Danau Kaolin: the blue lake in a white quarry

Danau Kaolin is a lake that should not be beautiful and is. It sits in an old kaolin quarry about fifteen minutes from Tanjung Pandan, where the white clay was dug out for paper, paint and ceramics until the pit filled with water. The walls are chalk-white, the water is a milky turquoise, and the contrast is the whole point.

It is a small place, a roadside stop rather than a destination, and it takes maybe half an hour to see. But it is close to town, easy to combine with Tanjung Tinggi and the beaches, and photogenic in a way that has made it one of Belitung's most shared images. Go early or late, when the light is soft and the tour vans have not arrived.

What you are looking at

Kaolin is a fine white clay, and Belitung has a lot of it. The quarry was worked until the 1990s, then abandoned, and the pit slowly filled with rainwater. Minerals in the clay and the water give the lake its colour, which shifts between milky blue, grey and green depending on the light and the season.

The white walls are soft and crumbly, and they are not stable. Signs and fences are patchy, and people do climb down for photographs. Stay on the marked paths and the viewing areas: the clay gives way without warning, and the lake is deeper than it looks.

The colour changes through the year. In the dry season the water is at its clearest, a pale blue-green that photographs well; after heavy rain it turns grey and the clay slumps into the water. That is why the same lake can look disappointing in one picture and extraordinary in another, and why it is worth checking recent photographs before you make a special trip.

Visiting and photography

The lake is on the road between Tanjung Pandan and the north coast, which makes it an easy stop on the way to Tanjung Tinggi or Tanjung Kelayang. There is a small entry fee, a car park and a handful of stalls. It is at its best in the morning, when the water is still and the reflections work, or in the last hour of light.

Photographers should bring a polarising filter and something to wipe the lens; the dust from the clay gets everywhere. The classic shot is from the top of the quarry wall looking down, but the more interesting pictures are at water level, where the white banks and the blue water meet. Drones are flown here, though the wind can be tricky.

The mining landscape around it

Belitung's landscape is a mining landscape, and not only for kaolin. Tin was dug here for centuries, and the island is dotted with small lakes, white sand tails and pit ponds that have filled with water. Some are beautiful, some are contaminated, and the difference is not always obvious from the road.

The kaolin lake is one of the safer and better-known examples, but it is worth understanding what you are looking at: an industrial pit, recolonised by water and light. That is part of its strangeness. It is not a natural lake, and the white walls are the evidence.

Kaolin itself is still quarried on the island, and you may see lorries loaded with white clay on the roads around Tanjung Pandan. It goes into paper, paint, ceramics and cosmetics, and it has been a quieter but steadier business than tin. The lake is what happens when a pit stops being useful and starts being looked at.

Practical notes

There is no shade to speak of, so a hat and water are essential; the white clay reflects the sun and the heat is intense by midday. Wear shoes you do not mind getting dusty. The site is not accessible for wheelchairs or pushchairs, and the paths are uneven.

Combine the lake with Tanjung Tinggi, about twenty minutes north, and Tanjung Kelayang beyond it. A scooter or a car with a driver is the easiest way; there is no public transport worth relying on. Allow half an hour at the lake, an hour if you are photographing seriously.

• Go early or late: midday light is harsh and the clay is blinding.
• Stay on the paths; the quarry walls are unstable.
• Bring water and a hat; there is almost no shade.
• Combine with Tanjung Tinggi on the same road.
• Cash for the small entry fee.

Questions people actually ask

Can you swim in Danau Kaolin?

No. The lake is a former quarry with unstable clay walls and unknown depth, and swimming is not permitted. It is a viewing and photography stop, not a swimming spot; the beaches at Tanjung Tinggi and Tanjung Kelayang are where people swim.

How long does a visit to Danau Kaolin take?

Most people spend thirty to sixty minutes, including the walk around the viewing areas and a few photographs. It is small, and it works best as a stop on the way to the north coast rather than as a destination in its own right.