Place

Anambas Islands

How locals move

Getting around Anambas Islands the local way

Anambas is reached by a small number of infrequent ferries from Bintan and Tanjung Pinang (the Batam crossing is suspended), a fortnightly Pelni cruise ship, and two small airports whose flights are cancelled outright by haze and heavy weather; once there, pompongs and speedboats between Siantan, Jemaja and the outer islands run on their own schedules and a missed one can mean days waiting for the next.

01
Bintan (Kijang/Tanjung Pinang) – Letung – Tarempa fast ferryferry
Bintan to Letung (Jemaja) then on to Tarempa (Siantan), about 7-9 hours total
Where
Buy a printed booking confirmation online or through an agent, then present it at the ferry counter at the Bintan terminal before departure; the counter issues the paper ticket. Boarding closes at the port and a return sailing from Anambas tends to arrive in Bintan after the last Singapore boat has left, so plan an overnight in Bintan either way.
When
Departs Bintan every Monday, Wednesday and Friday; returns from Anambas every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. No crossing on Sunday
Fare (2026)
US$40 one-way, quoted on the operator's site as current in 2026
Takes
About 7-9 hours depending on weather and sea state, with a stop at Letung before the final hop to Tarempa
Season
Reported as running year-round on paper, but weather cancellations cluster in the November-March north-east monsoon
Booking
Online through anambasferry.com or by phone/WhatsApp to the agency; pay and collect the physical ticket at the terminal counter
Sources: anambasferry.com (2026-09) · anambasferry.com (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium
02
Batam – Anambas ferry: suspendedservice status
The former fast-ferry link from Batam to Letung and Tarempa
Where
The brief's premise of a working Batam ferry does not hold: the operator's own Batam route page carries a standing notice that the service is off. Anyone routing through Batam should use the Bintan or Tanjung Pinang crossing instead, or fly.
When
Not running
Fare
Not applicable
Takes
Not applicable
Season
Suspension has no stated end date on the page
Booking
Not applicable
Sources: anambasferry.com (2026-09) · confidence high
03
KM Sabuk Nusantara (Kemenhub subsidised PSO route), Tanjung Pinang – Anambasferry
Tanjung Pinang to Anambas, a government-subsidised pioneer route separate from the private fast ferries
Where
This is the Kementerian Perhubungan's PSO ferry, not the tourist operator's boat. Ask at the Tanjung Pinang harbourmaster's office or Pelni agent for the current Sabuk Nusantara schedule, since sailings are set month to month and are the first cancelled when the sea gets rough.
When
Reported as roughly fortnightly; a February 2020 sailing was turned back mid-route by 6-metre swell and the next departure was pushed from Thursday to the following Sunday pending calmer weather
Fare
Not confirmed
Takes
Not stated in the source found
Season
North-east monsoon swell (reported December-February in the source found) is the stated reason for turnbacks and delays
Booking
At the harbour or through a Pelni/ASDP agent; not sold online
Sources: riaupos.co (2020-02) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium
04
KM Bukit Raya (Pelni), Kijang – Letung – Tarempa – Natuna – Midai – Pontianakferry
Kijang port on Bintan, calling at Letung and Tarempa on the way out to Natuna, Midai and Pontianak, returning to Tanjung Pinang by a different routing
Where
A large passenger cruise ship (KTV lounge, canteen, first/second/economy classes and sleeper cabins), not a fast ferry - book at a Pelni office or agent in Kijang/Tanjung Pinang. Monthly schedules are republished by Riau news sites closer to sailing dates.
When
About twice a month according to the booking agency; an older Wikivoyage account describes a fortnightly-feeling two-week round trip that touches the islands roughly four times a month - the two figures do not fully agree and neither is dated precisely, so check the current month's published schedule
Fare
Varies by class (first, second, economy) and point of origin; no current fare could be confirmed from a source that names a year
Takes
Up to about 20 hours from Bintan to Anambas; a 2017-era fare example quoted roughly 30 hours Pontianak to Tarempa
Season
Year-round schedule, but subject to the same monsoon-season disruption as the other Anambas ferries
Booking
Pelni ticket office or agent at Kijang/Tanjung Pinang, or through the private ferry agency's inquiry form
Sources: anambasferry.com (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium
05
Letung Airport (Bandara Letung, Jemaja) - Wings Air and Susi Airscheduled flight
Batam (Hang Nadim) and Tanjung Pinang to Letung Airport on Jemaja
Where
Book Wings Air through Traveloka or the airline's own channels for the Batam route; the Tanjung Pinang route is flown by Susi Air as a subsidised pioneer (perintis) service, sold at a fixed government-set fare rather than a market one. Fog and wildfire haze both ground flights here: airport management cancels outright once visibility drops under the ~5 km safety minimum, most recently for a full day in September 2026.
When
Daily Wings Air rotation Batam-Letung reported in April 2026; the earlier operator page describes only 4 flights a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday) - treat the day pattern as unconfirmed and check current timetables
Fare (2026)
