SMALL GROUP: Batam day tour with Ferry, 1-hour Massage, and Lunch from Singapore
Description
Travel back in time on this small group full day tour to Indonesia, ideal for travelers with limited time in Singapore, but still want to have a taste of a developing Indonesian town. Start the day by boarding a 1-hour high-speed ferry from Singapore. Upon arrival at Batam, you will be greeted by our English-speaking guide. You will get to stop by the famous Welcome to Batam monument and Tanjak Mosque for photos, visit the biggest Buddhist temple in Indonesia, and indulge in a 4-course lunch with 2 types of seafood. A 1-hour (60-min) traditional Indonesian massage is included to complete your Indonesian experience. You will stop by local shops as well as a bakery to sample freshly-made Indonesian layer cakes. Highlights ✅ Easy-to-locate departure point at Singapore Harbourfront Centre Ferry Terminal ✅ Taste of local cuisine with 4-course lunch with 2 types of seafood ✅ Authentic 1-hour traditional Indonesian massage by experienced masseurs for ultimate relaxation
Tour Options
Itinerary
Make your own way to Singapore Harbourfront Centre Ferry Terminal for your 10:00am (GMT+8) high-speed public ferry to the Indonesian town of Batam. After about 1 hour at sea, you will arrive at Batam ferry terminal to clear immigration.
Upon clearing immigration in Batam, your small-group licensed guide will meet you with a signboard, and escort you to your air-conditioned vehicle for a tour around Batam, the largest city in the Riau Islands Province of Indonesia. You will first stop by for a photostop of the Welcome to Batam monument. Modelled after the world-famous Hollywood sign, many tourists and locals come to Batam Center to take photos with the Welcome to Batam monument.
Next, you will visit Mini Indonesia Park featuring miniature replicas of architecture from Indonesia's 34 provinces including the capital - Jakarta.
Next, you will get to make a quick stop at a local bakery to sample famous Indonesian layer cakes, also affectionately known to the locals as Kueh Lapis. Kueh Lapis is not difficult to make, but it requires time and a lot of patience. The bakers hover next to the oven for a couple of hours grilling each layer of batter. Kueh Lapis is typically served in small, thin, rich and fragrant slices.
Next, you will visit this local museum named after a famous local poet to learn more about the history of Batam through its many collections and artifacts. Note: In the event that the museum is closed (ie: for Covid-19 sanitisation every Monday etc), a visit to Batam Mini Indonesia Park (featuring miniature replicas of Indonesian architecture) will be offered as a replacement.
Next, you will stop by to visit the Maha Vihara Duta Maitreya Temple. This temple is the largest Chinese temple in Indonesia, situated on a hill called Lucky Hill. The temple is dedicated to the Maitreya, who is the future Buddha who will achieve complete enlightenment, Maitreya can also be seen at the most centre of the temple plated in gold standing at 5m high.
Next, you will stop by the beautiful Balinese-style Pura Agung Amerta Buana temple. Established in 1999, Pura Agung Amerta Buana is a Hindu temple adopting a mixture of classical and modern Balinese architecture. Inside the temple stands the highest Padmasana in Indonesia, at an impressive height of 18 meters. The Padnasama is a lotus-like pagoda shrine dedicated to their Supreme God.
Next, you will stop by Garuda Park (Taman Rajawali). Built in 2017, this park features a monument with a statue of the Garuda, often used to represent Indonesia, much like the Bald Eagle in the United States. The Garuda symbolises the virtue of knowledge, power, bravery, loyalty, and discipline.
From the Garuda Park, you will have a vantage view of the Tanjak Mosque. The mosque is built in Tanjak Melayu architecture and features a minaret of 45 meters. The exterior is made of modern aluminum composite panels.
Next, you will visit the grand Barelang Bridge, sometimes called the Golden Gate Bridge of Batam, which is a piece of modern architecture seemingly ahead of time in this laid-back developing Indonesian town. You will then tuck in to a 4-course traditional Indonesian feast consisting of seafood, chicken and vegetables at traditional Indonesian restaurant nearby.
Finally, your guide will bring you back to the ferry terminal for your high-speed public ferry back to Singapore. The ferry terminal is connected by a skybridge on the departure level to Megamall. If there is still time, you may pop into Megamall for everyday non-touristy items and snacks at local prices. Please head back to the ferry terminal 30 minutes before ferry timing for boarding formalities.
