Bintan Mangrove Discovery Tour

Today my girlfriend and I enjoyed a very decent, hour-long wildlife-spotting tour through the Bintan mangroves. It was great to see that at least part of the tourism industry here is focused on promoting eco-tourism and protecting Bintan's natural heritage rather than just developing everything into resorts and hotels. Though it was midday when we went (the worst time for wildlife spotting), we still managed to spot a cool array of mangrove species with the help of our guide. These included Red-tailed Green Rat Snakes (a target species of mine), Mangrove Cat Snakes, a lone Water Monitor Lizard, a Stork-billed Kingfisher, and a Mangrove Blue Flycatcher (a first-time sighting for me). Animal species that I missed but that also live in the Bintan mangroves include crocodiles, otters, Silvered Leaf Monkeys, macaques, and the occasional Reticulated Python. Our guide seemed to enjoy his job and did his best to explain the cultural, historical and natural features of our surroundings as well as point out wildlife for me. Even though part of the tour was through a narrow channel enclosed by mangroves, there weren't many insects, though bringing bug spray might be a good idea for evening tours. And binoculars, a camera, sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat are a must. As someone who has gone looking for wildlife around the world, I can definitely recommend this tour to any nature-lovers visiting Bintan. It is an excellent way to explore the unique and fragile mangrove ecosystem and support local nature conservation and ecotourism.

Pick up at hotel was on time, driver of the car and guide on the boat were very courteous. The boat ride into the groves was very nice. We took the 10am ride and though it was sunny, it was also very breezy! The boat is an open one and the guide advised us to hold on to our caps!

Very interesting jet boat ride through the “jungle” where we could see monkeys and snakes on the trees.

I enjoyed the mangrove tour but was a little disappointed not to see many animals. One snake in a tree. The guide was really informative and passionate about the ecosystem. Sadly the rubbish in the mangroves was disappointing and made me question the environmental impact. (Especially as the guide didn’t pick up the floating bottles in the river)

Very scenic and family friendly tour for all ages. The boat ride was informative and pleasantly therapeutic.

This was a relaxed one hour tour of the mangroves in a small boat with a friendly and knowledgeable guide.

Staff is very friendly and accommodating and the experience itself was most enjoyable. Pickup and drop off at the hotel was also much appreciated and our driver, Mr. Ari, went above and beyond to make sure we were taken care of.

Had an excellent time and the tour guide was outstanding. We took two tours; one during the day and the firefly tour and we would highly recommend either one.

Great tour that was simple, easy and good to do with a toddler. Was a great way to spend the morning and see some of the Bintan wildlife. We saw a monitor lizard, family of monkeys and lots of mangrove snakes.

It it was what we expected it to be. Our guide was quite helpful and friendly. Nothing bad happened on the trip. Got to see a couple of wild animals, and tropical plants.