Top Things to do in Riau Islands Province
Top Hotels in Riau Islands Province
- 1. Montigo Resorts Nongsa
- 2. The Residence Bintan
- 3. Banyan Tree Bintan
- 4. HARRIS Resort Barelang Batam
- 5. HARRIS Hotel Batam Center
- 6. Best Western Premier Panbil
- 7. HARRIS Resort Batam Waterfront
- 8. I Hotel Baloi
- 9. Radisson Golf & Convention Center Batam
- 10. Natra Bintan, a Tribute Portfolio Resort
Things to do in Riau Islands Province, Riau Islands Province: The Best Nature & Parks
Discover the best top things to do in Riau Islands Province, Indonesia including Jemaja Island, Penakih Island, Marine Life Discovery Park, Anambas Islands, Abang Island, Coastarina, Mount Bintan, Mubut Darat Island, Engku Putri Batam Centre Park, Ranoh Island.
Restaurants in Riau Islands Province
1. Jemaja Island
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 5 reviews
Reviewed By 505natalied - Bergen, Norway
We have been to Jemaja for a couple of weeks in July - August 2019. There was a tight schedule, just to say that we have been camping on surrounding (mostly uninhabited) islands for more than 8 days. We were snorkelling, swimming with currents between islands and in the open sea, kayaking, hiking, driving here and there by scooter, trying local food and fruits, visiting other villages, and just enjoying the islands. Corals are huge and beautiful, coral life is amazing, turtles, huge gangs of fish, shells, pristine crystal clear water - yes, breathtaking views - yes, jungle is lush, flowers are all around, many animals: monkeys, lizards, crocks (these guys we, unfortunately, did not see, and happily did not encounter in the wild), and many other things which are impossible to mention in one review. We did not spot sharks and dolphins, but they are there, especially if you are lucky to reach the Southern islands, which we did not make. People are extremely friendly, but we do not speak Indonesian, while very few of them speak English. So, most of these activities would be absolutely impossible without assistance and organization by Ade Hussin (with his kind permission - WhatsApp: +62 812 7656 0301) - an enthusiast, an expert in local culture and nature, an amazing guide, and a very good travel companion. He is from Jakarta, but spends a lot of his time on Anambas, and there are many thankful references to him in the web. For us he was organizing all the local trips. This includes supplies, hiring boats (he knows many people on the island), preparing camps, cooking delicious food, showing amazing snorkelling spots, advising us where to go/swim and waiting in agreed places, leave alone guidance, translation and assistance when needed. We spent many enchanting evenings together under the stars, and we are very grateful to him for everything he did for us. About logistics: We flew to Singapore, then ferry to Batam, then a flight to Jemaja. We kept room in Letong (Miranti hotel) for all the days to store things and to stay in-between the trips. The hotel is OK, it has own diesel generator that helps when the power on the island is down, which happens very often. Some of the nights the air condition was a blessing (30+ C...). Letong village is beautiful and authentic, but not that quiet, and you cannot swim there right from the shore. But there were no good accommodation available in Padang Melang those days, while in Miranti we had no problem with food and restaurants (which may become an issue if you do not speak the language), water, cold shower, etc., which normally takes a lot of your time in such remote places. We hired a scooter, which was breaking, but, thanks to Ade, the reparations were made fast (or they were just replacing the scooter). When it comes to the trips, we were moving around Jemaja and Telaga island groups by a fishing boat (traditional pong pong), with two of us, Ade, and the captain (Dan, who is a great person but does not speak English). Most of the time Dan's brother Rizal was also joining us to help with boat in some tricky anchorages; he was sleeping on the boat with Dan. We were staying in a tent (provided by Ade), which we never closed as it was very warm. Ade was sleeping somewhere on the beach under the stars. Original plan was also to visit Siantan/Terempa, but considering all the options there was not enough time. What is really pity, is that we did not make it to Kiabu (Airabu): the Jemaja's chief navy said NO, and have shown us a video of the waves to the South of Jemaja those days. Indeed, they were a bit too big for few hours in a pong pong. But since it blew from South, we could swim around the Northernmost islands and still stayed away from the strong wind and breaking waves. It was amazing. Some highlights: We did long distance swims with currents, snorkelling in the open sea. We love to stay on the outer part of the reefs, where the water is fresher, where you feel the waves and see much more underwater. The challenge with such swims is to find