Wings Air Batam-Letung (ATR 72-600) was reported at Rp1.5-1.6 million per person before jumping to about Rp1.8-1.9 million in April 2026 industry-wide amid a fuel-price spike; the subsidised Susi Air run was unaffected at Rp608,000 from Tanjung Pinang and Rp556,000 from Letung
Takes
Not stated in the sources found
Season
Cancellations cluster in the dry-season haze months (reported September 2026) and in poor weather; the airport itself does not sell jet fuel, so aircraft arrive already fuelled
Booking
Wings Air through Traveloka or travel agents; Susi Air perintis seats are typically sold through the local UPBU office or its agents
Sources: batampos.jawapos.com (2026-04-10) · batampos.jawapos.com (2026-04-10) · batampos.jawapos.com (2026-04-10) · confidence medium
06
Matak Airport (MWK) - oil-company airstripchartered flight
Matak Island, serving the offshore gas fields; charter to Jakarta-Halim, plus some commercial service to Tanjung Pinang and Batam
Where
This is a working airstrip owned and used by MedcoEnergi's offshore operation, not a public terminal you can simply book from a travel site. Wikipedia's airport entry lists a MedcoEnergi charter (flown by Travira Air) to Jakarta-Halim for company personnel, alongside a commercial routing to Tanjung Pinang and Batam that was flown by XpressAir; no current-year source confirming XpressAir still flies this route, or how a non-employee books a seat, could be found. Ask locally or through a dive operator based on Matak/Kiabu whether seats on the commercial flights are still sold to the public.
When
Historically about 6 flights a week to Tanjung Pinang and 3 a week to Batam by frequency rank, per an undated Wikipedia statistics table; MedcoEnergi's own charter frequency is not stated
Fare
Not confirmed
Takes
Not stated in the source found
Season
Not stated
Booking
Not confirmed for public passengers; MedcoEnergi staff and contractors are booked through the company
Sources: en.wikipedia.org (2026-09) · en.wikipedia.org (2026-09) · confidence low
07
Tarempa (Siantan) - Letung (Jemaja) speedboatspeedboat
Tarempa to Letung, the main inter-island hop between the two most populous islands
Where
Ask at the Tarempa harbour for the Letung speedboat; departures are announced by word of mouth and at the jetty rather than posted online, and locals increasingly coordinate seats over WhatsApp.
When
About three times a week, per Wikivoyage
Fare
Rp125,000, undated in the source (Wikivoyage does not give a year)
Takes
Around 2 hours
Season
Slower and more likely to be cancelled in rough seas during the north-east monsoon
Booking
None formal - buy at the jetty; ask locally about WhatsApp groups for seat coordination
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium
08
Pompong charter to outer islands and beachesboat
From Tarempa or Letung out to the uninhabited outer islands (Bawah, Durai, Penjalin, Ayam and the many beaches not reachable by road)
Where
Pompongs are the slower, cheaper, diesel-powered wooden boats found tied up at the jetty in Tarempa and Letung; faster petrol speedboat taxis cost more. Chartering the whole boat, rather than waiting for a scheduled run, is how most outer-island and beach trips are actually done - ask at the jetty or through your guesthouse, since there is no listed operator or timetable.
When
On demand - no fixed schedule for a charter
Fare
Around Rp500,000 for a charter trip, undated in the source
Takes
Varies by destination
Season
Rougher and less reliable in the north-east monsoon; a missed or cancelled boat with no scheduled alternative can mean a multi-day wait for the next one
Booking
None formal - negotiate at the jetty or through a guesthouse
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium
09
Scooter and motorbike hire in Tarempa and Letungscooter hire
Within Siantan and Jemaja - the only on-land transport beyond a handful of government vehicles
Where
Ask at your guesthouse in Tarempa or Letung; shops in the main towns rent scooters by the day. Hitchhiking, especially solo on the back of a bike, is reported as easy and common on the islands.
When
Available daily, walk-in
Fare
Rp100,000 per day, undated in the source
Takes
Not applicable
Season
Year-round
Booking
Walk in, or ask at your guesthouse
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium
10
North-east monsoon and dry-season haze: what actually stops boats and flightsservice status
All sea and some air routes to and around Anambas
Where
Two separate, unrelated hazards ground transport here and travellers conflate them: the November-March north-east monsoon raises swell that has turned back a Sabuk Nusantara sailing mid-route (6-metre waves, February 2020) and is cited by the private ferry operator as its main season of cancellation; separately, dry-season land and forest fire smoke (kabut asap) drifting from Sumatra can cut visibility at Letung Airport below the roughly 5 km minimum airlines require, cancelling flights outright even in calm seas - documented as recently as September 2026. Ask locally, or check BMKG's marine and air-quality bulletins, before counting on either a boat or a flight in either season.
When
Not applicable
Fare
Not applicable
Takes
Not applicable
Season
North-east monsoon swell: reported December-February. Haze: reported September 2026, tied to the regional dry-season fire season
Booking
Not applicable
Sources: riaupos.co (2020-02) · batampos.jawapos.com (2026-09-15) · anambasferry.com (2026-09) · confidence medium

