Kinds of Tourism in Belitung

 In 2017, my family and I went to Belitung for a vacation. We have relatives there, so we didn’t have to hire a tour guide or using travel agency. We took a plane from Soekarno Hatta International Airport, Cengkareng. It took about forty-five minutes to an hour to arrive at H.A.S. Hanandjoeddin International Airport, Tanjung Pandan. Belitung is a hidden gem, still untouched and rarely gets attention. Belitung may be not as famous as Bali or Raja Ampat Papua but it surely has a lot of tourism potential. In this article, I will cover kinds of tourism you can get when visiting Bangka Belitung (based on my own experience).

 

We might know Belitung from Laskar Pelangi film. One thing that is most highlighted from Belitung is its beaches, but Belitung has other tourist attractions.

 

1. Cultural Tourism 

By definition cultural tourism satisfies cultural and intellectual curiosity and involves visits to ancient monuments, places of historical or religious importance, etc.

Based on the definition above, I can conclude that there two cultural tourist attractions in Belitung. First, Danau Kaolin. Even though Danau Kaolin isn’t public tourist place, many people come here to find a good spot for photo. Actually, Danau Kaolin is a former excavation site for mines such as kaolin sand and tin on the island of Belitung. 

 

 

Next, lighthouse on Lengkuas Island. 

Lengkuas Island Lighthouse is located on Lengkuas Island. The lighthouse was built in 1883 during the colonial period. Unfortunately, visitors have not been allowed to climb the lighthouse since 2017. This lighthouse is a historical monument that is related to our colonialism history. So, it has cultural value and becomes one of the tourist attractions in Belitung.

 

 2. Ecotourism

Even though Belitung is famous for its beaches, there is ecotourism on the island of Belitung namely Batu Mentas. It is a conservation area in Belitung.

The water is still pristine and crystal clear. You can swim or just playing water there. Actually, there is an animal sanctuary for tarsiers and belitung deer which are almost extinct but unfortunately I didn't take their pictures.

 

Bonus:

Here is photo of mine when visiting Batu Mentas.

I don’t really like taking photo of myself so I don’t have many.

 

Boys were playing and swimming.

 

 3. Beach Tourism

Here is the main course: beach tourism

There are many beaches in Belitung. But the most famous are Tanjung Tinggi Beach and Tanjung Kelayang Beach. Tanjung Tinggi Beach is one of the famous beaches in Belitung because it is used as a shooting location for the film Laskar Pelangi. The distinctive feature of this beach is that it has white sand, clear sea water, and large granite stones. Next, Tanjung Kelayang Beach is the second famous beach after Tanjung Tinggi Beach. Tanjung Kelayang Beach consists of two parts, namely in the west with a cluster of granite stones and on the east which is a beautiful and clean white sand.

4. Adventure Tourism 

Adventure tourism is a tourist activity that includes physical activity, a cultural exchange, or activities in nature. We can go snorkerling near shallow depth on Lengkuas Island.

Lengkuas Island is one of the largest islands in a series of small islands in Belitung waters. Even though it is quite far from other islands such as Burung Island and Kepayang Island, Lengkuas Island remains one of the favorite tourist destinations in Belitung. Apart from the beauty of the beach, and the charm of the old lighthouse in the middle, snorkeling is a great attraction on this island.

The snorkeling spot on Lengkuas Island does offer an amazing sensation. This snorkeling spot on Lengkuas Island offers a different experience compared to several other snorkeling spots on the island of Belitung. In this location, apart from clear water and relatively calm waves (except in certain seasons), visitors will be treated to an underwater view of a large number of colorful small fish.

Hundreds of thousands or maybe millions of reef fish can be enjoyed or even invited to play. It is enough to bring and release the leftover snacks such as snacks, bread, or rice in the water in a matter of minutes thousands of fish will swarm you.

 

 

My father on boat. We took a boat to Lengkuas Island where we went snorkeling nearby in a shallow depth. To enjoy the sensation of snorkeling in the island of Lengkuas is quite easy. Visitors only need to rent a fishing boat (boat) on the Tanjung Kelayang-Belitung beach at a price that is also relatively affordable. In addition, don't forget to rent a life jacket and snorkeling equipment. These equipments can be found easily on the beach of Tanjung Kelayang.

These are our photos when snorkeling:

 

 

To conclude this article, there are four kinds of toursim in Belitung. They are cultural tourism, ecotourism, beach tourism, and adventure tourism. Although Belitung is an island and the most famous form of tourism is beach tourism, we can also find other forms of tourism here.

Thank you for reading!