Anambas Islands, the Exotic Charms of Indonesia’s Outermost Area

4 October 2025, 11:05 published

As a country with a lot of beautiful places, Indonesia has more than enough to offer to the world. This time, Jebraw, Naya, and the crew of Jalan2Men will take you to one of Indonesia’s outermost islands which is often referred to as the most exotic place in the country, namely Anambas!

The Tropical Beauty of Anambas Islands

Anambas Islands is located at the northern part of Sumatera and is bordered by several neighboring countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. It is a regency in the province of Riau which consists of several islands. The capital of Anambas Islands is Tarempa.

Anambas is a regency located in the South China Sea, precisely between Kalimantan, East and West Malaysia, and directly borders with Singapore.

Anambas has around 238 islands and a total area of 637,1 km² filled with amazing biodiversity and tourism potentials.

In 2012, CNN named Anambas as the most beautiful tropical island in Asia. Many said its beauty is comparable to Raja Ampat, and even the Maldives.

The Attractive Nongkat

To complete your Anambas Islands journey, Jalan2Men suggests you to visit Nongkat Island. This island has a natural beauty that is far from inferior to other beach destinations in Indonesia. Not only it is able to spoil tourists with its natural beauty, but also provides a comfortable place to stay.

Nongkat is surrounded by white sand and large rocks that soothe the waves.

Besides relaxing and enjoying the scenery, you can do various water activities here, such as snorkeling and diving. The water here is very clear, tends to be calm, and has an active marine life.

Stay at Nongkat Island by the Beach for a comfortable experience and complete facilities for island-hopping, spear-fishing, snorkeling, diving, and turtle-seeing.

The Unique Temburun Waterfall

When you are visiting Anambas, don’t forget to visit Temburun Waterfall, which is often referred to as a multi-layered waterfall. The location is in the eastern part of Tarempa Island. Temburun Waterfall offers you more than beautiful panoramas, due to its position that faces directly to the sea. Because of that, you can get two views at once.

To get to Temburun Waterfall, you can use a pompong boat for 30 minutes from Tarempa Island. After getting off the boat, you have to walk on the sloping land for 200 meters to reach the third level and then go back up another 200 meters to reach the peak.

This waterfall is unique because it cascades into seven levels. The water originates from Baruk River, located at 250 meters above sea level and leads into the Peniting Strait, directly positioned towards the beach.

Unlike other waterfalls, the water in Temburun streams slowly and directly to the sea. Although the water still flows and does not dry up completely during the dry season, the best time to enjoy this charming waterfall is during the rainy season.

If you’re looking for a splash, you can go to the pond in this waterfall. You can also sit on the rocks around the waterfall.

Be careful when you walk here because the rocks in the waterfall are quite steep and hard. You must also wear safe and comfortable clothes — wear protection and support sticks if necessary.

If you visit this place with children, always supervised and accompanied them while they’re playing.

There are no food stalls or other sellers around the waterfall. So, make sure to prepare your needs before you go.

Transportations

Because it has many islands, Anambas can be accessed by sea and air. Specifically for airplanes, Anambas Islands has 2 airports to choose from, depending on the island you wish to go to.

To Jemaja Island

Start your journey by departing to Hang Nadim Airport, Batam, then continue the trip with Wings Air to Letung Airport at Jemaja.

To Matak Island

If you want to go to Matak Island, you can fly with Xpress Air from Batam or Tanjung Pinang. The schedule from and to Matak Island is only available one flight per day with an alternating destination of Batam or Tanjung Pinang. So pay attention closely to the flight schedule and availability. As for the trip to Nongkat, you can hop on a car to a jetty and take a 30-minutes speed boat trip with the fee of Rp250.000/boat.

Where to Stay?

Nongkat Island by the Beach

Nongkat Island, Pal Ma…

There are 6 tropical-tinged cottages in this accommodation, all of them are guaranteed to give you a comfortable staying experience. The dishes here are delightful, especially the seafood that is fresh from the sea. Not to mention the comprehensive facilities for island-hopping, spear-fishing, snorkeling, diving, and turtle-seeing. Isn’t it exciting?

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