One day in Bintan

Are you looking for a day or weekend trip from Singapore or from Batam? Do you want to get the feel of Indonesia through a short trip? Then, Bintan is an excellent option. While Bintan is larger than Singapore, the number of touristic attractions is relatively limited, so you can get to do everything in one day, or if you want to enjoy some swimming time, a weekend is an ideal time to spend there. Explore what to do in Bintan for a day with this guide!

What to do in Bintan?

Reclining Buddha or Vihara Dharma Shanti

There are some opinions on whether the Buddha is reclining or sleeping, as both terms are used to name this temple, my guide explained to me. The Vihara Dharma Shanti is a small temple in the north of Bintan, quite close to the Blue Lake. The Buddha sculpture itself is quite large, and on both sides are panels with images of Buddha’s life. The temple itself can also be visited, although it’s more conventional.

Sand Dunes and Blue Lake

This area was artifically created due to the mining and extraction of sand. There’s actually not only one lake, but at least 4, and the number may increase due to ongoing mining activity. There are no rivers going to these 4 lakes, as they’re based on rain water. The colors are derived from the chemical composition of the sand. My guide decided to clarify that it was not due to color dye, which is something he apparently gets asked. I hope it was a joke. Next to the lakes, you can see some sand dunes, which look quite cool.

There’s two acitvities you can do in the lakes (apart from taking instagram photos). There’s some guys that let you pose with prey birds, or you can also grab an ATV to drive over the dunes. Obviously, these activities have an additional cost. The visit to the place requires to pay a fee, the price of which is usually included in the tour.

500 Lohan Temple or Vihara Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva

This is one of the most popular temples you can visit in Bintan. It’s located quite south, so will require of a drive there, but it’s worth the visit. Once you leave the car, you’re welcomed by a corridor of columns and a large scultupre in front of the building temple. If you go around the temple, you’ll reach the part that has the 500 Lohan or stone statues. My guide explained that those are statues of monks. All of them are different, with different faces and facial expressions, different decorations, and different positions. It’s really impressive to see so many different statues! This is quite a new temple, built in the last 10-15 years.

When I was there, a group from the army came there to do some promotional photos, so I felt a bit uncertain about taking photos, but they didn’t say anything.

The entrance fee is IDR 30,000.

Vihara Avalokitesvara Graha

This is another Buddhist temple built in the recent years. The highlight is a Buddha statue inside of the temple, measuring 16.8 m, and covered with gold. On both sides of the temple you can also see sculptures of other gods, that are protected by a glass. The temple area is quite large, with an extensive garden in front of the main temple, and a pagoda on the side. There’s also a large crematorium nearby.

Sun Te Kong Temple

This was the last temple I visited during my tour. With the typical Chinese temple structure, it’s also the oldest one, dating from the 18th century. It’s located next to the coast, and shines with its colorful decorations. The area of the temple is not very large, and it has several statues outside.

Mangrove tour

A mangrove tour is something that I really wanted to do. I took my tour solo, which was obviously more expensive, but still worth it. The guide showed me several types of roots for the different plants. We also got to see four snakes, all from the same species, which were peacefully sleeping on the trees. Additionally, the guide and boat driver got a few clams that they took with them to enjoy later.

Enjoy the beach at Lagoi Bay

My final stop was a beach at Lagoi Bay. It was afternoon, so the tide was low. I walked a bit into the water – it was really warm! I didn’t bring a swimsuit, but it’s definetly a great place for a swim.

My guide also explained that it’s possible to do snorkeling, but rainy season is not good for it, as the waters are muddier.

Personal Highlights

To me, Bintan felt like one of those destinations which are nice to see once if you happen to have the chance. Bintan was my first experience with Indonesia, and it certainly left a good impression – I’d love to visit some of the other islands! My favourite parts of the trip were:

• The Blue Lake and Sand Dunes: It’s the most advertised and in my opinion, the most interesting area, too. The contrast between the blue lake and the orange-beige dunes was very interesting.
• 500 Lohan Temple: It might be a bit far, but it’s worth the trip! The 500 sculptures are really interesting.

Practical Information

How to get to Bintan?

You can get to Bintan using a flight or a ferry. My driver explained that the flights used to be international, but because of COVID many routes shut down and now the airport is domestic only. Thus, the easiest way to get to Bintan from outside of Indonesia is to use the ferry. You can catch a ferry from Singapore, other places in Indonesia (like Batam), or from Malaysia. I took a ferry from Singapore for a day trip, using the company Bintan Resort Ferries. It was easy to book a ticket with them and to get through all the next steps too.

Transport

There’s no public transport in Bintan. Thus, you’ll have to get a taxi, a private driver, or a tour to move around the island. I used this company to book a private tour and had a great experience. My driver picked me up in the ferry station, and drove around all the points I wanted to make. We also had a nice chat, in which he explained me many things about the island and Indonesia in general.

Visa

While some countries have a visa excemption to visit Indonesia, European passport will need one. You can get a visa on arrival or you can buy one after filling your arrival card. There’s two types of visas on arrival for tourists. There is the 30 days one, which in 2025 costs IDR 500,000, or a shorter term 7 days to visit only the Riau islands, for IDR 250,000. The catch is that you cannot apply to the short term visa online, and will have to do it in the airport or ferry terminal. You’ll also have to show your departure ticket from Indonesia.

For my day trip to Bintan, I got the short term visa. In the ferry station, you can buy the visa right before going through immigration. They asked me to pay in cash, but I could use USD (the currency exchange office is only after immugration).

Don’t forget to fill your arrival card before visiting Indonesia! I’ve seen plenty of fake places to request an arrival card that charge you for it, but official arrival cards are free. This link brings you to the Indonesian arrival card website.

Dress code

Indonesia is a muslim majority country. However, in tourist areas I’ve seen people dressing like in the West. If you want to visit temples, respect the modesty rules that apply. I wore a summer shirt with long shorts and that seemed adequate based on how other tourists were dressed.

How safe is Bintan for a woman solo?

I will admit that I traveled exclusively with my guide/driver, and that felt perfectly safe. The touristic areas I visited were also very safe. Would I venture by myself into the non-touristy areas? Probably not, but my risk tolerance is also not very high. Generally, there were a lot of women and children in the streets, which always gives a safer impression, and I never felt started at in the places I visited. If I were to guess, the most likely thing that may happen to you venturing by yourself is falling into a scam or maybe pickpocketing.

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