Anambas Islands, Riau Islands Province, Indonesia

5Nomadian_2012 5:00 PM Apr 22, 2014

Anambas, tropical slice of paradise
After spending almost a week in Anambas, to be precise, Pulau Jemaja, in the village of Letong, I can conclude that CNN was absolutely right in calling this part of the world the most beautiful of the whole of Asia. It really is utterly breathtaking. The area has unbelievable sea water clarity, It's almost gin-like. One of our group called the sea here "nature's swimming pool" and that is very apt. Case in point: our boat's sonar showed 42 m, yet we could still clearly make out the structures on the sea bottom below. The archipelago is peppered generously with idyllic beaches and bounty paradise locations coconut trees, powdery white sand, blue lagoon and all. Anambas is still relatively unknown, its inaccessibility lending it an almost end-of-the-world quality. In fact, it almost feels like stepping back 200 years or so, when these parts of the world were still more or less unexplored. Happy people all around Villagers are still rather surprised to see foreigners, most breaking into instant smiles, usually, there's lots of waving, friendly chatter and shaking of hands. I don't think we've ever been invited for a meal as often as during our week here. The local people are some the friendliest and most generous I've come across. Makan The food served up by the few establishments that cater to outsiders is nothing short of delicious: surprising mixes of exotic spices and local flavors, usually served with rice, a few vegetables and fresh fish or "sotong", a kind of calamari. Nature untouched There's wildlife simply everywhere you look. Right underneath our kelong, basically a chalet on stilts, two starkly-patterned moray eels had found permanent residence, venturing out every so often for a quick forage. You will see and even hear turtles come up for a breath quite frequently. And we spotted more different species of fish in one hour of snorkeling here than our total spotted in all our previous snorkeling spots. Getting there is half the fun The ferry ride from Tanjung Pinang, Bintan, to Anambas, whilst no longer the 10 hours it used to be, is still a 5-7 hour non-stop sail, depending on the sea state. That said, there's flying fish and lots of dolphins to keep you occupied whilst on the deck. Also, the ferry interior is air-conditioned and the seats are very comfortable. You can also take the "Bukit Raya", a cruise-type vessel that takes up to 1000 passengers, comes with sleeper cabins and offers all the facilities that usually come with a ship this size, i.e. restaurants, karaoke, in-ferry movies etc. The Bukit Raya takes up to 15 hours to reach the islands. Incidentally, Sky Aviation used to fly to Anambas from Tanjung Pinang, but currently all flights are suspended till further notice. That said, the ferry frequency has been stepped up to cover for this. All in all, Anambas looks set to make it onto tourists' radars soon; it's simply too gorgeous to be missed any longer. In fact, there are several projects in the pipeline, such as a new airport terminal, that aim to put Anambas out there.

