Barelang

Barelang takes its name from Batam, Rempang and Galang, the islands linked by a chain of six bridges along a roughly 50-kilometre road south from Batam's Sagulung district. The bridges were built in the 1990s, initiated by B.J. Habibie, who led the Batam Authority at the time and later became Indonesia's third president.

The first bridge, Tengku Fisabilillah — also called the Habibie Bridge — is the centrepiece: a 642-metre cable-stayed span with twin pylons visible from kilometres away. Most Singapore day-trippers stop here for photos and turn back. But the road continues across five more bridges of varied design — cantilever, arch and girder — each connecting a smaller island, each with quieter water and less traffic.

At the far end of the corridor, Galang Island holds the site of the former Vietnamese refugee camp that processed more than 100,000 Indochinese boat people between 1979 and 1996. The preserved camp — barracks, a church, a Buddhist temple, replica boats and a small museum — is one of the most unusual historical sites you can still fit into a day trip from Singapore.

Along the route, kelong-style seafood restaurants on stilts over the water serve gonggong (Riau sea snails), crab and grilled fish at prices far below Singapore equivalents. The area around Bridge 1 is the most developed for visitors, with parking, roadside food stalls and the seafood restaurants concentrated here. Further south, Grab is unreliable — a private driver for the day is the practical choice for anyone wanting to reach Galang.

Barelang suits visitors who want something beyond the city: a half-day drive for the bridges and a kelong lunch, or a full day that adds the refugee camp for a genuinely different perspective on the region's history.