The Riau Islands Province came into existence in July, 2004, when it was separated from neighboring Riau Province on the island of Sumatra. It includes the islands of Karimun, Batam, Bintan, Singkep-Lingga, and the Anambas and Natuna island groups in the South China Sea. Though Kepri is a new addition to the political map of Indonesia, the far-flung islands of this archipelago make up one of the most important historical regions in the country.
An archipelago of over 3,000 islands, the region has benefited greatly from its location: straddling the sea routes between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. For thousands of years traders and pirates alike have taken advantage of its relatively calm and shallow waters, along with its many safe harbors. The earliest Malay kingdoms may have arisen in Sumatra but their prosperity relied on trade through these islands, while their navies were supported by the Orang Laut (literally "sea peoples") who lived in the archipelago. After the destruction of the Malacca Sultanate at the hands of the Portuguese in 1511, the Riau Islands and neighboring Johor (in Malaysia) became the center of a powerful successor sultanate.
The Riau-Johor Sultanate, with its chief port near present-day Tanjung Pinang, reached the height of its power in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, though it eventually succumbed to internal disputes, slave raiding by the Sulu Sultanate, and a war with the Dutch East India Company in 1784. By the early 1800s trade had moved elsewhere and the islands were split by a succession dispute between two sons of the recently deceased Sultan Mahmud. In 1819 an agent of the British East India Company promised to support one of the sons' (Sultan Hussain's) claim to the thrown in exchange for allowing him to set up a settlement that would become Singapore. An Anglo-Dutch treaty in 1824 divided the archipelago into two spheres of influence, splitting the former sultanate between Singapore and Johor on the British side and the Riau Islands on the Dutch side.
Strung between Singapore and Batavia (present-day Jakarta), the Riau Islands declined in economic and political importance in the 19th and 20th centuries. However, the area remained a center of Malay culture and Islamic learning in Southeast Asia and many historic buildings, especially on Penyengat Island near Tanjung Pinang, remain from this period. The province still lies on some of the most important shipping routes in the world and, for better or worse, it is firmly embedded in the greater Singaporean economy.
Some of the Riau Islands are within eyesight of downtown Singapore, while others are hundreds of kilometers away from anything. Because of this, the province offers many different experiences to a traveller. The luxury resorts on the north coast of Bintan and the much seedier towns of Batam are a short ferry ride from Singapore. Historic and ethnically-diverse Tanjung Pinang, the capital and largest town on Bintan, is further away but still easy to reach. Lingga and Singkep islands are much further afield and have become a favorite destination for cycling enthusiasts from Singapore. At the furthest extreme, the Anambas and Natuna Islands are the realm for divers and adventurous backpackers.
Get in
The Riau Islands are a major gateway into Indonesia because of good ferry links to nearby Singapore and Malaysia. For detailed visa information, please see the Indonesia page. Many of the seaports in the Riau Islands and the main airport on Batam are visa-free and visa-on-arrival points of entry. Please see the pages for the individual islands or cities on the visa status for a particular port.
By plane
Batam's Hang Nadim Airport (BTH) is the main airport in the province and fields flights from various Indonesian cities. It has connections with cities in the Sumatra "mainland" such as Banda Aceh, Pekanbaru, Bengkulu, Palembang, Jambi, and Pangkal Pinang, Medan, and other part of Indonesia such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Semarang, Pontianak, Bandung, and Balikpapan. See the Batam and individual city pages for details on connections.
As for international connections, Malindo Air operates flight from Batam to Subang-Kuala Lumpur.
Bintan has airport called Raja Ali Haji Fisabilillah Airport at Kijang near Tanjungpinang with flights From Jakarta By Garuda Indonesia or Lion Air From Jakarta and Xpress Air from Pekanbaru
By ferry
Ferries are the main way to get to the Riau Islands. Check the individual island or city pages for details.
