Things to do in Belitung
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Belitung
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Driest window and calmest seas: August about 96 mm of rain, September about 106 mm. Best for boat days and snorkelling.
Shoulder months, workable with a flexible boat day: April about 337 mm, May about 237 mm, October about 249 mm in the Tanjung Pandan record.
West monsoon wet season: November about 357 mm and December about 368 mm, rough seas and boat days cancelled or curtailed.
What's on
- Maras Taun April, after the rice harvest; held 28 April in Selat Nasik in 2024
Malay harvest thanksgiving with prayers, dance and the sharing of Lepat Gede, a giant leaf-wrapped rice cake.
- Belitong Geopark Run 18 April 2027, scheduled edition
Geopark Run Series event at Tanjung Kelayang Beach; expect the Kelayang area to be busy that weekend.
- Outrigger sailing race at Burung Mandi October to November, exact dates vary
Traditional outrigger sail boat race with a sand sculpture competition on the east coast.
Best things to do in Belitung
Pantai Tanjung Tinggi
A white sand bay closed by giant granite boulders, calm and clear, made famous by the Laskar Pelangi film.
Pantai Tanjung Kelayang
The island hopping departure beach, a long open strand with seafood restaurants and boat harbour life.
Danau Kaolin
A flooded kaolin mine pit of bright turquoise water and white clay banks, a photo stop, not a lake to swim in.
Museum Kata Andrea Hirata
Indonesia's first literary museum, built by the Laskar Pelangi author in his home village of Gantung.
Replika SD Muhammadiyah Laskar Pelangi
A replica of the rickety Laskar Pelangi schoolhouse, kept as a monument to the story and its real pupils.
Museum Tanjung Pandan
A colonial era town museum of tin mining, minerals and shipwreck porcelain; visit the rooms, skip the zoo.
Pantai Tanjung Pendam
The town sunset beach, a strip of cafes and pavilions where Tanjung Pandan gathers at the end of the day.
Pantai Burung Mandi
A quiet east coast fishing beach facing the sunrise, the natural beach stop inside the Gantung day.
Where to stay in Belitung
Tanjung Pandan town
practical base, early starts both directions
Airport 15 minutes away, coffee shops, noodle shops, museum and sunset beach in town, every tour pickup routes here.
Tanjung Binga and the Kelayang strip
boat days and resort stays
Resorts minutes from the Tanjung Kelayang boat pier on the fishing coast north of town.
Sijuk and Tanjung Tinggi
beach-first trips
Around the famous beach itself, quieter and prettier, still close to the Kelayang pier.
Think twice about
- Far south coast around Membalong as a touring base
The Kelayang boats, famous beaches and the Gantung day are all an hour or more away in different directions. Stay south only if seclusion is the trip; Arumdalu sits here.
- East Belitung (Gantung or Manggar) as a sole base
The beaches, boats and airport are 90 minutes away. Do the east as a day trip or one night of a loop, not as the base.
Best restaurants in Belitung
Kampong Dedaun
A garden beach restaurant with 126 metres of sand frontage, the island's seafood dinner occasion.
RM Batu Garuda
Seafood and gangan at the boat harbour, the standard slow lunch after the island circuit.
Ruma Makan Belitong Timpo Duluk
A 1950s-styled heritage house serving home-style Belitung food, the town's most characterful dinner.
RM Nelayan Seafood Belitong
A big town seafood hall for pick-your-own fish, gonggong snails and seafood tumpah spreads.
RM Gangan Sari
A home-style warung devoted to gangan, the turmeric sour fish soup, cooked to order in front of you.
Mie Belitung Atep
The island's noodle landmark, for mie Belitung in shrimp gravy with an es jeruk kunci on the side.
Kong Djie Coffee
The legendary coffee shop trading since 1943, for strong kopi O or kopi susu with toast and fritters.
Rumah Makan Fega
The east coast seafood stop in Manggar, the standard lunch inside the Gantung and Museum Kata day.
Outdoor things to do in Belitung
Pulau Lengkuas
A tiny island with an 1882 Dutch lighthouse, white sand and shallow reef, the heart of the boat day.
Pulau Pasir
A bare tidal sandbar that appears at low tide, visited on the morning boat circuit before it vanishes.
Pulau Batu Berlayar
Granite boulders rising from the sea like sails, a scramble, swim and photo stop on the boat circuit.
Pulau Burung
A small island named for its bird-shaped rock, with a beach and shallow swimming on the boat circuit.
Pulau Kepayang
The green lunch island of the boat circuit, with beach restaurants, grilled fish and a swim after lunch.
Goa Kelayang
A granite cave and rock pool formation near Kelayang, the last photo stop of the standard boat day.
Leebong Island
A private island day with sheltered calm water, lunch, kayaks, paddleboards and bicycles included.
Snorkelling off Pulau Lengkuas and Pulau Kepayang
Shallow, easy reef snorkelling in 2 to 3 metres of clear water, the underwater half of the boat day.
Best hotels in Belitung
Sheraton Belitung Resort
The island's one full luxury resort, with lagoons, villas, a spa and a clean beach inside the reserve.
Arumdalu Private Resort
A secluded eco-luxury resort with pool villas on 800 metres of private beach; book for privacy, not swimming.
Hotel Santika Premiere Beach Resort Belitung
A large sea-facing resort by Tanjung Tinggi with an infinity pool and direct beach access.
Swiss-Belresort Belitung
A family resort with two pools minutes from the boat pier, the value pick of the resort strip.
Fairfield by Marriott Belitung
The most polished town hotel, a Marriott standard base for early starts in both directions.
BW Suite Belitung
The established town all-rounder facing Tanjung Pendam beach, with a pool, spa and sunset deck.
Golden Tulip Belitung
A town tower with sea-view rooms and a rooftop; ask for a high floor away from the music levels.
MaxOneHotels at Belstar Belitung
A clean, simple budget town base for travellers spending their money on boats and cars instead.
Is Belitung expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | IDR 450,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | IDR 1,250,000 a person |
| Splurge | IDR 2,800,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Pulau Lengkuas: a few days ahead
- Pulau Pasir: a few days ahead
- Pulau Batu Berlayar: a few days ahead
- Pulau Burung: a few days ahead
- Pulau Kepayang: a few days ahead
- Goa Kelayang: a few days ahead
- Leebong Island: a few days ahead
- Snorkelling off Pulau Lengkuas and Pulau Kepayang: a few days ahead
- Book the boat day a day or two ahead in the dry season and earlier on Indonesian holidays; book Sheraton, Santika and Fairfield ahead for holiday windows, and flights before hotels at peak.
Is Belitung safe?
- Swim on the northwest coast, not the rough south coast; wear a life jacket on boats, respect a boatman's weather refusal, and carry medical evacuation insurance.
Belitung travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Per-person boat packages overcharge groups of six or more versus a pier charter; the Lengkuas lighthouse climb is never guaranteed; Danau Kaolin is a mine pit for looking, not swimming; Lemadang at Tanjung Tinggi is listed as permanently closed.
Getting around Belitung: public transport and more
- Fly Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta to H.A.S. Hanandjoeddin (TJQ) in about 1 hour; several flights a day, operators change often, so verify the carrier for your date.
- Hire wheels: car with driver and fuel about IDR 700,000 to 800,000 per day, scooters about IDR 75,000 to 125,000 per day; Gojek and Grab cover town hops.
Who Belitung suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Belitung your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store