There will never be an end to discussing the natural beauty of Bangka Belitung.
Because there are so many interesting natural attractions, you are guaranteed to be confused about determining tourist destinations when visiting the province with thousands of cities in Pangkal Pinang.
Because the majority of natural tourist destinations in Bangka Belitung have their own uniqueness that will not be found anywhere else. Of course, we already know how the uniqueness of the beaches in Bangka Belitung, which are mostly decorated with giant granite boulders.
Now there is another unique tourist destination called the Pelawan Desert.
This tourist spot is a former mining activity on Bangka Island. The Pelawan Hills and Desert in Namang Village have recently become interesting new tourist destinations to visit.
But is there really a desert in Indonesia?
A question that will definitely come to your mind when you first hear the name Pelawan Desert. Believe it, being there will make you feel as if you are in the middle of a barren desert typical of the Middle East. The point is that this tourist spot is very unique.
Even though it is called the ‘Pelawan Desert’, this place is not really a desert-like the one in the Middle East.
Because at first, this place was the former location of an unconventional mine in Namang, which was then abandoned after all of its mineral wealth was dredged up.
Due to natural processes, the former mine site then transformed into a desert that is quite beautiful and exotic.
The hot sun that shines on Bangka Island adds to the exoticism of this place and makes it similar to the Atacama Desert in Chile.
When you first arrive in the Pelawan Desert, you will be immediately presented with a view of a wide expanse of land with a shape that resembles a desert coupled with several small lakes with clear water around it.
There are several sand dunes mixed with hardened clay and forming hills that are quite unique to add to the impression of an exotic view.
Because it is mixed with clay, the mounds are brownish red which makes it look even more beautiful.
The many charming landscapes in the Pelawan Desert make you obliged to prepare a large storage memory so that it can accommodate all of your best photos.
In addition, prepare sunglasses, hats, or even umbrellas when visiting the Pelawan Desert. Because like a desert in general, the weather in the Pelawan Desert is also very hot, especially during the dry season.
Using sunblock can also be an option to protect your skin from sun exposure.
Even though it has quite a beautiful view, the facilities in the Pelawan Desert are arguably inadequate. This must be understood because this one tourist destination has not been officially managed.
How to get there?
The distance is indeed quite far from the airport because from there you still have to travel for approximately 50 minutes to get to the Pelawan Desert.
After exiting the airport area, you must continue the journey to Pulau Pelepas street then turn left towards Minfo street.
Until you reach the intersection, you have to take the direction to Jalan Pangkal Pinang – Namang until you finally find a clue to the Pelawan Desert.
For information, if you use the Google Maps facility to go to the Pelawan Desert, the visitors will usually be directed through a detouring route so that it will take longer trips.
The road that is being traversed is also not good and bumpy. Therefore, if you really need the help of Google Maps, it’s a good idea to point your destination to the Pelawan Forest so you don’t turn around.
After arriving at the Pelawan Forest, you only need to go straight for about 800 meters to reach the Pelawan Desert.
