SIGHTS & ATTRACTIONS
A lot of the points of interest that Batam Island has to supply to its guests include high-quality seashore resorts, pure wilderness, breathtaking landscape and exotic nightlife. Aside from the typical luxury, nevertheless, there exist a number of locations which might be among the landmarks of the island and are worth visiting.
- Maha Vihara Duta Maitreya Buddhist Temple is a serious attraction in Batam as being one of the biggest Buddhist temples in South-East Asia. Situated in Batam Centre the temple hosts one statue of Buddha as well as two different statues of the Goddess of Mercy. There is a souvenir shop and a restaurant throughout the temple's district.
- Vihara Buddhi Bhakti Temple is a typical Chinese language temple in the city of Nagoya. At present it's utilized by the locals for his or her each day prayers and non secular rituals.
- Waterfront Metropolis is among the nicest resort areas on Batam Island. It's situated on the west coast and it mainly attracts guests from Singapore. The resort is legendary not only for its beaches but in addition for the number of sports and water sports activities which can be accessible there, including cable water skiing, Step 1 Go Karts and many others. A lot of the lodges supply spa treatment and massages that continue to astonish their guests.
- Vietnamese Refugee Village could be visited in Pulau Galang. It was the home to many Vietnamese refugees who escaped from their county between 1972 and 2001 and sought shelter in Batam. The Indonesian authorities allowed them to live in the region, the place they developed their very own city by constructing a college, hospital, cemetery and temples. What is left of their life-style can nonetheless be seen nearly intact within the area.
- Jembatan Barelang Bridge is definitely a sequence of bridges that connect the 6 islands of Batam. The view from all of them is magnificent and lots of vacationers visit the bridges precisely for the sake of aesthetics and with the intention to take some footage of the character on the island.
AIRPORT or FERRY
Reaching Batam is feasible by both flying there from Jakarta or Malaysia, or through the use of the ferry services that provide transportation from Singapore or Malaysia.
- Hang Nadim Airport is an airport located at the east side of the island and serves primarily home flights to and from different Indonesian destinations. The airport is barely 30 minutes drive from Nagoya, the capital of the island. The best technique to get to the city centre is by taking a taxi. Taxis from the airport are usually not metered however the drivers have a listing of locations for fixed prices.
- Penguin Ferry and Batam Fast are essentially the most frequent ferry companies that operate between Singapore and Batam each hour for a value of $ 30 and additional three dollars for insurances. There are four ferry terminals in Batam, the most important one among which is Batam Centre. The journey takes about 45 minutes. Upon arrival you might be confronted with taxi drivers attempting to give you a ride to the city centre. Cut price the worth earlier than you comply with it.
LOCAL TRANSPORTATION
Several technique of transportation are available in Batam:
The local buses function in fixed directions and can be stopped on the road as a taxi. Make sure that the bus is going into your course before you're taking it.
- Damri buses are the most affordable approach of getting round, though unreliable from a frequency point of view. Fares start at Rp.1000.
- Taxis are metered however you should negotiate the worth prematurely as a result of most drivers in Batam do not use the meter. Unless you tell the driving force you don't want to share the cab, he will decide up different passengers. Costs for a shared taxi range from Rp. 8000 to Rp. 10,000. It is also attainable to rent the automobile for the whole day. Costs: round Rp. 150,000 to Rp. 200,000 per day.
- Ojek is one other cheap technique of transport, namely a bike taxi. Discount the price before you get on. It is usually round Rp. 5000 Rp. 10.000 for short distances.
HISTORY
The settlement historical past of Batam in addition to that of its adjacent islands goes back to 231 A.D. as some Chinese chronicles state. The region has been underneath the affect of various kingdoms, starting with the Malacca Kingdom from the thirteenth century. Later, in 1824 the Dutch and the English break up the realm and ruled it till it became underneath the facility of the Riau Lingga Kingdom. The trajectory of the Batam history completely changed its method when in 1969 the island grew to become a base for the oil exploration of a state-owned oil company. Two years later it was designated an industrial space and since the Batam Authority was shaped in 1975, it has continually grown into a duty-free zone with increasing industrial enterprise and great seafood for its visitors.