Indonesia Traveling Guide

The islands of Bangka and Belitung are located in the South China Sea, some interesting places to visit not only for their historical and architectural attractions but also as places to unwind for a few days before you carry on exploring the rest of Sumatra.

Surrounding these two main islands are 240 smaller islands each worth of our attention. Bangka Belitung is part of the regional ecosystem in the archipelago of Indonesia and also affords excellent scuba-diving, snorkeling, good fishing and sailing in open waters.

The name Bangka is derived from the word wangka, which means tin. This word was also written in a Sriwijaya stone inscription dated 686AD and discovered near the town of Kota Kapur in West Bangka. Because of its relative isolation as an island Bangka is fuelled by the tin trade with its only other produce being white pepper. Nonetheless, the island chain is well worth a visit. There are so many more interesting places and here are a few:

Tanjung Tinggi
This is the main destination. It is crystal clear sea water, white sandy beaches and decorated by unique granite boulders. Vacationer climbs up on the boulders to find the best angle to view the panorama. The favorite activity while visiting is swimming or you can just relax to feel the quite and tranquil environment.

Lengkuas Island
A small island with unique lighthouse, along with its superb view of beach surrounding, vacationers can view this spectacular view from the top of lighthouse. Beach is totally white sand and crystal clear sea water. Vacationers can visit several small granite islands surrounding, these islands can be reached by walking through 1.5m depth sea water.

Burung Mandi
Burung Mandi is a group of touris destination in Belitung Timur consit of white sands Burung Mandi beach, Bukit Batu beach, Vihara, Mempaya Lake and Burung Mandi mountain itself. This place is a main holiday destination for people in Manggar, second largest city in Belitung. For the rest of must visit places while in Bangka Belitung, simply hit the official website of Bangka Belitung: visitbangkabelitung.com

How to get there?
From Jakarta by plane, it takes only 45 – 50 minutes to get to Bangka Belitung and if you are in Palembang, it takes even shorter flight only 30 minutes. There are 15 daily direct flights heading to Bangka Belitung from Jakarta, 11 to Bangka (Depati Amir Airport at Pangkalpinang) and 3 to Belitung (Hanandjoeddin Airport at Tanjung Pandan), while from Palembang to Bangka, a morning flight is also available.