From Singapore: Frequent ferries connect Singapore with Batam and Bintan. See pages of the two islands for details of ports served by the ferries. Ferries also link Singapore with Tanjung Balai on Karimun Island. Note that ferry service from Singapore to Tanjung Batu on Kundur Island have been terminated. (Tanjung Batu is not listed as a visa-free or visa-on-arrival point of entry, although visa-free nationalities seem to not have any problems entering via this port.)
From Malaysia: Frequent ferries link Johor Bahru with Batam and Bintan. Ferries also run between Kukup in the south western part of Johor state, and Tanjung Balai on Karimun Island. As of mid 2007, a ferry service has been planned for Batu Pahat in Johor and Tanjung Balai on Karimun but has not taken off yet.
From other parts of Indonesia: Numerous ferries link Sumatra mainland cities such as Pekanbaru, Dumai, Palembang, Kuala Tungkal in Jambi and other smaller ports with Batam, Bintan, Karimun and other islands. Ships belonging to Indonesia's passenger shipping company Pelni call at Bintan's Kijang port, Batam's Sekupang domestic ferry terminal and the Natuna Islands, linking them with Jakarta, Medan, Pontianak and other major ports.
Get around
One of the typical crowded ferries linking the various Riau Islands.
By boat
Boats are the only practical means of traveling through the archipelago. There are very frequent ferries between Batam and Bintan. Frequent ferry links the two islands with other islands in the province like Karimun, Singkep and Lingga. The remote Natuna and Anambas islands are linked by infrequent ferries and Pelni boats from Bintan. For more details, please see the pages for the individual islands.
By air
There are airports on Batam, Bintan and the remote Natuna Islands, where there are airstrips on Natuna and Matak. The main airline linking the various Riau islands is Riau Airlines. It also offers flights south to Singkep Island (Dabo) from Batam and that is a viable option rather than spending 3-6 hours on a ferry.
Local transport
In terms of land transport, local transport in the form of taxis, buses, vans (angkut, bemo), and motorcycle taxis (ojek) are available on most islands. It cost a dollar or two, it depends how long the trip is. However, to enjoy the island even more try to rent your own motor bike ("rental moto") It starts at 50'000 Rupias (3.2 €uro)/day when there are space to bargain, but on smaller islands they know they can charge more, up to 100'000 Rupias/day.
See
In the capital of the Riau province Tanjung Pinang will you find many historical attractions. The famous Buddhist Temple and Penyengat Island. With the famous Mesjid Raya Mosque made by egg. Include the unique building, it's much a spiritual island.To be there you smell the glorious history of Indonesia, yoe can find the parts of the kings palace. Several mausoleum of royalties and a spirit of old religion. The mysterious of Indonesia, this is maybe the place. Good/evil, black/light, animism. The old ruler's palace and royal tombs, among them the grave of the respected Sultan Haji, who also was creator and author of the first Malay Language grammar book, are among the legacies left by the Riau sultanate. Still in use is the old vice-royal mosque, the Mesjid Raya.
The Riau Islands are a group of around 3214 Islands, part of the Riau Province of Sumatra Indonesia. Over 700 of these are uninhabited and many do not have names as they are so small.
The main 2 islands, Batam and Bintan, are closer to Singapore than to Sumatra. Further to the south are Pulau Lingga and Pulau Singkep.
These islands have been quickly developed over the last 20 years. Beach resorts and hotels as well have golf courses have sprung up to cater for Singaporeans and expats living in Singapore.
Batam and Bintan are just a 45 minute ferry ride from Singapore and with the lower prices for accommodation and food they are perfect for a quick weekend away from Singapore.
Pulau Lingga and Pulau Singkep are both less developed than Batam and Bintan though still offer some great accommodation and beach life.
Snorkeling and Scuba Diving
There are some decent reefs off the coast of Bintan close to many of the resorts with a variety of sea life and corals. Fish types include clown fish and butterfly fish and you may be lucky enough to see some of the larger sea life including stingrays. The best time for scuba diving and snorkeling is between April and October when the water quality is best due to less rainfall.
You will not need a boat to get to these reefs as most are only a short swim from the beach. Most resorts have snorkeling equipment for hire.
