surface in this sector; we confirm the presence of karst
features only from the height of 1500m to the top of the range. Facing north only a
possible vertical potential of 1000-1200 meters is possible; we can say nothing about the
south side. Kanikeh people said that the spring of Sapolewa 9 River is a waterfall with behind
a big cave; we couldnt confirm that information due to lack of time. And the valleys and
plateau west of Binaiya peak look promising.

Figure 19:Mount Binaiya and the west unexplored area

Hatu Kauala
To our knowledge this is a really interesting place. Hatu Kauala is around 2047 meters high.
The international cave expedition of 1996 reached a huge karst spring (30m3/s) in the north
side at 150 meters elevation; moreover a large
closed valley is hidden behind the peaks.

Hatu Saka
Even if Hatu Saka is internationally known as the
deepest cave in Indonesia, It was reached by cavers
only two times and, due to a flood event,
exploration couldnt be continued. But the cave
continues and the springs are almost 1000 meters
lower than the sinkhole.

Taniwel Area
The up to know unvisited northwest karst sector,
with his more than 210km2 of limestone surface and
peaks up to 1450 meters, demonstrates a strong
explorative potential, with 11 underground rivers
already identified but not reached. The Sapalewa River,
9

Similar name but different from Sapalewa River

28

Figure 20: Amblypygi in Batu Sori Cave

with its estimated 50m3/s flow 10 and a portal 100 meters high, enters in the top five biggest
underground rivers in the whole world. Further explorations, with survey and biological and
geological sampling will be proposed to LIPI 11 , Indonesian cavers as international experts
for a joined expedition in the next dry season. The specific position of Seram Island near the
Wallaces line, between the South East Asia and Oceania ecozones will offer to cave
biologist an incredibly valid opportunity to study the sharp biological change that
characterizes the region and that in the cave fauna can be studied. The increased knowledge
of local beauty, the publication of the exploration results, the organization of photo-graphic
exhibits and presentations will benefit not only the scientific and caving community but also
the locals that could possibly see an increase of the tourism linked with these incredibly
beautiful landscapes. To the Manusela National Park we would like to highlight four main
points:

10
11

In top of Binaiya, Wai Fuku camp area is in proximity of a small pond used by deer
and other animals that cannot sustain the anthropic pressure (washing dishes,
waste disposal etc.) of uneducated tourists. An alternative should be the use of Wai
Huhu as last camping site. This camp allows reaching Binaiya peak in 3-4 hours
without too much damage for the delicate ecosystem of the high ponds. A periodic
monitoring of water sample from pond should be taken and analyzed to maintain
under control the pollution levels already reached.
The porters that bring tourists from Kanikeh Village, while quite expert in low forest
environment, should be helped in gaining a better knowledge of high mountain risk
situation, and a better understanding of gear needs. They should also be the first to
educate the tourists on to how deal with waste disposal (i.e. Bring back exhausted
batteries and other not biodegradable products)
In the villages along the coast the discharge into the sea of plastic and other
garbage, should be avoided. If more modern system of waste disposal are still not
available the park should open the way to this direction and collaborate with local
authorities to obtain it. Tourists dont go where sea looks dirty.
Even if the Sapalewa Underground River is not inside Manusela National Park, since
MNP is the main local protection authority in the island, and considering the
importance of its cave system, we suggest to study in collaboration with LIPI the
possibility to include this area in some protection scheme, to try to preserve from
modification this indescribable Indonesian wonder of Nature.

Measurement done the 12-6-2012

Indonesian Institute of Science
29

Bibliography

ASC (2011). Laporan Ekspedisi Speleologi Seram 2011.

Germeraad, J. H. (1946). Geological, Petrographical and Paleontological Results of Explorations,
carried out from september 1917 till June 1919 in the Island of Ceram by L. Rutten and W.
Hotz , Geology of Central Seran.
Jackson, D. C., I. (1997). "It's a Goa: Joint SUSS/WCC Seram Expedition " SUSS bUlletin 37(2): 7-60.
Kyle Latinis, D. S. K. (2005). "Cave Use Variability in Central Maluku, Eastern Indonesia." Asian
Perspectives 44(1).
Martini, R., L. Zaninetti, et al. (2004). "Upper Triassic carbonate deposits of Seram (Indonesia):
palaeogeographic and geodynamic implications." Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology,
Palaeoecology 206(12): 75-102.
Spriggs, M. (1990d). "Archeological and Ethnoarcheological research in Maluku 1975 and 1977: An
unfinished story." Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University.
Valeri, V. (2000). The Forest of Taboos - Morality, Hunting, and identity among the Huaulu of the
Moluccas, The University of Wisconsin Press.
Valk, W. (1945). Geological, Petrographical and Paleontological Results of Explorations, carried out
from september 1917 till June 1919 in the Island of Ceram by L. Rutten and W. Hotz ,
Contribution to the Geology of West Seran.
Van der sluis, J. P. (1950). Geological, Petrographical and Paleontological Results of Explorations,
carried out from september 1917 till June 1919 in the Island of Ceram by L. Rutten and W.
Hotz , Geology of East Seran.
Van Gorsel, J. T. (2011). "Bibliography of Indonesia Geology, Van Gorsel's List." from
http://www.vangorselslist.com.

30

All Participants
Andrea (SSS)

Guido (CSR)

Iyek (ASC)

Ato( Manusela NP)

Buan (Huaulu)

Im (Huaulu)

Oni (Kanikeh)

Sonny (Taniwel)

Imp (Kanikeh)

31