Sebung River Mangrove Tour
Hutan Bakau Sungai Sebung
A boat trip through the mangroves along the Sebung River, with monkeys, mudskippers and snakes by day and fireflies lighting up the treetops by night. It is Bintan's most iconic nature experience.
Mangrove forests line both banks of the Sebung River (Sungai Sebung) in northern Bintan, and the river trip is the resort area's most popular half-day tour. The daytime boat ride lasts about 1 hour. Your boatman glides slowly along the winding channel and explains how the mangrove's aerial roots breathe and hold the soil in place. You may spot mudskippers, fiddler crabs, kingfishers and long-tailed macaques, and if you are lucky, a mangrove snake coiled in the branches. At high tide the boat slips into narrow channels, and at low tide you can see the exposed prop roots. The night tour, which departs after dinner, is all about fireflies: swarms flash in unison among the mangrove leaves, like Christmas lights. The best time to go is after the rainy season, on moonless nights. Almost every resort hotel can book the tour for you, including return transfers, or you can join a group directly at the jetty. Tips: wear mosquito repellent for the night tour, don't use flash photography on the fireflies, bring a hat for daytime trips because there is no shade on the river, and expect cancellations in bad weather.
Opening hours
Daytime approx. 09:00–17:00; firefly night tours approx. 19:00–21:00
Nearby sights
- Treasure Bay Crystal Lagoon
- Doulos Phos The Ship
- Lagoi Bay (Bintan Resorts)
- Blue Lake & Busung Sand Dunes
- Mount Bintan
- Senggarang Chinese Village & Temples
- Penyengat Island
- Sultan Sulaiman Badrul Alamsyah Museum