There are a number of PADI certified dive operators who can arrange boat trips to reach reefs further out and also for dive courses.
An archipelago of over 3,000 islands, the region has benefited greatly from its location: straddling the sea routes between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. For thousands of years traders and pirates alike have taken advantage of its relatively calm and shallow waters, along with its many safe harbors. The earliest Malay kingdoms may have arisen in Sumatra but their prosperity relied on trade through these islands, while their navies were supported by the Orang Laut (literally "sea peoples") who lived in the archipelago. After the destruction of the Malacca Sultanate at the hands of the Portuguese in 1511, the Riau Islands and neighboring Johor (in Malaysia) became the center of a powerful successor sultanate.
The Riau-Johor Sultanate, with its chief port near present-day Tanjung Pinang, reached the height of its power in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, though it eventually succumbed to internal disputes, slave raiding by the Sulu Sultanate, and a war with the Dutch East India Company in 1784. By the early 1800s trade had moved elsewhere and the islands were split by a succession dispute between two sons of the recently deceased Sultan Mahmud. In 1819 an agent of the British East India Company promised to support one of the sons' (Sultan Hussain's) claim to the thrown in exchange for allowing him to set up a settlement that would become Singapore. An Anglo-Dutch treaty in 1824 divided the archipelago into two spheres of influence, splitting the former sultanate between Singapore and Johor on the British side and the Riau Islands on the Dutch side.
Strung between Singapore and Batavia (present-day Jakarta), the Riau Islands declined in economic and political importance in the 19th and 20th centuries. However, the area remained a center of Malay culture and Islamic learning in Southeast Asia and many historic buildings, especially on Penyengat Island near Tanjung Pinang, remain from this period. The province still lies on some of the most important shipping routes in the world and, for better or worse, it is firmly embedded in the greater Singaporean economy.
Some of the Riau Islands are within eyesight of downtown Singapore, while others are hundreds of kilometers away from anything. Because of this, the province offers many different experiences to a traveller. The luxury resorts on the north coast of Bintan and the much seedier towns of Batam are a short ferry ride from Singapore. Historic and ethnically-diverse Tanjung Pinang, the capital and largest town on Bintan, is further away but still easy to reach. Lingga and Singkep islands are much further afield and have become a favorite destination for cycling enthusiasts from Singapore. At the furthest extreme, the Anambas and Natuna Islands are the realm for divers and adventurous backpackers.
Get in
The Riau Islands are a major gateway into Indonesia because of good ferry links to nearby Singapore and Malaysia. For detailed visa information, please see the Indonesia page. Many of the seaports in the Riau Islands and the main airport on Batam are visa-free and visa-on-arrival points of entry. Please see the pages for the individual islands or cities on the visa status for a particular port.
By plane
Batam's Hang Nadim Airport (BTH) is the main airport in the province and fields flights from various Indonesian cities. It has connections with cities in the Sumatra "mainland" such as Banda Aceh, Pekanbaru, Bengkulu, Palembang, Jambi, and Pangkal Pinang, Medan, and other part of Indonesia such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Semarang, Pontianak, Bandung, and Balikpapan. See the Batam and individual city pages for details on connections.
As for international connections, Malindo Air operates flight from Batam to Subang-Kuala Lumpur.
Bintan has airport called Raja Ali Haji Fisabilillah Airport at Kijang near Tanjungpinang with flights From Jakarta By Garuda Indonesia or Lion Air From Jakarta and Xpress Air from Pekanbaru
By ferry
Ferries are the main way to get to the Riau Islands. Check the individual island or city pages for details.
From Singapore: Frequent ferries connect Singapore with Batam and Bintan. See pages of the two islands for details of ports served by the ferries. Ferries also link Singapore with Tanjung Balai on Karimun Island. Note that ferry service from Singapore to Tanjung Batu on Kundur Island have been terminated. (Tanjung Batu is not listed as a visa-free or visa-on-arrival point of entry, although visa-free nationalities seem to not have any problems entering via this port.)
