Nikoi Island: Ecotourism, Beauty, Magic.
I’ve often wondered how explorers must have felt chancing upon seemingly magical islands in their travels. Nikoi Island, off Bintan in Indonesia, is perhaps the closest I’ve come to experiencing that kind of travel ecstasy in Southeast Asia.
The journey to the island is a perfect prelude to the island experience. After the regular ferry ride to Bintan from Singapore, you are fast-forwarded through a special immigration to a one hour drive through the winding road and greens of Tanjung Pinang, to Nikoi’s personal jetty, to a one-hour speed boat ride on rough and breezy seas. If I understate it, arriving at Nikoi Island feels like you’ve entered a whole other world.
Think beauty. Think isolation. Think perfection.
Nature is the recurrent theme on the island. The chalets are purely made of wood, with not an inch of concrete, and some original tree-barks used as pillars & foundation. The openness of the rooms to nature is immediately striking, and in some way, leads to an openness of thoughts too.  You can let your doors remain open at night, with the waves soothing your every dream.
For me, the monsoon season meant little sun and lots of wind, and an extremely stormy sea, aka just the way I’d like a beach holiday to be. We sailed and kayaked on high tide, thrilled to feel welcome even by the angst of the waters. That memory fills me with an urge to transform it into poetry.
The jetty on the far end of the island is a piece of heaven, perhaps even a chunk. Each evening, it greets you with a fierce wind and fierce waves. As the sun starts to set, you can witness from this jetty, the entire sky turning a magical blue and blending with the color of the sea. It’s magnificent. It makes you want to close your eyes, feel the wind, and never leave.
I could afford a visit to this sheer beauty, only thanks to a contest I won on Nikoi Island’s Facebook page. Below is a video I created for the contest, purely based on my imagination & the pictures I saw. I can gladly say that Nikoi is all that I imagined and so much more!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_LJ3sWIV28]
Also read:
5 weekend getaways from Singapore to pamper you
5 offbeat travel destinations in Southeast Asia
Welcome to my blog, The Shooting Star. I’ve been called a storyteller, writer, photographer, digital nomad, “sustainability influencer,” social entrepreneur, solo traveller, vegan, sustainable tourism consultant and environmentalist. But in my heart, I’m just a girl who believes that travel – if done right – has the power to change us and the world we live in.
hay shiv! beautiful pictures! would love to go there too! will ask you more about it when i see you 🙂
Thanks Glenn 🙂 Sure thing, I think it’s the kind of place you’ll really like!
Congrats first. Loved the video which helped you win. Loved the virtual tour also.
Thanks Chitra 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I was just about to comment on the beauty of pictures ‘only’;
When I checked the video. The choice of song is awesome. The video, transported my mind and soul to the island! 🙂
Thanks Dev! It really is such a beautiful song, when coupled with a beautiful place, it can have extraordinary effects 🙂
Hey Awesome pics.. loved the place..
Thanks Karthik, glad you enjoyed it!
WOW!!!!! So this is the next place am heading to… 🙂
Awesome 🙂 I’m sure you’ll love it!
How should I go about planning to get there? Accomodation? Transport? Thanks in advance!
First time with ‘the shooting star’. It’s so awesome.
Hi Shivya !!
Beautiful pictures. I loved it..
I’ve seen a lot of Indonesia. Bali, Java, West Papua, Flores, etc…. But this is a new place I have to add to my list 🙂
Shivya, your article about Nikoi Island is wonderfully captivating! It offers a refreshing perspective on sustainable travel, something that anyone can consider for their Bali trip
.