Belitong Island

Do not to confuse Belitong with nearby Bangka, and Batam.

Although smaller, a traveler still gets a full plate at Belitong with island hopping, venturing through massive stones on the beach, old and new traditions and  culinary delights.

A trip to Belitung is a good vacation to get away from the 9-5 routine of daily life.  I personally visited with family and family friends for last year’s lebaran holiday, and I would definitely go again!

Places:

Island Hopping:

This is definitely the main attraction. You hire a boat, or book a trip included in your tour package and leave from Tanjung Tinggi Beach to the surrounding Islands:

Driving the boat,  Belitung style: With feet!

Pasir Island, an island that appears when the tide is out, and disappears when the tide comes in. (Pasir is the Indonesian word for Sand)

Pulau Burong, where you can search for starfish while being watched by the great bird rock. (Burong is similar to Burung, the Indonesia word for Bird).

These starfish were alive and kicking! We collected them in a coconut husk then set them free again.

Lengkuas Island, with a lighthouse remnant from the Dutch colonization and a good place to have midday lunch with fresh coconuts to quench your thirst. Around the Island is a good place to do snorkeling

Main Beach:

Tanjung Tinggi Beach has soft sand and huge rocks. Be a little adventurous and explore these humoungous stones, or lay back and enjoy the sunset. This stones size are mind-boggling and they don’t originate from the island. Or so it is thought, as the stones are composed of granite, so it is assumed that they were blown to this beach by a magnificent eruption of the ocean volcano Mount Krakatau, located to the south.

I guarantee you will forget to breathe a few seconds as you stand at the base of these rocks, trying to fathom their massive size.

Lengkuas Island, with a lighthouse remnant from the Dutch colonization and a good place to have midday lunch with fresh coconuts to quench your thirst. Around the Island is a good place to do snorkeling.

Batu Berlayar Island, an island where one can find a lot of granite.

Vihara Dewi Kwan Im/The Goddess’ Temple:

On the far side of the island near Burong Mandi Beach, is the old temple of Dewi Kwan Im. My tour guide told me he believed She appeared here at this temple, and on the spot where she appeared is a rock resembling a lotus bloom.

The temple sits on a hill overlooking the nearby forest and beach Burong Mandi.

Laskar Pelangi School:

Belitong has risen in popularity these last few years especially after the production of the widely acclaimed motion picture Laskar Pelangi, based on the novel of the same name by Indonesian writer Andrea Hirata.

The novel is set in Belitong, and tells the story of a young poor boy and his friends and their pursuit of education despite the limitations of infrastructure and support on this once forgotten island. The movie was actually shot on the island, and visitors can come to the old beaten elementary school that was one of the main settings. To the viewer’s pleasure, Laskar Pelangi beautifully captures the amazing landscapes found in Belitong.

Food:

Gangan:

A soup made from fish (ketarap/ilak/baronang fish) that is yellow and spicy. There is also a hint of fresh sourness of pineapple chunks to balance out the spices.

Grilled Seafood:

It’s a small island. You are bound to find fresh seafood, grilled on your order. Visit the traditional “seafood restaurants” on the beach. They may not look like much, but they sure serve amazing food.

Mie Belitong:

This noodle dish is quite a favorite in Belitong. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to give it a try as they were on lebaran holiday as well :(.

Warung Kopi:

Chilling and hanging out is best done at a Warung Kopi, according to the people on Belitong. A small place to hang out and drink coffee by the road, there are so many Warungs available. I got to visit one of the oldest one and drink my coffee in the nostalgic style. There are so many Warungs in the city Manggar, which holds the name City of 1001 Warung Kopi.

Martabak Belitung:

The martabak seller I bought from was convinced that the Belitung had different martabak (deep pan pancakes) from the more famous Bangka martabak. In fact, he told us that the martabak had actually come originally from Belitung.

We ate his goods, and it was delicious.  And the same as the Bangka martabak, or at least in our experience.

For Souvenir:

Belitong used to be a place exploited for tin, with many people working for the Dutch Mining Company: NV Billiton Maatschapij . Nowadays, Belitong’s most prized produce is white pepper, available in any souvenir shop.

How to get there:

Direct flight from Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta Airport (CKG) to Tanjung Pandan

45 minutes

Airways: Sriwijaya Air/Sky/Citilink/Garuda Indonesia

When you get there:

If you haven’t bought a tour package, then you will need to rent a car (Rp 450.000) per day for getting around the Island.  I recommend to get a package.