Attractions In Riau Archipelago

Bintan

Bintan, the northern tip of the island, Bintan Resorts (Lagoi), 45 minutes from Singapore by ferry, full of expensive resorts and manicured lawns. As it has very little in common with the rest of the island, the resorts are covered in the Bintan Resorts article.

Bintan Resorts

Separated from the resorts by checkpoints and armed guards, the rest of the island is "real" border town Indonesia, home to electronics factories, fishing villages and local style resorts (beach and adventure type) along the East Coast Bintan.

The colorful town of Bintan, Tanjung Pinang, 1.5 hours away from Singapore by ferry, used to be a local destination for prostitution and gambling (just like neighboring Batam), but after a clamp-down by the local authorities it is regaining its rightful reputation as one of Indonesia's most historical cities, with its ancient vibrant market partly located on stilts in the sea.

Bintan Island

Batam

Batam refers to both an island, municipality (an Indonesian kotamadya), the largest city in the Riau Islands Province ofIndonesia, across the Strait of Singapore, the third-largest city in Sumatra region after Medan and Palembang, and the eighth-largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta Raya, Surabaya, Bandung, Medan, Semarang, Makassar, and Palembang.

Batam is an industrial boomtown, an emerging transport hub, a part of a free trade zone the Indonesia–Malaysia–Singapore Growth Triangle, located 20 km (12 mi) off Singapore's south coast. The 715-km2 (276-mi2) island, now just barely smaller in size toSingapore due to the latter's reclamation, is the core part of the municipality, of which 450 km2 is classified as urban. Batam's 2,200  km2 municipality (administratively) covers a number of scattered islands and islets, with Galang and Rempang islands to the immediate south connected to Batam by short bridges, collectively called Barelang with these two islands maintaining their rural character. Bulan Island is also rural. The municipality has a population of 1,035,280 (prediction in May 2015). also It is the closest part of Indonesia to Singapore, at a minimum land distance of 5.8 km, similar in length to the Transbay Tube. As per the 2010 Census, it was the fastest-growing municipality in the nation, with a growth rate of 11% per year.

Batam City

Natuna Islands

The Natuna Islands archipelago (272 islands) is located in the South China Sea in the larger Tudjuh Archipelago, off the northwest coast of Borneo. Administratively, the islands (including the nearby Bunguran Islands) constitute a regency within the Riau Islands Province of Indonesia and are the northernmost non-disputed island group of Indonesia. The Natuna Islands themselves are divided into three groups: North Natuna, which includes Laut Island (Pulau Laut); Middle Natuna, which includes Bunguran (or Natuna Besar); and South Natuna, which includes Subi Besar.

Alif Stone Park At Natuna Island

Anambas

Anambas archipelago (Indonesian: Kepulauan Anambas) is a small archipelago of Indonesia, located 150 nautical miles north east of Batam Island in the South China Sea between the Malaysian mainland to the west and the island of Borneo to the east. Geographically part of the Tudjuh Archipelago, it is administratively a regency within the Riau Islands Province.

Anambas have a large reserve of natural gas that is exported to countries such as Singapore and Malaysia. The island of Matak is the main base for oil exploration.

Other islands are Siantan (Terempa), Mubur, Jemaja and Kiabu (Airabu). According to CNN, the Anambas Islands are one of Southeast Asia's most spectacular coastal spots, with good snorkelling and diving. The main island, Pulau Bawah, is an unhabitated naturally protected lagoon. The shipwrecked vessels Seven Skies and Igara attract a variety of indigenous marine life and offer diving opportunities.

Coral Reefs At Anambas