Fort Kalamata is a coastal star fort built by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century on the southern end of Ternate Island, about 4 kilometres from the town centre. It is a classic example of the bastion-style military architecture that the Portuguese introduced across their empire — designed to withstand cannon fire rather than just archers and scaling ladders.
The fort is smaller and less visited than Fort Oranje, but better preserved in some respects. The star-shaped plan is clear from a slight elevation, and the stone construction has weathered reasonably well. The location, on a low headland facing south, was chosen to defend the island's southern approaches from rival European ships.
Getting there by ojek takes about 10 minutes from the town centre. It can be combined with Fort Tolukko in a circuit of the island's colonial fortifications, which is the best way to grasp the scale of the European military presence here during the spice-trade era.