Let’s wanderlusted in Bangka Island, Indonesia! I’m sure 100% of you must’ve known Bali as the paradise in Indonesia and some of you might also know Lombok and Sumba. I went to Bangka Island in 2018 and I think that this small island should get more worldwide recognition. So, here it is, I’m providing you a travel guide blog post in English. I hope this will be very useful for you who want to visit the other paradise of Indonesia.

How to get there?

The easiest way to get to Bangka Island is by plane and I went here by flying from Jakarta. There is only one airport on this island since it is just a small island. The name of the airport is Depati Amir Airport located in Pangkal Pinang city. The ticket price is usually about Rp300.000-Rp500.000 (US$25-40) from Jakarta’s airports (Soekarno-Hatta Airport or Halim Perdanakusuma Airport) and sometimes, even more, depending on the airlines. The other way is by boat which you can take either from Sumatera mainland, Belitung island (Tanjungpandan Harbor), or other parts of Indonesia. I really suggest you taking an airplane since it will be easier and time-effective for you. Also, the flight price from Jakarta is quite cheap.

Where to stay?

As far as I know, this island only has one capital city called Pangkal Pinang and this is the best place to find hotels or other accommodations you need. Foods can be found anywhere in Pangkal Pinang City. It is also close to the airport so I really recommend staying in the city. If you want to camp somewhere else, you can do it on the beaches, I think.

Transportation

Since this is a small island, you can not expect a good public transportation system. There are some public transports but they have limited routes. So, the best thing you can do is renting. The renting price can differ in each place but no driver renting is supposed to be around Rp350.000 (US$ 25) for car and Rp100.000 (US$ 7) for scooter/motorcycle. In order to be able to rent, you need to show you driving license (local or international for foreigners) unlike in Bali where you can easily rent without showing any of your documents. The price I paid for car rental along with driver and gasoline was Rp450.000 (US$35).

Where to go?

Beach

There are plenty of beaches here but I personally don’t suggest you to go to the ones nearby the beach. I went to Rambak Beach, it is closeby the city but it didn’t blow my mind. It was okay but not super great since it was a bit crowded. Here’s the exact location of Rambak Beach and it has free entry.

The beach I recommend is the one that takes 2 hours one way, so 4 hours for round trip. It is called Penyusuk Beach and it’s a beautiful beach. The best thing is it wasn’t crowded when I was there, just some people but once you walk further from the parking area, you’ll get the paradise for yourself. There is also a small island called Putri Island that is just 10 minutes away with boat and you can cross it by join the public trip or rent the boat. Here’s the exact location of Penyusuk Beach and it has free entry.

Unfortunately there is no best beach to watch sunsets because the west area is really far from the capital city. But, if you’re up for adventure then I encourage you to go.

Lake

There are 2 unnatural lakes that I think worth the visit. I said unnatural since those places were actually mines but they got abandoned then turned into lakes. The other unnatural lake is called Red Hill and it is located here. Too bad, due to the limited time I had, I was unable to go here. But the ultimate paradise that deserves your attention is called Kaolin Air Bara Lake which I explain completely on another blog post here.

Best time to visit:
Anytime you prefer during daylight.

Ticket price:
Free, only pay for the parking

Eating

A typical small island has great variety of fresh seafoods and I think you need to try those. There are many places that sell fresh seafoods but I really recommend on going to Aroma Laut Restaurant located here, not so far from the city. You will be provided with fresh Indonesian cooked seafoods while eating by the beach. This restaurant has unique interior and exterior, it feels like you’re eating on the boat.

The other must eat place is called Otak Otak Ase which has a lot of branches including in the airport. You can wait for your flight while munching on their delicious fishcake. Otak-otak is the Indonesian term of fishcake.

Tips & Other Things You Should Know

• Make sure you have cash since most of the places only receive cash
• Beware of scams since even though I’m not a foreigner but people still try to scam me
• Prepare your sunscreen and sunglasses because it’s scorching hot there
• Most people can’t speak English there so you need be prepared

The pictures above were edited without altering any color, everything is in the exact color as seen in real life. All I did was enhancing the contrast, brightness, etc.

Thank you for reading this blog post, I hope you get away from Bali for a while and give this paradise island a try. If you prefer to have me as your guide for your private tour or if you have further questions, please contact me through friends@getwanderlusted.com.

Luna Rolg

Hi, I’m Luna. Welcome to my blog! You will find helpful travel guides and tips on my blog posts, all are written by me and based on my experience. I hope you enjoy reading my blog posts!
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