Bintan and Penyengat Island: a ferry to the Riau islands

A ferry to the Indonesian island of Bintan, a small boat to the old royal island of Penyengat and a yellow mosque said to be held together with egg whites.

Area

Day trips

Start from

Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal

Distance

about 2 hours by ferry to Tanjung Pinang

Time needed

2–3 days

Best season

All year; the sea can be rough from December to February

Difficulty

Moderate

Transport

Ferry from Tanah Merah to Tanjung Pinang, then a small boat to Penyengat

Tickets & rules

Passport valid for at least six months; Indonesian visa on arrival or e-visa, plus the online arrival declaration

Why go

Bintan is the big Indonesian island visible from Singapore on a clear day, and while its north coast is mostly resorts, the old port town of Tanjung Pinang on its south-west coast is a different world: markets, seafood, stilt houses over the water and the feel of a real Indonesian provincial town.

From Tanjung Pinang a small wooden pompong boat takes about 15 minutes to reach Penyengat, a tiny island that was once the centre of the Riau-Lingga sultanate and of Malay literature. There are no cars, just narrow paths, old graves, palace ruins and the bright yellow Sultan Riau Mosque with its many domes and minarets.

For a slow traveller, it is a perfect two or three-day escape: Penyengat, a seafood dinner over the water in Tanjung Pinang, and then a day on the beaches of the quieter east coast, at Trikora, where boulders and coconut palms line the shore.

The story

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Penyengat was a royal island. It was given as a wedding gift by a Sultan of Riau-Lingga to his bride, Engku Puteri Hamidah, and it became the seat of the Bugis viceroys who ruled the sultanate alongside the Malay sultans. The island had palaces, mosques, a printing press and a lively intellectual life.

The Sultan Riau Mosque was built in the 1830s, and a well-known local story says that its mortar was mixed with egg whites, given by the islanders, to make it stronger. Whether or not it is literally true, it is one of the most beautiful mosques in the region, with old handwritten Qurans kept inside.

Penyengat was also home to Raja Ali Haji, a 19th-century scholar and poet whose writings on Malay grammar and whose poem Gurindam Dua Belas are considered classics. His work helped to standardise the Malay language, which eventually became the basis of modern Indonesian and Malaysian. His tomb is on the island, and verses of the poem are inscribed on its walls.

In 1824 the Anglo-Dutch Treaty split the old Malay world in two: Singapore and the Malay Peninsula went to the British, the Riau islands to the Dutch. Bintan and Singapore, so close together, have since developed in completely different ways.

Getting there

Ferries run from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal in Singapore to Tanjung Pinang several times a day, taking about 2 hours. Other ferries go to Bandar Bentan Telani in Lagoi for the north-coast resorts. Check the current schedules and book a return ticket.

In Tanjung Pinang, small pompong boats leave from a jetty in the old town for Penyengat when they are full. Arrange a taxi or driver for the east coast.

A suggested plan

1. Day 1 morningTake the ferry from Tanah Merah to Tanjung Pinang; clear immigration.
2. Day 1 afternoonPompong boat to Penyengat; visit the mosque, the tomb of Raja Ali Haji and the palace ruins.
3. Day 1 eveningSeafood dinner over the water in Tanjung Pinang.
4. Day 2Drive to Trikora Beach on the east coast for a lazy day by the sea.
5. Day 3Market in the morning, then the ferry back to Singapore.

Where to stay

Tanjung Pinang has simple hotels in the old town; the east coast near Trikora has small beach resorts and guesthouses. The north-coast resorts in Lagoi are a separate, more expensive world.

Good to know

• Bring Indonesian rupiah for the pompong, small shops and food stalls.
• Dress modestly on Penyengat and in the mosque; women should cover their hair inside.
• Check visa-on-arrival rules for your nationality before travelling.
• Book ferries in advance for weekends and Singapore holidays.