Along Belitung’s shoreline, a narrow strip of road threads through verdant hamlets. Occasionally, a crowded scooter rolls by. Shaped like a boot, the island north of Sumatra is frequently called the “Maldives of Indonesia” because of its untouched reefs, blue waters, Triassic granite outcrops, and last year’s confirmation of its UNESCO Global Geopark status, a designation that aims to protect the natural environment and to encourage holistic and sustainable development.
This designation aims to protect the natural environment and encourage holistic, sustainable development. Although Belitung remains off the tourist map for now, last year’s UNESCO recognition, a new direct flight from Singapore, and green-thinking hotels launching on its shores will likely bring more visitors.
Exploring Belitung Geopark
There are 17 geosites dotted around the island. One of the first geosites to be visited is Bukit Peramun, a park 30 minutes’ drive inland from the coast. Local guide Jimie Afrian leads visitors through a forest of ironwood and wild fig trees, aiming to reach the summit at sunset.
While leading visitors along the leaf-covered path, he highlights ginseng roots used for herbal remedies and the Batu Kember (Twin Rocks), once used to test readiness for marriage. In the past, teenagers from five nearby villages would trek through the woods and position themselves between the towering granite formations with arms stretched wide.
Those able to touch both rocks simultaneously were considered adults. Today, all visitors must be accompanied by a guide in this community-managed forest, home to pangolins, hornbills, and mousedeer.
From a wooden observation deck, visitors gaze over a environment mixing farms, palm oil plantations, and forest. Afrian clearly understands his role in preserving this area, stating, “It may only be 60 hectares, but we will protect it,” while scanning the horizon.
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Sustainable Tourism in Belitung
With sunset approaching, guests make their way to the park’s highest point where locals operate a temporary eatery. From here, panoramic views unfold as visitors sip tea and dip cassava strips into local honey.
Rangers have already moved ahead using infrared lights to locate the park’s main attraction—the endangered Belitung tarsier. These reclusive nocturnal animals appear to remain high in the canopy instead of descending to feed, until a ranger signals visitors to follow quietly.
Six feet overhead, a slender pink tail dangles from a branch, revealing the Belitung tarsier. Its large, olive-colored eyes cautiously observe the group as it repeatedly curls and uncurls its long toes around the branch.
While the guides are happy to show visitors the tarsier, they are determined that the time with the tarsier remains fleeting. “You are using up their time to get food,” says Afrian, gently.
Sustainable Tourism Efforts
Within the 350-hectare Tanjung Kelayang Reserve bordering the coast, the Sheraton Belitung has been built, prioritizing sustainability. The hotel is constructed with handmade clay bricks and renggadai wood, powered by solar energy and rainwater collection.
Rather than manicured lawns, the resort grounds include naturally filtered ecoponds lined with kaolin clay. The Billiton Ekobeach Retreat also features beachside villas built from dolken logs and nipa palm leaf roofs.
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As visitors hike through the forest and visit a stingless bee farm, a tour of the coastline is also available. Tour company Blue Mind Experience takes guests on boat trips through the reserve, sometimes letting them experience what it is like to be a castaway.
When stepping onto the beach in front of the Sheraton, it feels as if the place is empty. The only people seen are the tour guide Ali and the captain, Rio, who will be piloting the boat. The guide, Alif Faozin, 18, has just returned to his parents’ home in Belitung.
He says his parents, who work for palm oil companies, are delighted with his new role and pleased that he gets to meet people from different countries and share stories of their home. After setting sail, the boat zigzags between tropical islands covered in coconut palms and Jenga-like rock formations.
Between the waves, locals can be seen taking lungfuls of air before diving under the surface to search for sea cucumbers or perh. The captain lowers the anchor by a sandbank so visitors can spy the hot pink starfish dotted around its edges.
The captain then takes visitors further to Kelayang Island, where locals sit in the shade of bamboo huts and lift their heads now and then to see if any hungry travelers need feeding before their boats depart. Visitors can also follow a small leafy trail to Kelayang Cave, where hanging bats doze after a night of feasting.
Lengkuas Island, with its 19th-century Dutch lighthouse, also attracts picnickers, but beneath the waves, the view is even better. The captain drops the anchor near a reef where fan-like corals in shades of purple and gold overlap, creating what looks like an underwater metropolis.
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Protecting Marine Life
Clownfish dance over sea anemones, while pastel-colored parrotfish glide across the pristine reef. The UNESCO Global Geopark is designed to protect more than just the Triassic granite rocks that stand like sails in the water; it also protects Belitung’s Satam stone.
This rare, jet-black tektite is believed to have formed when a meteorite struck the tin-rich land over 700,000 years ago. In times gone by, the glossy pitted stone would be cut and polished for jewellery, then handed down through the generations as an heirloom.
Preserving Local Heritage
Islanders believe the stone brings luck and wards off evil. Now the stone itself is protected, and Indonesians want visitors to leave with a replica, which the community-led BICA Ceramic recreates using Belitung clay. Other local creatives are shaping sustainable souvenirs, such as ex-pharmacist-turned-designer Bella Kartika Aprilia.
Aprilia launched the batik brand Sepiak Belitung, which showcases Belitung motifs such as white pepper, wooden fishing boats, and the tiered candle umbrella in her designs. “I wanted to create something that didn’t just sell clothing but also carried Belitung’s identity,” says Aprilia.
“For me, batik is one way to tell the story of a place: its nature, its culture, its people, and the hopes it holds.” Aprilia works with over 20 local artisans to create the resortwear pieces sold at her store and at hotel boutiques.
Large rocks form a half-moon around a small beach and tranquil bay. Onshore, a picturesque scene awaits with a calico tent fringed with palm leaves, colourful beanbags, a stack of novels, and a small campfire. The captain jokes that he will collect visitors tomorrow, but as they sink into a beanbag with a fresh coconut in their hand, tomorrow feels far too soon.