Laskar Pelangi Beach, Belitung, Indonesia
Belitung Island, Indonesia
Last December, my mom, Dina (from Dua Ransel), and I went to Belitung Island. A small island off Sumatra that has only recently showed up on domestic tourists’ radar. I had never heard of Belitung Island until this time.
(In my defense, do you know that there are 17000 islands in Indonesia?)
I instantly fell in love with the people, the vibe, the smooth paved roads (perfect for road trips), and the delicious local durians. But mostly I fell in love with the beaches. Dina and I agreed, these were some of the most spectacular beaches we’ve seen (and really, between Dina and I, we’ve seen plenty of beaches).
(MORE: Java’s Ultimate Deserted Beach)
The following 3-4 posts will highlight this hidden gem of an island, 1 hour flight away from Jakarta.
But here’s a sneak peek of what we did on Belitung Island:
Checking out the milky blue Kaolin Lakes
Kaolin lakes are the pretty by-products of kaolin mine that’s scattered throughout Belitung Island.
Island hopping
There are numerous and deserted small islands around Belitung Island. We rented a small boat to visit some of them. This was so much fun. At each island, we’d either take a stroll, snorkel, or simply gaze at the rock formations that make Belitung so unique.
Read more: Island Hopping in Belitung.
Light house on Lengkuas Island, Belitung.
Beaches and food
Belitung is known for its ‘mie belitung’ (Belitung Noodle, a local delicacy consisting of noodle, slices of tofu, seafood, served with shrimp based broth), as well as its fish and shrimp crackers.
Belitung Noodle from Mie Atep
Belitung is also known for its beaches. Rocky granite outcrops dot the surrounding water.
Rocky outcrops off Belitung, Island
Read more: My favorite beach in Belitung.
Everytime I come home to visit my home country, I try to squeeze in a visit to a place I’d never been before. Considering how big Indonesia is, I’ll never run out of places to visit. I’m so lucky.
It took me leaving the country to live abroad to finally appreciate the diversity and the beauty Indonesia has to offer. Recently I realised that there’s nothing I like more than sharing stories and photos from this place I call home.
(MORE: More posts from Indonesia)
So tune in for more stories and photos from Belitung Island.
Basic Info
How to get to Belitung: many daily flights from Jakarta to Tanjung Pandan (Belitung) offered by Sriwijaya Air, Batavia Air and Sky Aviation.
Best time to visit: Dry season, April to September when the water is so smooth it appears glass like.
How to get around: There’s no existing public transportation. Rental cars is your best bet.
Where to stay in Belitung: We highly recommend Bukit Berahu in Tanjung Binga beach. It’s reasonably priced and conveniently located near Tanjung Kelayang. Phone: 0819 2959 9808
Hello Jill, very nice Informative article. Your pics are soo nice, even in December. It makes me travel this feb 2017, even when they say it is a no as monsoon season.
Thanks for your blog.
Belitung is one of many best island in Indonesia, but if you go more east you’ll see more Indonesian’s heaven there (like flores, ntt, etc.)
I would definitely love to. I’m thinking of checking out Komodo and more this year actually.
Wow those pictures look awesome! Thanks for writing about Belitung. This is such a great article 🙂 Anyway, if you need more reference about Indonesia maybe you can also visit http://www.jakpost.travel, I also read some informative articles there. I hope it could be useful for you too.
I am longing to holiday at an island…Belitung sounds like a perfect escape!
My recent post Jodhpur – From The Rooftop
I had never heard of Belitung until this post. It sounds wonderful and looks absolutely beautiful. Thanks for sharing! Would love to read more posts on this place.
I #Heart Belitung. Jadi drooling ngeliat makanannya. yummm…
Ahh I didn't make it to Indonesia while I was in SEAsia but will when I go back & I will have to visit this place. It looks like paradise for real… & well I love paradises.
Wooh! You are also Indonesian 🙂 It's pretty awesome to "meet" another blogger from the same country! And I totally agree with your last sentence there – I wish I knew what Indonesia has to offer when I was still living there! No matter, like you, I try to visit different places every time I go home now.
Hi Pauline, salam kenal 🙂
Whereabout in Indo are you from?
I'll be in Indonesia in three months and I have to go here! Saving this post!
How exciting! Where about are you heading? If you're flying anywhere to Jakarta, it's worth checking out Belitung. It's only 1 hr away and flights are not that expensive ($50 – $60).
It looks beautiful, love the milky color of the water!
That really is a hidden gem. Indonesia is definitely on our 'must return and explore further' list and this place just made it to the top of the pile
With 17000+ islands, there is so much to explore!
Really gorgeous. I had at first thought the image of the lake was ok the sky.
This island looks absolutely incredible. I spent a couple of months travelling around Indonesia and I've never heard of this place. I guess that's the best thing about Indonesia, there's always somewhere new to explore…
So true. I've lived in the island of Java for 16 years and I swear new destinations pop up every time I visit… sometimes they're so close by and I'm like, "How come I didn't know about this place before?!"
This looks great! It is really cool that you will never run out of places to explore. I feel very similar about the US. After living in Argentina, I realized I had seen more cities in South America than in my home country of the US! Now that I am back in the US, I am focusing on trying to see more of my country.
Sooooo true! The US has so many awesome places. The only reason we haven't explored this as much as we want to is the cost. The US is so big and flying can be so expensive and public ground transportation can be tough 🙁 – otherwise, we'll be all over this country.
wow stunning place and I want the food 🙂
The color of the lake is beautiful. I'm always astonished when I hear how many islands there are in Indonesia! You could spend the rest of your life trying to visit them.
hwaaa.. i'm in love with Belitung also mbakk..
It's easy to, right? 🙂
i am an indonesian and i really regret the fact that i never go to BaBel. I saw it in the Laskar Pelangi movie and automatically fell in love with it.
i will surely go there this year!
#proudindonesian
It sure does look like paradise! Oh that clear water and the white sand- makes me dreamy. Those white rocks look really interesting and unique.
Do you need to have a license or something to hire a boat? or just pay and go?
Pretty much pay (for the boat and for someone to steer it) and go.
That looks like an amazing place. So peaceful, also! Can't wait to read more about it. I'm wondering in what kind of place you stayed, if it was easy to get around, what you saw there… Exciting! 🙂
OMG looks amazing! We went to Indonesia on our honeymoon and LOVED it! We are leaving for our RTW trip in 4 months and have the entire month of April 2014 reserved for Indonesia! I am writing this island down!
I'm so jealous! Where in Indonesia do you think you'll be spending most of April?
I have been to just Java and Bali, but I know that there are many places like this that are incredibly beautiful and isolated. How great for you that you got to experience this place! That rocky outcrop photo is gorgeous.
Beautiful! Heading to Indonesia in the morning for three months. I'm excited to read the rest of your posts on this!