Bangka - Belitung and Riau Islands – Indonesia

On the east coast of Sumatra, there are thousands of large and small islands. Two of the largest is the island of Bangka and Belitung. In the past, both of them are part of South Sumatra Province. However, in 2000, they became the new provinces namely, Bangka-Belitung province.

Other islands which are smaller, formerly part of the province of Riau. And in 2002 became the Province of Riau Islands.

Since the Dutch colonial era, Bangka and Belitung was famous for their mining products, such as granite, quartz, kaolin, bauxite and especially tin, both black and white. And nowadays,  Bangka-Belitung become more popular for their natural beauty, especially  the beaches.

One of the very popular tourist destination is Island of Lengkuas. It is one of hundreds of small islands in the waters of the Island of Belitung. Its main attraction is an old lighthouse which was built by the Dutch Colonial Government in 1882 and is still in use today.

Its beauty beaches are decorated by many unique granite, white sand and clear sea water.

The island is quite clean as uninhabited, except for the lighthouse attendant. And can be visited within 45 minutes boating from Tanjung Binga in Belitung Island. Few tips, prepare enough food and drinks for the trip.

There's more beauty beaches, Beach of Parai Tenggiri and Matras Beach. Both of them are on the Island of Bangka and are favorite tourist destination. Matras Beach is a beautiful beach with fine white sand. While on the Parai Tenggiri Beach, its white sand beach adorned by many large natural granite stone with varying shapes .

Riau Archipelago is blessed with a lot of potential attractions, beautiful beaches and cultural attractions. Consisting of 2048 islands, of which 40% of them have not been named and uninhabited. 95% of its territory (about 251.810,71 km²) is the sea and only 5% of which is land.

The capital is Tanjung Pinang which is located on Bintan Island, the largest island in this archipelago. In the past, this city was the capital of the Sultanate of Malacca and later the Sultanate of Johor. It is currently one of Indonesia's economic development area

With thousands of islands, Riau Islands has a lot of natural beautiful beaches and diving spots, such as  Trikora Beach, on the east side of Bintan Island, about 50 miles south of Tanjung Pinang. Also there is Pasir Panjang, on the north side of Island of Rupat. Natural and beautiful beaches can also be found on Terkulai Island, north-west of Tanjung Pinang and Soreh Island, south-west of Tanjung Pinang, each about 1 hour boating.

One of the beach which is also popular is Nongsa in Batam Island. Here,  a number of resorts and golf courses of international standards are ready for domestic and international travelers. From here, we can also see the night sky with light in Singapore. It’s so romantic..

Batam city is also one of the icons of tourism in the Riau Islands. Lots of tourists, especially from Singapore, come here for a vacation with family. The distance is only 20 km or 20 minutes away by ferry from Singapore, making it a favorite place for a vacation destination. In addition, duty-free shops and a variety of seafood, the main attraction that makes travelers want to go back to Batam.

And if you are history lovers, then you can come to Penyengat Island. The island is small with a size of 2500m x 750m. And tourists can get around the island in just a short walk away. However, although only a small island, the island of Penyengat is a place that has a lot of history.Formerly, this island named Island of Penyengat Inderapura and was the capital of Sultanate of Johor-Riau in 18th century. That is why, you will find many old buildings, which is a relic of the Johor-Riau Sultanate, such as the Great Mosque Sultan Riau, the Sultan and his family cemetery, Sultanate Palace, Fortress and many more. Today, the island of Penyengat is proposed to UNESCO as World Heritage Site.