Not yet confirmed: The docs/13-api-inventory.md entry for ASDP Indonesia Ferry (www.asdp.id, GET /rute/tujuan/<PORT>) has drifted: repeated fetches for TAREMPA, LETUNG and BATAM in September 2026 mostly failed the TLS handshake outright, and the small number that connected returned an HTML page titled 'The URL you requested has been blocked' (once) or an old-style fallback HTML shell with no route data (once) - never the plain JSON the inventory describes. This looks like a WAF now sitting in front of the endpoint rather than an auth or naming problem; TAREMPA/LETUNG/TANJUNG PINANG/BATAM as port names could not be confirmed either way because no request got past the block. Worth re-testing with a residential IP or checking whether the inventory's endpoint path has simply moved.; Whether the private Bintan-Anambas ferry is currently sailing as advertised (Mon/Wed/Fri) could not be confirmed from a source dated within the last year - the operator's own schedule page carries no visible last-updated date, unlike its Batam page which explicitly flags suspension. Confirm at the Kijang or Tanjung Pinang counter before relying on the timetable.; The Sabuk Nusantara PSO route's current fare and duration could not be found; the only dated source (2020) covers a weather delay, not the fare or schedule.; KM Bukit Raya's monthly frequency is stated two different ways by two sources (twice a month vs. about four times a month) and neither pins a year to the number - check the current month's published Pelni schedule rather than either figure here.; Matak Airport's public-booking situation is the least confirmed thing in this file. Wikipedia's undated statistics table names XpressAir on commercial routes to Tanjung Pinang and Batam, but no 2024-or-later source could be found confirming XpressAir (or any airline) still flies there commercially, or how a traveller who is not MedcoEnergi staff or a contractor would buy a seat. Ask a dive operator based on Matak or Kiabu, or MedcoEnergi's local office.; No fare could be found for the Tarempa-Letung Pelni/ASDP-style scheduled ferry separate from the private fast ferry and the PSO Sabuk Nusantara - only the pompong/speedboat and the two ferries above were confirmed.; The brief's framing of 'the Tanjung Pinang and Batam ferries' should be corrected: the Batam crossing is explicitly suspended by the operator, and the currently-advertised private fast ferry actually departs from Bintan (Kijang), not Tanjung Pinang directly, though Tanjung Pinang is Bintan's main port and travellers often describe it that way.; How booking by WhatsApp actually works for the harbour boats (which number, which operator) could not be confirmed from any source found - only that booking in general is informal and done at the harbour..

The field note on Anambas Islands reads this entry in full, one option at a time, with every source beside it.

We have no description for this place yet. The planner still knows how to get there.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.