Granite boulders
Smooth in turquoise water.
Bangka island's best-known beach: soft white sand, calm turquoise water and huge smooth granite boulders scattered along the shore and in the sea, like those its neighbour Belitung is famous for. At one end a wooden boardwalk runs out over the rocks into the sea. The beach is run by a private resort but open to the public for an entry fee of about IDR 25,000, often exchangeable for a drink or snack at the beach restaurant. There are umbrellas, loungers, water activities and seafood restaurants. The water is clear and calm on most days, good for swimming and paddling, and the rocks make lovely photographs, especially at sunset. The beach is about fifty minutes by car from Pangkal Pinang, the provincial capital. Combine it with the Puri Tri Agung temple on nearby Tikus beach on a tour of the island's north.
Smooth in turquoise water.
Over the rocks to the sea.
For swimming and paddling.
Sungailiat, about 35 km north of Pangkal Pinang
Fly to Pangkal Pinang from Jakarta in about an hour, or take the ferry from Palembang to Muntok. Flights and ferries link Bangka and Belitung.