somebody who can drop you where the current starts, and then pick you up at an agreed place, or can go search for you if you did not come back at reasonable time. We were lucky that we met Ade, as he was doing such swims himself and had idea about currents and waves that we could encounter. As a result, we were swimming and snorkelling many kilometres, between and around isolated islands, or in the open sea, normally with a current helping us, and did not need to spend time going back and forth along the same long routes. Once around Telaga our old kayak broke and capsized in the open sea just before dusk, luckily we were in about 1 km from the reef, had fins and goggles with us, and had a rough idea where we can cross the (large...) reef to come back. It was scary until we could confirm that we are moving faster than the current, and we relaxed only after we reached the reef, tied the broken kayak to the corals and crossed the reef. It was getting dark, the tide was low, and there were many sea urchins and sharp corals. But it was fun :) Some advice: Equipment: carry everything with you, do not rely on local shops. The power socket is the British standard, unlike the rest of Indonesia. Take plenty of sun cream. We never used mosquito repellent (partly because a very careful choice of the camp places), but this may be an issue too. Take a small boiler to make hot water if you want a bit for the shower in the hotel, although in Miranti hotel they can heat water for you. Water is to be boiled for drinking, but bottles are sold everywhere. Take FLASHLIGHTS! Carry cash (Rupiah, or at least USD, which may be possible to change): when we were there, there was no ATM for western cards on Jemaja. As of August 2019, there was essentially no internet. Public hot spots were useless, at least for us when we needed to send email. But Ade found a guy with a satellite phone... Prices are generally low. But some things are more expensive (than say, in Batam) just because it is an island. For price overview look elsewhere, things are getting changed. If you are into long distance swimming: tides are tricky, and it is one of those places with roughly one tide per day. At low tides a reef may become a barrier, so be prepare to scratch through carefully. This may be challenging if it is getting darker. Hence - watch the waves and memorize the map! We had an app with nautical charts - this helped in trip planning. A waterproof flashlight may help when coming back in the evening. We did not use reef shoes (as we used fins), but sandals are, of course, needed if you are camping on a beach and shoes are generally needed when hiking. I did not feel any dress code pressure. I was OK in long shorts or even in a short dress with long sleeves. Bikini may be OK on the beach, though be prepared for excited kids and that nobody of locals will wear bikini. Personally, I chose breezy clothes protecting from the sun, so most issues were solved this way. While swimming we both wore swimming shorts and rash guards. Food (if not specially made for you) is simple, but normally fresh and tasty. Sauces can be VERY spicy. Local fruits are abundant and very tasty, but not easily available in the restaurants: they cook for locals, who are not that much into all this... Try to buy somewhere on the road. This also applies to coconuts. And, of course, all the alcohol you need to bring with you. Coffee was delicious everywhere, but as a real tea lover I felt that choice of teas was somewhat limited, to two varieties of black tea :). Take a phrase book (or at least an app), if you do not speak the language. And ask those who try to understand you, they normally want to help. And smile! :)
2. Penakih Island
3. Marine Life Discovery Park
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By szeyinm
Marine Life Discovery Park is a new attraction in Bintan that was opened in Oct 2019. Very well maintained park. From entrace, we were greeted by smiley receptionists that explained the inclusions in the entrance fees. Adult IDR 150,000, Child IDR 100,000. Which equates to SGD15 and SGD10 respectively however they only accept IDR but take major credit cards. We got free guided tour by Verdy as part of the freebies during soft opening. He took his time to walked us through all attractions and shared his knowledge about each animals and their interesting facts. Firstly, we walked through ECO Sanctuary to learn about the two species of turtles they have and you can feed the turtles for IDR 30,000 as part of their conservations donation. Yuyun spent her time to demonstrate how to pat the turtles and explained the harmful effects of plastic rubbish in the ocean that often was mistaken as jellyfish by the turtles as food and causing death. Interesting facts, all the turtles in the sanctuary are females and asked the friendly guide for reason. ECO LIFE BOARDWALK is where you can meet mangroves animals eg sea hawk, monitor lizard, mud