Kepulauan Anambas

Islands Remote Riau archipelago with coral reefs and islands

The Anambas Islands in the South China Sea attract divers and boaters to remote coral atolls, white-sand beaches and village harbors, with inter-island travel from the Riau Islands province.

Kepulauan Anambas is an Indonesian archipelago in the Riau Islands province, made up of many low coral islands and atolls in the South China Sea known for clear water and reef systems.

The islands offer beaches, coral reefs and scuba-diving sites with underwater visibility and marine biodiversity attractive to snorkelers and divers; small local settlements provide basic guesthouses and boat excursions. A small number of islands host industry-related infrastructure, while others remain sparsely inhabited and remote.

The islands have long been home to small fishing communities and were later administered as part of the Riau Islands province; in recent decades some islands have seen development related to offshore energy and expanding local tourism. The main administrative centre is the town of Tarempa on Siantan Island.

The Anambas archipelago lies in the South China Sea between the Malay Peninsula and the island of Borneo, within Indonesia’s Riau Islands province; access is by ferries or small aircraft via regional hubs in the province.

Transport: Most travel within the archipelago is by small ferry or charter boat and services can be infrequent outside peak seasons.
Marine recreation: The islands are best known for coral reef diving and clear-water snorkeling around nearshore reefs and submerged pinnacles.

What to See #

Siantan (Tarempa): Tarempa on Siantan Island is the administrative centre and primary settlement, with ferry connections to other islands in the group.
Matak Island: Matak Island hosts industrial facilities related to offshore oil and gas operations and serves as a logistical hub.
Jemaja Island: Jemaja Island is known locally for beaches and simpler village tourism, and is a common snorkelling and relaxation stop within the archipelago.

How to Get to Kepulauan Anambas #

The Anambas (Kepulauan Anambas) are reached by sea from the regional transport hub of Tanjungpinang (Bintan) or other Riau Islands ports. Regular passenger ferries and longer-haul boats sail to Tarempa (the main town in the Anambas), and from Tarempa you use local motorboats to move between islands. Schedules are limited and crossings can take many hours, so plan connections in advance and expect to travel by sea rather than by road.

Tips for Visiting Kepulauan Anambas #

Most visitors use Tarempa as the gateway-check schedules for ferries or speedboats from Tanjungpinang and book transfers ahead because services are infrequent.
Plan trips in the dry season (roughly May-September) when seas are calmer and diving/snorkeling visibility is best.
Include time to visit local fishing villages around the main islands rather than just the beaches; arranged local boat trips will reach quieter reefs and snorkel spots that day-trippers often miss.