From Malaysia: Frequent ferries link Johor Bahru with Batam and Bintan. Ferries also run between Kukup in the south western part of Johor state, and Tanjung Balai on Karimun Island. As of mid 2007, a ferry service has been planned for Batu Pahat in Johor and Tanjung Balai on Karimun but has not taken off yet.
From other parts of Indonesia: Numerous ferries link Sumatra mainland cities such as Pekanbaru, Dumai, Palembang, Kuala Tungkal in Jambi and other smaller ports with Batam, Bintan, Karimun and other islands. Ships belonging to Indonesia's passenger shipping company Pelni call at Bintan's Kijang port, Batam's Sekupang domestic ferry terminal and the Natuna Islands, linking them with Jakarta, Medan, Pontianak and other major ports.
Get around
One of the typical crowded ferries linking the various Riau Islands.
By boat
Boats are the only practical means of traveling through the archipelago. There are very frequent ferries between Batam and Bintan. Frequent ferry links the two islands with other islands in the province like Karimun, Singkep and Lingga. The remote Natuna and Anambas islands are linked by infrequent ferries and Pelni boats from Bintan. For more details, please see the pages for the individual islands.
By air
There are airports on Batam, Bintan and the remote Natuna Islands, where there are airstrips on Natuna and Matak. The main airline linking the various Riau islands is Riau Airlines. It also offers flights south to Singkep Island (Dabo) from Batam and that is a viable option rather than spending 3-6 hours on a ferry.
Local transport
In terms of land transport, local transport in the form of taxis, buses, vans (angkut, bemo), and motorcycle taxis (ojek) are available on most islands. It cost a dollar or two, it depends how long the trip is. However, to enjoy the island even more try to rent your own motor bike ("rental moto") It starts at 50'000 Rupias (3.2 €uro)/day when there are space to bargain, but on smaller islands they know they can charge more, up to 100'000 Rupias/day.
See
In the capital of the Riau province Tanjung Pinang will you find many historical attractions. The famous Buddhist Temple and Penyengat Island. With the famous Mesjid Raya Mosque made by egg. Include the unique building, it's much a spiritual island.To be there you smell the glorious history of Indonesia, yoe can find the parts of the kings palace. Several mausoleum of royalties and a spirit of old religion. The mysterious of Indonesia, this is maybe the place. Good/evil, black/light, animism. The old ruler's palace and royal tombs, among them the grave of the respected Sultan Haji, who also was creator and author of the first Malay Language grammar book, are among the legacies left by the Riau sultanate. Still in use is the old vice-royal mosque, the Mesjid Raya.
The Riau Islands are a group of around 3214 Islands, part of the Riau Province of Sumatra Indonesia. Over 700 of these are uninhabited and many do not have names as they are so small.
The main 2 islands, Batam and Bintan, are closer to Singapore than to Sumatra. Further to the south are Pulau Lingga and Pulau Singkep.
These islands have been quickly developed over the last 20 years. Beach resorts and hotels as well have golf courses have sprung up to cater for Singaporeans and expats living in Singapore.
Batam and Bintan are just a 45 minute ferry ride from Singapore and with the lower prices for accommodation and food they are perfect for a quick weekend away from Singapore.
Pulau Lingga and Pulau Singkep are both less developed than Batam and Bintan though still offer some great accommodation and beach life.
Snorkeling and Scuba Diving
There are some decent reefs off the coast of Bintan close to many of the resorts with a variety of sea life and corals. Fish types include clown fish and butterfly fish and you may be lucky enough to see some of the larger sea life including stingrays. The best time for scuba diving and snorkeling is between April and October when the water quality is best due to less rainfall.
You will not need a boat to get to these reefs as most are only a short swim from the beach. Most resorts have snorkeling equipment for hire.
There are a number of PADI certified dive operators who can arrange boat trips to reach reefs further out and also for dive courses.
0 Response to "Riau Travel Guide"
Posting Komentar