You will arrive back in Singapore Harbourfront Centre Ferry Terminal at about 10:00pm (GMT+8) where your trip ends.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- A current valid passport (with at least 6 months validity) is required on the day of travel to visit Indonesia
- Indonesian visa-on-arrival (US$20/person, payable in cash at the border) is available for guests from: Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor Leste, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States Of America, Vietnam
- Guests from all other countries not stated above, please seek prior travel authorization from your nearest Indonesian embassy
- Passport name, number, expiry and country is required at time of booking for all guests
- Your tickets will be held at the ferry counter for collection on the day of travel up to 9:20am (GMT+8), you will be required to present all passports (with at least 6 months validity) to exchange for your tickets
- Refunds will not be issued if high-speed public ferry is missed (ie: late check-in, fever, incomplete documents etc)
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- In the event that Museum Raja Ali Haji is closed (ie: for sanitisation every Monday etc), a visit to Batam Mini Indonesia Park will be offered as a replacement
- This trip is not suitable for guests with fever or other serious medical conditions
- This trip is not suitable for children below 12 years of age (children will be served a cup of beverage while waiting beside their parents/guardian during the 1-hour massage)
Reviews(29)
We had a wonderful time on this excursion! Johni was a terrific host who provided lots of information and cared very much about making us happy. We loved this day trip! Catching the ferry & doing customs was relatively easy and our guide was waiting for us. My husband, 18 yr old daughter and I are frequent travelers. We all agreed this excursion was our favorite thing on this trip. The massages were the best thing, we would have even like if there was time for a longer one as some of the other tours offer. I would suggest maybe cutting a couple of the other stops to make time for a longer massage. Reading other reviews, it sounds like that was an option for others, maybe we spent too much time taking pictures at lunch? We absolutely loved the lunch spot and all the food. The location was beautiful if a bit rustic, and the food was delicious. Other highlights were the first stone temple and the coffee tasting. The temple was really beautiful. My daughter particularly enjoyed the shopping. The "cake tasting" was a surprise because it wasn't what we were expecting. Imagine a bright clean store with samples of all the food in jars next to each item. A salesperson follows you around making suggestions based on what you like and offering a tiny sample of the items, then asking if you want to buy them. It was a neat way to try different foods but a bit like Trader Joe's on steroids. The cake pieces were about the size of a large pea. The miniature house park was interesting from an architecture standpoint, but there was a lot of litter from where locals clearly picnic & then left their trash. Also it needed paint. So it was a bit run down, which was a shame It was a very full day! Johni & our driver dropped us at the ferry terminal with snacks and happy smiles. I highly recommend this tour.
We had a wonderful time on this excursion! Johni was a terrific host who provided lots of information and cared very much about making us happy. We loved this day trip! Catching the ferry & doing customs was relatively easy and our guide was waiting for us. My husband, 18 yr old daughter and I are frequent travelers. We all agreed this excursion was our favorite thing on this trip. The massages were the best thing, we would have even like if there was time for a longer one as some of the other tours offer. I would suggest maybe cutting a couple of the other stops to make time for a longer massage. We also absolutely loved the lunch spot and all the food. The location was beautiful if a bit rustic, and the food was delicious. Other highlights were the first stone temple and the coffee tasting. The temple was really beautiful. My daughter particularly enjoyed the shopping. The "cake tasting" was a surprise because it wasn't what we were expecting. Imagine a bright clean store with samples of all the food in jars next to each item. A salesperson follows you around making suggestions based on what you like and offering a tiny sample of the items, then asking if you want to buy them. It was a near way to try different foods but a bit like Trader Joe's on steroids. The cake pieces were about the size of a large pea. The miniature house park was interesting from an architecture standpoint, but there was a lot of litter from where locals clearly picnic in the park & then leave their trash. Also it needed paint. So it was a bit run down. I could have also skipped the 'Welcome to Bantam" sign but I suppose some people would find it iconic. It was a very full day! Johni & our driver dropped us at the ferry terminal with snacks and happy smiles. I highly recommend this tour
We had a great time. Our tour guide Bell was very knowledgeable and very friendly. His English is very good and easy to understand. It was very hot though at this time of year but they provided a bottle of water.
We were concerned because they messaged us the night before that our Batam guide was unavailable but they sent a local guy to pick us up at the hotel and check us in at the ferry. Then Irma and Jacky took the BEST care of us in Batam. Jacky was a great and very safe driver and Irma was a font of information. We feel like we saw everything we wanted to and, indeed, our only complaint was a happy one- there was just too much food for us old people!
