You must be familiar with the name Belitung? Yes, Belitung is one of the most beautiful islands in Indonesia and is also popular as a tourist destination, especially on weekends.
Belitung is famous since it became a shooting location for the film “Laskar Pelangi”. The hallmark of this island apart from its white sand beaches are the unique rocks. Come on, follow my journey to explore Belitung!
Just keep reading because in this article I will share my experience, itinerary Belitung trip, cost details, and Belitung holiday tips.
How to get to Belitung from Jakarta
From Jakarta you can take a plane to Tanjung Pandan. Airlines that provide these flights include Citilink, Lion Air, and Sriwijaya Air.
The flight time to Belitung from Jakarta is only about 1 hour. Generally, the price of a round-trip flight ticket from Jakarta to Tanjung Pandan is around IDR 700,000 – IDR 800,000.
My itinerary for traveling to Belitung
In the content section I will share about my experience traveling to Belitung alone without joining tour along with travel itinerary I.
Day 1: Flight to Belitung – Kaolin Lake – Tanjung Tinggi Beach
I got a cheap flight ticket from Jakarta to Tanjung Pandan PP for only IDR 250,000, at that time with Batavia airline which is now no longer operating.
If you want to know how I can always get cheap tickets, read my previous post about a backpacker-style budget vacation guide and tips that I’ve written.
My experience started with the drama of almost missing my flight because I arrived late to the airport. The flight schedule was supposed to be at 9.45 am and I arrived at Soekarno Hatta Airport at exactly that hour.
I’m so lucky I can still check-in because of the plane delay. After arriving at Tanjung Pandan, host I’m Dida from couchsurfing pick me up from the airport to his house.
First we had lunch. Dida took me to a famous restaurant, Mie Atep Belitung. If you haven’t been to this restaurant, you won’t be able to go to Belitung.
What I like about Mie Belitung is the texture of the noodles, which are not too soft and not too hard, combined with a sauce with a mixture of sweet and savory flavors, amazingly delicious!
After lunch, Dida could not continue to accompany me because she had to work. With Dida’s help, I rented a motorbike.
Public transportation in Belitung is unreliable, so it’s better to rent a motorbike or car to get around the island. It’s time to explore Belitung!
Also read: Trip experience to Peucang Island and Ujung Kulon National Park
Kaolin Lake
My first stop was Kaolin Lake. Kaolin Lake is not a natural lake but a mineral mining area called “Kaolin” which is used as a basic material for making paints, cosmetics, or ceramics.
I was quite amazed when I saw this mining area. It’s like seeing snow because these kaolin dunes are white. The colors of Kaolin Lake are also beautiful, with a slightly bluish green tint.
Why is it called a lake? The reason is because the miners carry out excavation activities and leave holes. The hole was eventually filled with rainwater and turned into a lake.
Tanjung Tinggi Beach
Next I headed to Tanjung Tinggi Beach where the film “Laskar Pelangi” was filmed in this place as well. The distance is quite far from the city center of Tanjung Pandan, about 30 km.
With a motorbike I drove to this beach which is precisely located in Ciput Village. Incidentally, it was a normal day, so the visitors weren’t too crowded.
Tanjung Tinggi Beach has white sand beaches with large granite rocks that are magnificently structured. I tried to climb one of the big rocks. Have to be careful because it’s quite high too.
At some point you can walk to the other side of the beach between the rocks and meet a small beach surrounded by granite rocks, the beauty is vast.
Day 2: Boat Hill – Tanjung Binga
My real plan on the second day was to visit Manggar which is located in the eastern part of Belitung Island to see a replica of the school that was the location of the Laskar Pelangi film, followed by the Dewi Kwan Im Temple, and the beaches around there.
The distance from the city center to Manggar by motorbike is about 1.5 hours. The sky doesn’t support it. Since morning it has been raining non-stop.
Finally I had to cancel my plans to visit Manggar. The rain just stopped at 3 pm. Because I didn’t want to lose my motorbike rental, I went to Bukit Perahu and Tanjung Binga.
Boat Hill
Bukit Perahu is a resort as well as a restaurant located in a beautiful place and the beach is clean and relaxing. Unfortunately this place is not well maintained so it looks less attractive.
If they renovate a bit, or tidy up the building or the area around them and then promote it, it will definitely be a cool place to stay. You don’t have to go all the way to Bali to swim or relax on the beach.
Cape Binga
If you like photography, you will definitely like a fishing village called Tanjung Binga. When I was there, I saw local people building bridges and huts made of wood, probably for fish.
It was also seen that mothers were preparing black sticky rice soup for the men and young men who were working.
