Pulau Batam Things to Do Tips by victorwkf Top 5 Page for this destination

Vihara Budhi Bharkti (Tua Pek Kong Bio) Temple

This is one of the most famous Buddhist temple in Batam and it is conveniently located at the Nagoya town area. A must visit when you are at Batam.

Update - I visited this temple again in November 2008 and managed to take some photographs. If you want to see the photos, please visit the travelogue section of this VT page.

Coral reefs, snorkelling & scuba diving

Although most of the coast along northern part of Batam facing Singapore is essentially spoilt, you can still find some nice coral reefs which are good for snorkelling & scuba diving at the southern part of Batam which are relatively undeveloped, and there are many small islands here worth exploring.

Batu Ampar

Batu Ampar is a suburb of Nagoya city, capital of Batam Island. There is a ferry terminal located near with regular daily ferry services from Singapore to Batam (see my transportation tip). Besides the ferry terminal, this place is very good for photography because of the traditional wooden villages lining the coastal area. It is near to major hotels in Batam such as the Planet Holiday hotel.

Maha Vihara Duta Maitreya Buddhist Temple

Maha Vihara Duta Maitreya Buddhist Temple is one of the biggest Budhhist temple in South-East Asia and is a major attraction in Batam not to be missed. This temple is located at Batam Center, near to the ferry terminal. The main chamber consist of statues of Buddha, and the side chambers are Goddess of Mercy (Guan Yin) and Guan Gong diety. There is a vegetarian restaurant as well as a shop selling Buddhist items (see photo). More photographs of this temple are at the travelogue section of this VT page.

Tengku Fisabililah Bridge

This impressive bridge is located on the southern portion of Batam Island and it is the start of a series of bridges which link Batam Island to the smaller islands to the south such as Pulau Sekikip, Pulau Rempang and Pulau Galang. The views from these bridges are fantastic and more photos are the travelogue section of this VT page.

Para-sailing

You can try out the para-sailing in Batam where you can have bird's eye view of the Riau peninsula. This is available near the Waterfront City at the north-western side of Batam.

Kuai Le Chinese Medical Hall

If you want to buy Chinese medicines or other related tonics at Batam, you can visit the Kuai Le (meaning "happy" in Chinese) Chinese Medical Hall which is conveniently located just across the Nagoya Plaza Hotel along Jalan Imam Bonjoi. This Chinese medical hall is one of the biggest in Batam and they sell a wide variety of Chinese medicines and tonics.

Batam Centre

Batam Centre is a relatively new development centre in Batam and this is where the government offices and main ferry pier are located. Recently, a big shopping mall called Mega Mall was opened. Other points of interest include the Batam Central Mosque, Aquatic Park and the huge telecommunications tower. The famous Maha Vihara Duta Maitreya temple is also located nearby.

Shopping at Mega Mall

The Mega Mall is the latest and biggest modern shopping centre at Batam and it is conveniently located just next to the ferry pier at Batam Centre. Besides normal retail shops, there is a Matahari Department Store and Hpermart Supermarket here.

Resorts and more resorts

There are many beach resorts for the tourist to stay and have a good time in Batam, especially at the Turi, Nongsa and Waterfront City areas. In recent years, the tourism industry had grown stronger thanks to Batam's close proximity with Singapore. The resorts in Batam are nice but the beaches are not as good as neighbouring Pulau Bintan island.