5Kerstin S 5:00 PM Oct 2, 2018

Anambas, Island Jemaja
Hi, I am back from the Anambas and like to share my experience. First of all: it was amazing! I traveled with a friend of mine (two women from Germany) and we stayed nine days in Letung at the Island Jemaja. The first three nights we stayed at the Miranti Hotel, which is located in the center of Letung. The facilities are basic, the food is good and the Restaurants terrace is located directly at the water with a nice view. The rest of our holiday we stayed at a homestay close to Letung, at one of the most amazing beaches of Jemaja – at Padang Melang. We loved it! The homestay is located just above the Coffee Sunday, with a nice private terrace overlooking the beach, clean and nice facilities, watersupply and a lovely landlord. Her son speaks English. There is another homestay right at the beach, which looks nice from the outside too, but we didn't see it from the inside. Jemaja is beautiful! Uninhibited nature, green hills, amazing beaches and lovely people. As people aren't used to western tourists yet, we caused a lot of attention. The kids loved to take selfies with us and it was cheering and waving hands everywhere we went. People are very friendly and open minded and I hope, that they will keep their positive attitude as tourism progresses. For moving around on the island you need a motorbike/scooter, which you can rent there easily. Please, be aware that the population is muslimic and appropriate dressing is a sign of respect. There are a lot of hidden beaches, where you are on your own and where you can bath in your bikini. At the public beaches, local women do bath completely covered up. We decided to bath in T-Shirt and Shorts, which seemed to be a good solution for everyone. Besides it gives you protection from the sun, which is very strong there. Use high sunscreen! The food was always very fresh and good. We ate and drank everything (also icecubes) and never had any problems stomachwise. There are Moskitos (not a lot, but some) and regarding a local doctor there have been few cases of Malaria at the Anambas in general. We took Malaria-Medication with us. Just in case… we didn’t needed it in the end. As most of the people don't speak English, we found it very helpful to have a guide. Be aware, that there is no touristic infrastructure (yet!) at all. That meens, that there are (almost) no menus, fixed prices ore signs for orientation. You have to talk to the people to make your way around, which is charming, but also difficult when you don't speak the same language. Furthermore, most of the Islands is uninhibited nature without Telephone network. So, at least someone (Guide) should know where you are, when you plan a trip on your own. With Guides helping us to get more familiar with the habits, showed us how to get around and organising trips and transportation for us, we had an absolutly amazing time at Jemaja! Prices were more than fair and very reasonable. Gusdi Munandar (+62 822 8335 1471, WhatsApp) is a very nice local guide, who is eager to learn English. He offers day-packages and individual tours and is very careful and reliable. Ade Hussin (+62 812 7656 0301, WhatsApp) speaks fluently English and is familiar with western culture and tourism. He loves the Island, knows everything about the nature and culture and plans to open a tourist information center very soon. You can contact him for any information. Both gave me permission, to post their phonnumbers! There is a lot to see and to do in Jemaja and around. Padang Melang is a 7 km long dream-beach near Letung, where we stayed and sometimes were the only ones at the beach. There are some houses along the beach and after school the Kids come to hang out there. There are nice coffee places and restaurants there – the Coffee Sunday and a nice Restaurant right at the beach with „Picnic-Tables“ in the sand, have both menus in English. Kusik Beach is another dream-beach, that you can reach by bike or boat. From what we heard, there are plans for building a Resort there – wherefor locals have to move away from the beach. In Letung there is a farmers market in the early morning, where you can buy snacks (local sweet and salty cookies, fried bananas and Tempe, fruits, and so on) that you can eat in one of the coffee places (e.g. across the street from the Navy-Base), while watching the life going on around you. Try the Durian – but cover your nose ;). There is a nice Waterfall at Jemaja with basins you can swim in. If you travell around the Island, you’ll come along little Fisherman-Villages, beautiful beaches and green fields and hills. We’ve seen Monkeys, Turtles, Sea eagles and Corals with plenty of fish. We’ve missed to go hiking onto one of the mountains, which I would have loved to do. The view must be amazing. As you see, nine days aren’t enough time to do eyerything on the Island. Besides, there are so many beautiful Islands and Diving/ Snorkeling spots around Jemaja, that you have to see as well: ask a Local, they know the best spots to go! But bring your own equipment - again: so far there is no touristic infrastructure. Our Guide Ade is planning on opening an ecological Resort with only a few vilas at his private beach. With all his passion for the project and nature, I’ll cross my fingers that it will become reality soon. Getting there wasn't as exhausting as we thought it would be, as there is a newly opend airport in Letung. We flew to Singapur, stayed there a couple of days (enjoyed it also) and then went by ferry to Batam. From there we flew to Jemaja. Booking the tickets (Batam-Letung) was easy via the App „Traveloka". In September 2018 there were three flights a week from Batam to Letung. At Batam we stayed at the KTM-Resort, which organised the transfers for us. We liked the resort- it has an amazing view onto Singapurs Skiline. On our way back from Jemaja we arrived again at the airport in Batam and made our way back to Singapur. For getting a taxi at Batam airport, you have to go to the official taxi-counter, which is located at the outside of the airporthall. There you get an official Taxi for regular prices! Going from Singapur to Batam and back by ferry is very easy. It's well organised and ferries go regulary. There are different harbours at Batam, so you need to check in advance where you need to go to at Batam and then find the right ferryterminal in Singapur. It sounds more complicated, than it is. There are also ferries going to the Anambas from Batam and Bintan. If you choose the ferry from Batam (which is newer and faster than the one from Bintan), please note that you need to stop over in Batam for at least one night. The ferry leaves to early in the morning, so that you can't make it from Singapur to Batam at the same morning. There is an agency (anambasferry.com) offering the booking of ferry-tickets in advance. From what we heard, it sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. Regarding Visa: when you are an EU-Citizen, you’ll get the visas without any complication right at the transfer to the next country (plane or ferry). You don’t have to apply in advance. Be aware, that there is no international ATM at Jemaja, so you need to bring enough cash with you. Which is difficult to calculate, as there are no fixed prices you can read up in advance - another reason to get in touch with a guide before. There is an international ATM in Terempa, but it is a two hour ferry-ride from Letung to Terempa and the ferry doesn't go back on the same day! In Letung, Wifi is only available in the schools (and sometimes in front) and at one spot at Padang Melang (beach). Now we are back in Germany and full of great impressions. The nature is just amazing - above and underneath water. People were so friendly and helpful and really encouraged to make our holiday extraordinary. So, get your stuff together and be open for a pinch of adventure and you'll find paradise! I hope to be back soon and cross my fingers that the Island will find a way to open up to tourism by remaining its breathtaking nature and friendliness of the locals.