Day 3: Hopping Island in Belitung
Today’s plan island hopping to the islands around Belitungwhich is also the main reason why I want so much holiday to Belitung.
It is said that the islands in Belitung are no less beautiful than the islands in eastern Indonesia, such as Derawan Island in East Kalimantan, Cinta Island in Gorontalo, or Ora Beach in Maluku.
Waking up I immediately looked out the window with a feeling a little anxious hoping the weather was sunny today. Sure enough, the sun was shining brightly.
Cape Kelayang
Dida took me to Tanjung Kelayang, a place where boats go for tours island hopping leave. When I got there, I immediately asked the owner of the ship if there was a group leaving, because I was alone so it would be cheaper to just hang out.
Coincidentally there are three other people who want island hopping Also, I joined the group.
Galangal Island
After 30 minutes of sailing from Tanjung Kelayang, we arrived at our first destination, namely Lengkuas Island. My first impression of this island is really good.
A white lighthouse towers over the center of the island. Immediately we climbed the stairs to the top floor of the lighthouse. A total of 18 floors and 300 stairs.
This lighthouse was built by the Dutch during the colonial period. The view from the top is absolutely beautiful. You can see the blue sea with the shadow of coral reefs and clusters of white granite rocks.
One word to describe Galangal Island – amazing! It is also mandatory to snorkel around Lengkuas Island, the coral reefs are quite good, yes, although not as beautiful as the coral reefs on Wakatobi Island, but still not bad.
Kepayang Island
Reportedly this island used to be called Pig Island, but it was eventually changed. Back when I was there there was a resort called Kepayang Eco Lodge. Now it is no longer operating.
Previously on Kepayang Island, tourists could do diving activities. Now if you want to dive, there seems to be an operator in Tanjung Kelayang.
Sand Island
As the name implies, this island is a charred island, or only consists of a pile of sand in the middle of the sea. Pulau Pasir can only be accessed when the sea water is receding. The sand is very fine. It feels calm too.
Day 4: Back to Jakarta
Drama again when I want to go home. Batavia airline declared bankrupt so all flights canceled. So I can’t go back to Jakarta.
I just want to take the Pelni, while it’s cheaper than taking the plane (12 hours away). But finally got on a Sriwijaya plane home. want low budget but it doesn’t work, haha.
Holiday tips to Belitung
Well, here are some tips if you plan to vacation to Belitung.
Belitung island hopping boat rental price
The price for renting or renting a boat in Tanjung Kelayang for island hopping to surrounding islands is IDR 400,000 for a small capacity boat (2-10 people) and IDR 700,000 for a large capacity boat (10-15 people).
The price for each snorkelling equipment rental is IDR 25,000. If for a complete package (glasses, finand life vest) the price is IDR 70,000.
Private car rental prices in Belitung
We recommend that you rent a motorbike or private car considering that there is no public transportation that makes it easy to get around the island.
The price for renting a motorbike in Belitung is IDR 70,000 (click here to rent a motorbike), and The price for renting a car with a driver starts from IDR 540,000 for 12 hours and is the same as gasoline (click here to rent a car).
Recommended hotels in Belitung
If you are a solo traveler, you can stay at Dric’s House hostel at a price of IDR 150,000 per bunk bed per night. Meanwhile, if you are traveling with friends or a partner, you can try the Martini Hotel at a price of IDR 250,000 per room per night.
Want something more luxurious? There is a Fairfield Marriot with room rates starting from IDR 500,000 per night, or Swiss-Belresort with room rates starting from IDR 430,000 per night.
For other lodging, you can check on the site or hotel booking application to find suitable lodging.
Other attractions in Belitung
In addition to the tours that I visited, there are several other tourist attractions that can be visited such as seeing the tarsier in Batu Mentas, Ahok’s House, and also one day trip to Leebong Island.
Cost of vacation to Belitung
The cost that I spent for four days of vacation in Belitung was IDR 265,000 excluding the plane. The details are:
- Motorbike rental: IDR 70,000
- Gasoline : IDR 22,000
- Boat Hill entrance ticket: IDR 2,000
- Tanjung Pendem entrance ticket: IDR 2,000
- Island hopping boat rental: IDR 100,000
- Lighthouse entrance ticket: IDR 5,000
- Meals for 4 days: IDR 100,000
Cheap right? But really backpacker style. It can be cheap because I live with the host too. Normally, if you have plane tickets, lodging, meals, etc., you can still get around Rp. 3 million. Depends on individual expenses.
That’s more or less my experience travel alone without tour to Belitung. I’ve detailed it too itineraryhis, costs, boat rental rates, and others. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments column.
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