Tanjung Kelayang: the beach where the island boats leave

Tanjung Kelayang is the beach most people picture when they picture Belitung: a long sweep of pale sand, shallow water in every shade of green, and huge grey granite boulders piled at the ends of it. It sits on the north-west coast, close enough to Tanjung Pandan for a day trip and good enough to stay for a week. In the morning it belongs to fishermen and the boats that run to the islands; by late afternoon it fills with local families and the light turns gold.

What makes it worth more than a stop is the water in front of it. The islands of Lengkuas, Kepayang and Batu Berlayar sit a short boat ride away, and the beach functions as their harbour. You can spend the morning on a sandbank, the afternoon snorkelling over coral, and be back for a grilled fish dinner. Very little of it is organised in advance, which is part of the pleasure and part of the reason to read a little before you go.

The beach itself

The beach runs for roughly a kilometre and a half, wide at low tide and narrow when the water comes up. The sand is fine and very white, made mostly of ground granite rather than coral, which is why it stays cool underfoot. Swimming is easy: the shelf is gentle, the water shallow a long way out, and there are no currents worth worrying about inside the bay.

The granite is the other attraction. Boulders the size of houses sit at the northern end, worn into rounded shapes that children climb and photographers circle at sunset. Behind the beach there is a strip of casuarina and palm, a few warungs selling noodles and coconut, and the low ridge that separates this coast from Tanjung Tinggi. It is not a wild place, but it is not a resort strip either.

Boats to the small islands

The island boats leave from the beach in the morning, when the sea is flattest. Lengkuas, with its 1882 lighthouse, is the classic run; Kepayang has a small lake and a turtle project; Batu Berlayar is a pair of rocks with a sandbar between them. A half-day charter covers one or two of them, a full day covers three, and the price depends on the boat, the fuel and your nerve at bargaining.

Agree the route, the number of stops and the return time before you get in, and take cash in small notes. Life jackets are not always provided for children, so ask. The crossing to Lengkuas takes about twenty minutes in calm weather; if the wind is up in the afternoon, go early. Snorkelling gear is available on the beach, though the masks are often scratched.

Where to sleep and eat

Accommodation ranges from simple homestays behind the beach to a handful of resorts with pools and rather more polished rooms. The homestays are the better value and the better introduction: breakfast of rice, egg and coffee, a scooter for rent, and advice that has not been printed in a guidebook. Book ahead at weekends and during Indonesian school holidays, when Tanjung Pandan empties onto this coast.

Food is seafood and rice, grilled or fried, with sambal and kangkung on the side. The warungs along the beach do a decent fish of the day; the better cooking is often a little inland, in the lanes around Sijuk, where the same family has been running the same kitchen for years. Beer is available but not everywhere; Belitung is a conservative island and it pays to read the room.

Prices are gentle by Indonesian resort standards: a plate of fish and rice costs less than a coffee in Jakarta, and a scooter rental for the day is cheaper still. What is scarce is choice. There is no supermarket strip, no cocktail bar and no queue for brunch. If you want variety, stay in Tanjung Pandan and drive out; if you want quiet, stay here and eat where the boats come in.

Getting there and timing

The airport at Tanjung Pandan, about forty minutes away, has flights from Jakarta, Palembang and Batam. From there a car or scooter takes you north through Sijuk; the road is good and the last stretch runs through palm and pepper gardens. There is no public bus worth planning around, so arrange a transfer with your guesthouse or rent a scooter in town.

The dry season, roughly April to October, brings calm seas, clear water and dependable sunsets. The wet season is not a washout, but boats get cancelled and the sea turns the colour of milk tea. Ramadan shifts the rhythm of the warungs and the beach; Idul Fitri is the busiest week of the year. Come on a weekday in May or September and you will have the sand largely to yourself.

• Charter island boats in the morning, before the wind picks up.
• Bring small rupiah notes for boats, warungs and parking.
• Ask about life jackets if you are travelling with children.
• Book homestays ahead at weekends and Indonesian holidays.
• April to October for calm water and reliable sunsets.
• Stay for sunset: the granite turns copper after five.
• Scooter rental is the cheapest way to link the beaches.

Questions people actually ask

Do you need a boat to enjoy Tanjung Kelayang?

No. The beach, the swimming and the granite boulders are all reachable on foot, and the sunsets alone justify the trip. The boats are a bonus: they turn the beach into a base for the small islands offshore, which are the other half of the reason people come.

How far is Tanjung Kelayang from Tanjung Pandan?

About forty minutes by car or scooter, on a good road north through Sijuk. Most guesthouses will arrange a transfer from the airport, and a scooter rented in Tanjung Pandan makes the beach and Tanjung Tinggi easy to combine in one day.