Top 10 Lighthouses in Indonesia
Indonesia is an archipelago of more than seventeen thousand islands straddling some of the world's busiest maritime trade routes. The Malacca and Sunda Straits funnel an enormous share of global shipping between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, and Indonesia's coastlines border three oceans, the Java Sea, the Banda Sea, and the Flores Sea — waters that have carried traders, colonists, and navies for millennia. The Dutch colonial administration, through the Dienst der Bebakening en Betonning (Buoyage and Beaconing Service), built a comprehensive network of lighthouses across the archipelago from the mid-nineteenth century onward, and many of those structures survive, maintained today by Direktorat Jenderal Perhubungan Laut (the Directorate General of Sea Transportation). Their towers range from handsome Dutch colonial masonry to cast-iron prefabricated structures assembled on remote coral islands, each one marking a passage or hazard critical to the trade that has sustained this maritime nation for centuries.
1. Anyer Lighthouse (Cikoneng / Willem's Toren), Banten
The Anyer Lighthouse on the western tip of Java is among the most historically significant in Southeast Asia. The original light at this location — Willem's Toren, named for the Dutch king — was destroyed by the cataclysmic eruption of Krakatau in 1883, whose tsunamis obliterated much of the Sunda Strait coastline. The current tower, rebuilt in the aftermath of the disaster, stands approximately 35 metres tall, a robust cylindrical masonry structure with a distinctive red and white banded exterior. It marks the entrance to the Sunda Strait, the critical passage between Java and Sumatra, and shows a flashing white light visible around 19 nautical miles. The lighthouse is active and accessible by road from the resort coast near Anyer; it is one of the few in Indonesia that allows visitors to climb the interior staircase on certain days.
2. Lengkuas Island Lighthouse, Belitung
The Lengkuas Lighthouse on a tiny coral island off the northwest coast of Belitung Island in the Java Sea is one of Indonesia's most photographed. Built by the Dutch in 1882, the octagonal cast-iron tower rises about 62 metres — making it one of the tallest lighthouses in Indonesia — and shows a flashing white light of considerable range. The tower was prefabricated in Europe and assembled on the island, a technique the Dutch used extensively across the archipelago. Lengkuas is now a tourist destination reached by speedboat from Tanjung Kelayang; day-trippers swim in the turquoise water among granite boulders while the lighthouse provides a dramatic backdrop. The keeper's cottages survive, and the interior of the tower can sometimes be climbed. The light remains active.
3. Sambu Lighthouse, Riau Islands
Pulau Sambu in the Riau Islands near Singapore was a major oil bunkering depot during the Dutch colonial era and into the twentieth century. The Sambu Lighthouse, a white masonry tower of about 20 metres, stands on the island's prominent headland marking the approach to this busy island cluster at the eastern end of the Singapore Strait. The strait carries an extraordinary density of commercial traffic — supertankers, container ships, bulk carriers — and the lights along its Indonesian side remain critical aids. Pulau Sambu is a restricted industrial facility and public access is limited, but the lighthouse can be seen from passing vessels on the strait.
4. Tanjung Kalian Lighthouse, Bangka Island
Tanjung Kalian on the western tip of Bangka Island guards the northern entrance to the Bangka Strait, the inland passage between Bangka and Sumatra that carries coastal traffic bound for Palembang and beyond. The Dutch-built tower dates from the late nineteenth century, a white cylindrical structure of around 65 metres — an exceptionally tall tower for the region — with the lantern showing a flashing white light visible some 20 nautical miles. The lighthouse sits at the end of a promontory also marked by a Japanese war memorial, since the area saw heavy fighting in 1942. Tanjung Kalian is accessible by road from Muntok, the main town on Bangka's western coast, and the lighthouse can be visited; local boats also pass the headland.
5. Batu Putih Lighthouse, Sulawesi
Batu Putih (White Rock) Lighthouse sits on a small island off the northeastern tip of Sulawesi, marking the passage between the Celebes Sea and the Molucca Sea — a critical junction for vessels moving between the Philippines and the eastern Indonesian archipelago. The Dutch original was replaced by a modern Indonesian government structure, a white cylindrical concrete tower of moderate height, with a flashing white light. The area has significant biodiversity value; the surrounding waters are part of the Coral Triangle and support some of the world's richest marine ecosystems. Access requires a boat from the northeastern tip of Sulawesi.
6. Sabang Lighthouse, Weh Island
Pulau Weh at the northern tip of Sumatra was the site of an important Dutch coaling station and is now best known among divers for its spectacular coral reefs. The lighthouse at Sabang, the island's main town, marks the southern approach to the Malacca Strait — the most trafficked shipping lane on earth. The current light is a modern structure operated by Indonesian authorities, showing a white flash across the approach. The island is accessible by ferry from Banda Aceh; the lighthouse itself is easily found near the port.
7. Biawak Island Lighthouse, Java Sea
Pulau Biawak (Monitor Lizard Island) is an uninhabited island in the Java Sea north of Indramayu, named for its large population of monitor lizards. The lighthouse here is a white cylindrical tower built by the Dutch, approximately 65 metres tall by some accounts, marking this isolated island as a hazard for vessels crossing the Java Sea. The island is increasingly visited by divers and nature enthusiasts who charter boats from Indramayu; the lighthouse is an atmospheric presence amid the dense coastal vegetation and is generally accessible to day visitors.
8. Noordwachter Lighthouse, Java Sea
Noordwachter — Dutch for 'North Watcher' — is a small island in the Java Sea northwest of Jakarta, marking a historically significant position in the approaches to Batavia (now Jakarta). The lighthouse here, a Dutch-era white masonry structure, has guided vessels into the roads of Batavia for well over a century. The Java Sea's seasonal monsoon patterns created treacherous conditions for sailing vessels, and the island's light was a critical waypoint for the VOC (Dutch East India Company) fleets that made Jakarta the centre of their vast Asian trading network. Today the island is a protected nature reserve, and access requires permission.
9. Tanjung Layar Lighthouse, Java
At the southwestern tip of Java, Tanjung Layar (Cape Sail) marks the point where the Indian Ocean meets the entrance to the Sunda Strait. A light here is essential for the enormous volume of shipping using the strait. The current lighthouse is a substantial modern tower operated by Indonesian maritime authorities, replacing Dutch-era structures damaged or destroyed — like so much else on this coast — in the catastrophic events associated with Krakatau. The cape is remote and the approaches are rough, but the location is one of the most dramatic on the entire Javanese coastline.
10. Gili Sepateng Lighthouse, Sumbawa
In the eastern Indonesian islands, the lighthouse at Gili Sepateng marks the Sape Strait between Sumbawa and Komodo Island — the passage that leads into the Flores Sea and is used by the ferries and cargo vessels supplying the eastern archipelago. The tower is a modern Indonesian government installation, white and functional, but its location at the gateway to the waters of the Komodo National Park gives it an extraordinary setting, with the rugged hills of Sumbawa and Komodo rising dramatically above the narrow tidal strait. The ferry crossing from Sape affords clear views of the lighthouse.
Visiting Indonesia's Lighthouses
Indonesia's lighthouses are spread across an archipelago that spans more than 5,000 kilometres, and reaching many requires a combination of flights, ferries, and local boats. The most accessible for visitors are Anyer (day trip from Jakarta), Lengkuas on Belitung (increasingly connected by budget flights), and Tanjung Kalian on Bangka. Permits for some islands are required from the harbourmaster or local authorities. The dry season from May to October generally offers the calmest seas and clearest visibility for coastal travel. Open the map to explore the full extent of Indonesia's lighthouse network across this vast maritime nation.