crabs, python and mudskippers. Kids will be fascinated with their magic aquarium where you can put your hands magically into the tank to feel the fishes and the water will not flow out. SEA And TOUCH POOL was manned by Gunawan on that day. He is very good with kids and spent time encouraging my girl to come in the pool to have close encounter with the star fish, sea cucumber, fishes and baby shark. Kids can snorkel in KIDS EXPLORER which is about 1metre deepest to meet different species of fishes and star fish. Bigger kids can venture to MARINE ODYSSEA to snorkel and swim with over 70species of fishes. Try your luck to spot the 50kgs Grouper that like to hide among the rocks and coral. Unfortunately, the SHARKY SHORES and RAY DISCOVERY is not operational yet during our visit in January 2020. The Marine Cafe, served mouth watering local and western food. We ordered Ayam Penyet, Satay Ayam and kids meal chicken bento. They taste good and price cheaper than the two hotels nearby. We spent more than 3hours enjoying each attractions. The park fees is well worth it for their conservation effort and awareness programme they bring to the visitors. The family of Marine Life Discovery Park especially Yuyun, Verdy and Gunawan had presented a memory of lifetime for us today. Thank you. We will definitely come back again.
4. Anambas Islands
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 60 reviews
Reviewed By 446ljg - Zurich, Switzerland
Currently you can get to and from Jemaja Island by ferry from Bintan Island (~7 hours) or by airplane from Batam Island (~1 hour) which are both very close and easy accessed by ferry from Singapore (~2h). Once arrived on the island Jemaja, you could theoretically explore the big and beautiful island on your own. The local native people from Jemaja are very friendly and helpfull but there are only a few who speak english. If you speak some basic indonesian you could try to discover the island on your own but ressources like wifi and transportation are limited and not all hotels and homestays are on the internet. Currently the maps dot me app works better for Jemaja than google maps. But from our experience, you will have your time better spent and will be more relaxed on your trip, if you ask Gusdi Munandar via whatsapp (+62-822-8335-1471) in advance to organize a hotel or homestay according to your needs and budget. He is a very friendly local guide who also works at the tourist information center at the local airport. Therefore he does not try to make money out of consulting and guiding tourists. He is also concerned about the well being of tourists and gives advices on local dangers like difficult road sections and translates for local people if tourists have specific food intolerance. We had an awesome time with lots of different save trips to snorkel on beautiful beaches and corals with different boats and captains also to smaller nearby islands, and our own rental scooter for this island, all thanks to Gusdi. Because Gusdi was born on Jemaja, he knows the island and is connected with most or all of the natives that can provide services and boattrips for tourists. His efforts of organizing trips from different villages to several of the nearby islands help to integrate the growing numbers of tourists into the economy of the whole island in a fair way.
5. Abang Island
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 39 reviews
Reviewed By rawittravel - Batam, Indonesia
No wonder me and my family feel happy because of the crystal water at the Dedap Beach and also the underwater is one of the best here in Riau Islands.
6. Coastarina
7. Mount Bintan
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 13 reviews
Reviewed By RicardoBowie - Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Okay, maybe not a mountain. Who wants to climb up a mountain on holiday anyway? Seriously though, easy enough to find using an excellent network of well maintained roads. A thoroughly pleasant experience on quiet roads. Once there, others have said about 1 hour up and 40 minutes down. I would agree with that too. Nothing difficult about this climb. Maybe a little bit steep in areas, however, ropes are there to help and assist. Others have said you don't need a guide. Agreed. A little common sense and endeavour and success is there for the taking. I didn't see too much wildlife. However, at the top the views are great and despite it not being Everest, I did feel a little sense of accomplishment. Two hours from top to bottom (including 20 minutes at the top). Entry fee 1 Euro/Dollar/GBP roughly.
8. Mubut Darat Island
9. Engku Putri Batam Centre Park
10. Ranoh Island
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 9 reviews
Ranoh Island or now in Kenal with Ranoh Island Adventure Name Beach is located in Abang Island Batam Island, has a White Sand and beautiful Coconut Tree in Dalamnnya, you can play Jetski and peraru on this Island with children all day