We had an amazing time! This is a great way to see Batam and get a taste of Indonesia. Our guide was very knowledgeable and engaging and went out of her way to treat us like family and give us some extra stops. Highly recommend!!
Beautiful day trip to Indonesia with wife and adult daughter. Indonesian people are extremely warm and welcoming. Batam is a poor island but proud and developing. It was a wonderful contrast to the wealth and sophistication of Singapore, and a completely unexpected, last-minute cherry on top of our vacation. Tour Guide. Johnny was excellent, thoughtful and spoke very good English. He had a clean car with phone chargers and extra water. He was there to meet us when we arrived and handled our return flawlessly even though we changed our departure. Highlights. the Indonesian massage and also 70 Fahrenheit Koffie Batam (we bought 27 packages of coffee plus the S$240 Lawak coffee gift set). We also loved the views from the bridge overlooking the S China Sea. The lunch was average but we enjoyed its authenticity (note: they were able to cater it to our gluten free needs). The quick Indonesian layer cake stop was also fun and we bought some cake. We aren’t really into temples but the Buddhist temple was very large. Money. Make sure you have your passport and $35 US for your Indonesian visa fee. You’ll also want some cash for tipping the masseuses (about $50,000 IND each, which is about $3 US). Negatives. Only negative was the ferry ride from Singapore. The ferry operator is not connected with the tour in any way, so you’ll have to figure it all out yourself. It’s like going to a bus terminal, so get there early (60-90 min pre-departure). Go to BatamFast ticket counter on Level 2 of Lobby C at the HarborFront and show them your PDF confirmation.
It was an excellent tour and unforgettable experience mostly thanks to Aolia and Joni. Aolia picked us up from hotel, accompanied us throughout the entire ferry trip. She did a lot of effort to help us getting coffee and breakfast in the HarbourFront mall at early hours. Joni, our guide and driver in Batam made the day very easy going and yet interesting. He was telling us many interesting facts about the island, everyday life, history etc. He did amazing job driving and guiding us. The program of the day was well balanced with sightseeing, delicious lunch, a bit of shopping and a bit of relaxation. All in all, great day, unforgettable memories. Highly recommend. Good value for money.
Great trip. Guide was also the driver who was great. Have details about Batam given. Went to few main places and nice lunch was included.
Pros: very nice tour guide and he spoke very good English. The ferry ride from Singapore to Batam was smooth and comfortable. We got to see some iconic Indonesian sites. Lunch was very authentic. Cons: I believe the description is a bit vague. The tour was much longer than necessary. We made several stops that could have been skipped (coffee business, cake shop, all the stores and malls). This could easily be a 4 hour tour and get the same experience.
Dear valued guest, We thank you for your positive feedback about our guide, high-speed ferry and lunch feast, and we have forwarded your compliments to the captain, chefs and guide. For our small group tours, we seek to cater to the interests of all guests. After spending a few hours covering all the religious/architectural sites in Batam, some of the other guests in your group indicated that they wanted to do some local shopping and sample local cuisine, namely kopi luwak (Indonesian civet coffee) and kueh lapis (Indonesian layer cakes), as mentioned on the small group tour itinerary. Finally, in case if you are back in Batam in the future, please do call us again, and we will be happy to extend a complimentary 1-hour massage for you and your partner at our massage centre. We wish you all the best for your future travels.
The tour is not impressive. Our tour guide is just a driver, doesn’t say anything, offers little info when asked. Kopi Luwak tour is interesting because I’m a coffee drinker. Lunch and massage is good. No other activity that is worth your time.
Dear valued guest, we thank you for your feedback about our tour. For selected small group tours (with less than 6 guests), the guide does double-up as the driver, and we sincerely regret that your guide was not be able to engage much with you while driving. We thank you for your positive feedback about what you have learnt about kopi luwak (Indonesian civet coffee), and we have forwarded your compliments to the guide. Finally, we agree with you that Indonesia provides very limited wow factor, because Indonesia is still after all, a developing country and the infrastructure and architecture shows, as compared to developed countries like the US and Singapore. Nonetheless, we strive our best to showcase the real side of Indonesia to all guests in the best light possible, through means within our control, such as your Indonesian lunch and traditional Indonesian massage. We hope to have you back again in better circumstances when Indonesia has developed more. We wish you all the best for your future travels.
