If you wish to experience a tropical environment and adventure, along with clear blue sea and white beaches, you should definitely visit Bintan island. Located in the Riau archipelago, in Indonesia, this amazing tropical and peaceful island a number of amazing adventurous and relaxing possibilities. You can take a number of tour packages, in order to explore the beautiful temples, forests, beaches, as well as various other great monuments and attractions. Just take the ferry from Singapore to Bintan, which last only 45 to 55 minutes, and start exploring the most amazing island in the region.
Top Attractions in Bintan
The capital of the island is Tanjun Pinang; a small and friendly town, where you can have an amazing time by trying the local food or choosing some souvenirs or even learn more about the culture and customs of the island. There are a number of great resorts, like the Banyan Tree Bintan, where you can select to stay in wonderful villas, built on rocks withing forests or you may select the ones that have great views to the sea. Moreover, you can visit a small Teluk Kawal, which is a small fishing village or you can choose to dive at Trikora and Bintan Agro Beach. Another great resort and spa is the Laguna Bintan. If you like, you can also decide to take part in various adventure tours offered. For example, you can visit the local Elephant Park, where you can see 8 Sumatra elephant to perform a great show. Keep in mind also that the park also lets you interact with these gentle giants; you can feed them and you can also learn more about their habits and their life.
Visit Temples & Citadel
You may also choose to visit some temples, like the 300-year old Snake River Temple. It’s surrounding by a mysterious nature and its walls are actually covered with different paintings of the torture methods of Chinese hell. There are plenty more of things to see in this amazing place. It’s possible to go snorkelling or kayaking, as well as mountain biking or just play some golf or you can visit some great historical temples or mosques. For example, Marvel at the Grand Mosque, which is a formidable stone fortress. This citadel stands right in the middle of great tombs and you can have the chance to admire the impressive panoramic view of the entire island. Other worth seeing monuments are the Colonial Graveyard, as well as they museum, which displays a number of unusual artefacts and various temples. Bintan’s museum also hosts great historical items and cultural performances.
Incredible Shopping
The Bintan Tour Package offers you amazing possibilities for shopping. You can find malls, handicraft shops, silk or leather products that are very affordable. For example, the Real Bandung Factory Outlet, which is located next to the Ferry, is the largest one in the whole country and sells various famous international products at cheap prices. So take the chance to visit them, as well as the Tanjung Uban, which is full of shops, with fruits, vegetables and more. Or visit the little-known shopping and market Pujasera, which has various shops of arts and crafts at the most incredible prices than any other place on the island.
The Local Cuisine
The local cuisine is really amazing and you can taste various cuisines. Sebung village is well known for its wide variety of seafood. In fact, Tanjung Pinang has a wide range of restaurants for vegetarians, but you need to tell them that you don’t want mean. You can choose to accompany your meals with coconut water, wine or beer. Other than great varieties of fishes, you can also taste grilled food on offer at Pantai Grill and Nelayan Grill. Moreover, you can also find great offers of international cuisine, that are offered by different local restaurants, like Mediterranean, Indian, Asian and Korean.
Climate on the Island
Bintan enjoys a warm tropical climate but has a lot of monsoon periods all year round. So it’s better to check about the climate before visiting the island, in order to have an exceptional experience. For example, November through March brings the north-east monsoon and June through October brings a fairly dry south-west monsoon. Moreover, late November to early March, the weather is windy and there are also some rains, while March-early November the sun shines. Temperatures range from 23°C to 31°C and average approximately 27°C throughout the year.
What’s stopping you from spending your weekend in this hidden gem? Just hop on to the next ferry from Singapore to Bintan and enjoy vitamin SEA to the fullest!
