The Anambas archipelago is a gorgeous and largely untouched group of 238 islands only 270 kilometres north-east of Singapore, in the Republic of Indonesia.
Together, these magnificent islands stretch for 140 kilometres from end to end – an impressive 637 square kilometres.
The archipelago lies within the Riau (Kepri) province of Indonesia and is the second-most northern archipelago in Indonesia, located 500 kilometres inside Indonesia’s northern territorial boundary.
The amazing Anambas are mostly uninhabited and have been since creation. A step on the islands is a step back in time to the sights and sounds of tropical wilderness that few have been privileged to experience, but now the government has permitted limited sustainable development to commence.
Despite the archipelago’s size, it is only sparsely populated. Around 45,000 people live on 26 of the islands. The remaining 212 islands are totally uninhabited. These largely unexplored areas are filled with hidden charms and vast potential – just waiting for you to find them!
From the first glance, these islands are breathtaking. They are encircled by extensive coral lagoons that give the Anambas a reputation for some of the best coral dive sites in the world. Not only is the archipelago in the coral triangle, but its waters are also mostly a gazetted marine park.
Visitors have compared this area with the Maldives and Ha Long Bay Vietnam – but even better. The Anambas contains richer sea life and corals than the Maldives. It also has similar topography to Ha Long Bay, but with coral-based white beaches rather than black volcanic sands. The Anambas is also less susceptible to rising sea levels, the paradise islands of Anambas are the new Maldives in the making.
If this is the first time you have heard about the Anambas, you are not alone. Despite their wondrous beauty and easy accessibility, these islands have been largely unknown to tourists other than diving enthusiasts and the sailing community.
However, they have gained popularity in recent times with direct sea plane access to the renowned Bawah Resort, and the commencement of the Pavilions hotel group development. With scheduled flights now operating 4 to 5 times a week from Batam airport, the ease of access, and of course the recent pandemic now in the rear-view mirror, we are seeing unprecedented interest in acquiring private islands and beaches for eco resort development in the province.
Now is the ideal time to claim your piece of this paradise. Development sites in the Anambas are limited by government decree to minimise impact, and this should provide an exceptional return on investment as the archipelago becomes directly accessible and gains worldwide attention as an ecotourism destination. Its designation as a gazetted marine park and location inside the globally renowned coral triangle will also ensure unique guest experiences for many generations to come.
The proximity of this pristine eco-tourism destination to the world city of Singapore, with its 6.3 million visitors per year and over 7,400 international flights per week from all corners of the globe, provides an exceptional opportunity to astute developers wishing to capitalise on the fast-growing and lucrative eco-tourism sector.
The untouched nature of the archipelago, and the quality of its corals and sea life, are perfectly aligned with the premium eco-tourism segment, as demonstrated by the Bawah Reserve, the only 5-star property in the entire province, commanding up to US$35,000.00 per night.
With the renowned global brand Pavilions now commencing development, it is certainly an astute time to acquire your future development sites in the province. The Anambas archipelago truly is a hidden jewel – but it will not stay hidden for much longer!
From the amazing weather to the friendly people and unique culture, the Anambas is a precious jewel just waiting to be discovered.
For more than 2000 years, the South China Sea has been used as a shipping thoroughfare, including this island chain. We know very little about the history and occupation of the Anambas archipelago before this time, though it is believed that the Dong Son empire (Vietnam) occasionally had residence there in 1000–500BC.
However, we do know that this area has had an interesting history more recently. The Dutch acquired the island chain in the 1800s as part of the Dutch East Indies colonisation. And Japan occupied the territory briefly during World War II.
The current population consists mainly of descendants of the Bugis tribe, with some Chinese and Malay heritage.
The archipelago’s thick canopies of tropic jungle have prevented archaeologists exploring this area extensively. This is demonstrated in this quote from Singapore and the Silk Road of the Sea 1300–1800 by John N Miksic:
However,v while our team at Kepri Estates has been searching and listing islands, some villagers have been kind enough to show us interesting items, including:
- A cross engraving at Telaga Besar Island, found just inside the jungle canopy from the beach
- Another with a similar mark was found about 200 metres further into the jungle. The origin was unknown, but the village head told us ‘It has existed since before the village area was founded 120 years ago’.
- A Chinese bowl (assumed from the dragon motif) around Nyamuk island. Unfortunately, the villager declined to tell or show us exactly where it was found.
- A Spanish piece of 8, minted in Mexico, shown by a villager on Airibu island village. It was found and given to that villager by his grandfather. Exactly where it was found is unknown, though it is suspected to have been on a local reef while fishing.
- The Anambas locals are understandably cautious when asked about the history and archaeology of the Many villagers talk about shipwrecks and artefacts, but no one mentions locations.
- Several villagers have asked to borrow a waterproof metal detector in return for sharing anything they find. Porcelain artefacts, presumably of Chinese origin, sometimes wash up on beaches or turn up in fishing nets of the local artisanal fisherman.
- The province also has scattered jungle and underwater caves, but they have yet to be explored due to local superstition.
As you can tell, the Anambas is an area rich in heritage and mystery. No doubt, we have much more to discover about this tropical paradise in coming years.
The Anambas really is the perfect place to be all year round. This area has a wonderfully balmy, tropical climate with two distinct seasons:
- April to October, when the season is drier, and winds are mainly
- October to March, when rainfall increases, and winds change to
Temperatures tend to stay consistent all year, with minimum and maximum temperatures rarely less than 26 degrees and 29 degrees Celsius.
Not only is the climate lovely all year round, the Anambas archipelago area does not experience severe weather events like typhoons and hurricanes, or other annual or regular extreme weather events. In fact, there has not been a tropical storm of any significance since records commenced. It really is a tropical paradise!
As shown in the wind chart adjacent, the winds in Anambas are generally calm and rarely exceed 20 knots. December to January are the breeziest months with 1 or 2 days over 20 knots, and February through to November the winds are most often calm to a light breeze of 10 knots or less.
Seasonally, the winds are Southerly from April to October and then swing to the North over the November to March period, with extensive lulls and calm winds between these distinct seasons.
As the wind rose adjacent shows, the prevailing breezes are from the South, followed by the North and North-North East.
Winds from other points of the compass are very light, and often just enough to rustle the palm leaves on the beaches.
The pictogram adjacent shows the tropical storms in the Asia-Pacific from 1966 to 2017.
As you can see, Anambas is located quite distant from any areas subject to tropical storms, typhoons, or cyclones, with no recorded event of even a tropical depression in the province (wind speed ~30 knots) over a 50-year period!
The Anambas really is a very calm tropical region of the Asia Pacific.
The Anambas is very remote from any tectonic activity, with the closest tectonic plate junction (Australian and Sunda plates) being nearly 1,000km distant to the South West and on the opposite side of Sumatra Island facing the Indian Ocean.
The adjacent image shows the probability of 20% that the degrees of earthquake intensity shown will be exceeded within 50 years.
As you can see, the Anambas and Natuna region has the lowest earthquake risk measurable, being equivalent to areas like Singapore or the majority of Australia.
In fact, importantly for insurance and risk management purposes, the Anambas has the lowest level of equivalent risk based on data from the Munich reinsurance company’s NATHAN system.
During the 2 largest earthquakes in Asia in recent history, the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of 2011 (Magnitude 9.0-9.1) and the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami (magnitude 9.1-9.3), there was no noticeable effect within the Anambas province.
