Riau Islands: ferries, resorts and a Malay sultanate

The Riau Islands are what happens when Indonesia faces Singapore across a narrow strait: a province of ferries, free ports, resort enclaves and fishing villages, all within an hour of one of the busiest cities in the world. Batam is the industrial and ferry hub. Bintan is the resort island. And between them, a 15-minute boat ride from Tanjung Pinang, sits Pulau Penyengat, the old capital of the Riau-Lingga Sultanate.

Most visitors treat the province as a weekend escape from Singapore. That is fine, but it undersells the place. The islands have their own Malay history, their own food, and a far island group, the Anambas and Natuna, that is about as remote as Indonesia gets.

Batam: the ferry hub

Batam is the entry point for most visitors, and it is not trying to be a holiday destination. Hang Nadim airport is large and efficient, the ferry terminals run frequent services to Singapore and Johor, and the city centre is a grid of malls, hotels, seafood restaurants and karaoke bars. It is a place to land, eat and move on.

The ferry to Singapore takes about an hour to HarbourFront, and the crossing is one of the easiest international journeys in Southeast Asia. If you are coming from Singapore for a weekend, Batam is the cheap, busy option: spa hotels, seafood, and a night market that sells more or less everything.

The food is better than its reputation. Seafood restaurants along the waterfront grill fish, prawns and squid by weight, and the local gonggong, a sea snail boiled and eaten with a chilli dip, is the thing to order. Nagoya is the main commercial district; Sekupang and Batam Centre are the ferry ports.

Barelang and the south coast

The Barelang bridges are the best day trip from Batam. The name comes from Batam, Rempang and Galang, the three main islands linked by a chain of six bridges built in the 1990s. The drive south from the city takes you over cable-stayed spans, past fishing villages and mangrove, to the island of Galang and its old Vietnamese refugee camp.

The camp at Galang is now a museum and a memorial, a quiet, overgrown site that tells the story of the boat people who arrived here in the late 1970s and 1980s. It is not a comfortable visit, but it is an important one, and it is almost unknown to the weekend crowd.

The south coast also has beaches, seafood kelongs and a few resorts. The water is not as clear as Bintan's, but the drive is beautiful and the bridges are the attraction. Rent a motorbike or hire a car for the day.

Bintan: resorts in the north, villages in the south

Bintan is the province's resort island, and the north coast around Lagoi is a different world: gated resorts, golf courses, manicured beaches and a ferry terminal that connects directly to Singapore. If you want a pool, a spa and a sun lounger, this is the place, and you can be back in Singapore the same evening.

The rest of Bintan is ordinary Indonesia. Tanjung Pinang, the provincial capital, is a working town with a market, a mosque and a waterfront. The east coast has Trikora beach, a long stretch of white sand with simple seafood warungs, and the interior has Gunung Bintan, a low hill with a view over the island. The south coast is mangrove and fishing villages.

The contrast is the point. Stay in Lagoi if you want comfort, but hire a car and drive to Trikora or Tanjung Pinang for a day. The island is only about 50 kilometres across, and the roads are good.

Pulau Penyengat and Malay heritage

Pulau Penyengat is a small island in the harbour of Tanjung Pinang, reached in about 15 minutes by boat. It was the capital of the Riau-Lingga Sultanate in the nineteenth century and the centre of Malay letters, religion and politics. The yellow mosque, Masjid Raya Sultan Riau, was built in the 1830s with egg whites reportedly mixed into the mortar, and it is still the most important building on the island.

The island is also the burial place of Raja Ali Haji, the scholar who wrote one of the founding texts of Malay literature and an early grammar of the Malay language. His tomb, the royal graves and the old palaces are scattered along a loop of sandy road that takes about an hour to walk or cycle. The island is quiet, hot and almost entirely free of cars.

Go early, take the public boat from the Tanjung Pinang jetty, and wear shoes you can take off. The mosque is active, so dress modestly. There are a few warungs near the jetty, but bring water.

Anambas, Natuna and the far islands

The province stretches far into the South China Sea, and the Anambas and Natuna groups are among the most remote parts of Indonesia. The Anambas are the more accessible: Tarempa on Siantan island, the Jemaja group and Pulau Bawah, where a luxury resort now occupies one of the most beautiful lagoons in the country. Small planes connect Batam and Tanjung Pinang to the islands, weather permitting.

Natuna is further north, closer to Vietnam than to Jakarta, with its own culture, language and marine park. Flights are limited, accommodation is basic, and the sea is spectacular. This is not a place to arrive without a plan; arrange transport and permits in advance through a local operator.

Both groups are expensive to reach and slow to travel around. Go if you have time and a taste for the edge of the map, not if you want a beach holiday with a backup plan.

What it costs, and when to go

Costs vary enormously. A hotel room in Batam or Tanjung Pinang costs IDR 300,000 to 600,000; a resort in Lagoi can cost ten times that. Ferries from Singapore are the biggest fixed cost of a weekend trip. Food is cheap everywhere, and seafood is priced by weight, so ask before ordering.

The driest months are roughly February to October, with calm seas and good visibility. November to January brings the northeast monsoon, rougher crossings and more rain. The far islands are more weather-dependent than Batam or Bintan, and flights can be delayed for days.

• Day 1: Batam — ferry in, seafood, night market.
• Day 2: the Barelang bridges and the Galang refugee camp, then the ferry to Tanjung Pinang.
• Day 3: Pulau Penyengat in the morning, Trikora beach in the afternoon.
• Optional: three to five more days for the Anambas, or a resort stay in Lagoi.

Questions people actually ask

Can I visit the Riau Islands from Singapore for a day?

Yes. Ferries run from HarbourFront to Batam in about an hour, and from Tanah Merah to Bintan's Lagoi in about the same. A day trip is enough for Batam's seafood and malls, but two nights is better if you want Penyengat or the beaches.

Do I need a visa for Indonesia if I arrive by ferry?

Most nationalities can use visa-free entry or a visa on arrival at the ferry terminals. Check the current rules for your passport before you travel; the ferry company will also ask.

Is Pulau Penyengat worth the trip?

Yes, especially if you are interested in Malay history. The mosque, the royal tombs and the old capital are unique, and the island is quiet and walkable. It is easy to combine with a night in Tanjung Pinang.

How do I reach the Anambas or Natuna?

Small planes connect Batam and Tanjung Pinang to the main islands, with limited schedules and weather delays. Arrange transport and accommodation through a local operator well in advance; this is not a destination for a spontaneous trip.