Everything you need to know about our Seaplane

No arrival to an island is as thrilling as via seaplane, the aircraft gradually descends to its runway of open sea before slicing into the still waters.

Skip ahead to the top questions we get asked about seaplanes or enjoy reading about everything you need to know about our seaplane:

Why a seaplane?

Part of what makes Bawah Reserve so extraordinary is its remoteness sitting in the Anambas Archipelago in the South China Sea. 

While the nearest conventional airport is on the neighbouring island of Letung, reaching our islands from there would still require a two-hour boat journey across open water. Instead, our amphibious Twin Otter seaplane offers a seamless and spectacular alternative.

More than simply a mode of transport, the seaplane is an integral part of the Bawah Reserve experience. Departing from Batam, the 75-minute flight takes you over open ocean before gently landing on the crystal-clear lagoon at Bawah Reserve. It's an arrival unlike any other—one that transforms the journey into the beginning of your island escape.

One of Indonesia's Few Seaplane Resort Transfers 

Bawah Reserve is one of the very few resorts in Indonesia that guests reach by seaplane, making the journey as memorable as the destination itself.

Most guests travel to us via Singapore, with some arriving through Jakarta before connecting to Hang Nadim Airport in Batam. As Bawah Reserve is located within a protected marine archipelago and has no immigration or customs facilities, all international arrivals first clear Indonesian immigration in Batam.

 After a short transfer to Hang Nadim Airport, guests board our private amphibious Twin Otter seaplane for a breathtaking 75-minute flight over the remote Anambas Archipelago. As the six islands  come into view, you'll quickly understand why the journey to Bawah is considered part of the experience.

How much is a seaplane transfer to Bawah?

Our seaplane transfers are designed to make reaching one of Indonesia's most remote and beautiful island destinations as effortless as possible.

For guests already in Batam, the round-trip seaplane transfer is US$850 per person, including return flights between Batam and Bawah Reserve aboard our private amphibious Twin Otter seaplane.

For guests travelling from Singapore, our return transfer journey is US$1,050 per person. This seamless, door-to-door journey includes:

• Private car transfers between your Singapore accommodation and the ferry terminal.
• Return ferry travel between Singapore and Batam.
• Meet-and-greet assistance, including expedited electronic passport clearance in Batam.
• Private car transfers between Batam Ferry Terminal and Hang Nadim Airport.
• Return seaplane flights between Batam and Bawah Reserve.

From the moment you leave the airport, your home or hotel in Singapore to your arrival on Bawah's private jetty, every step of your journey is carefully coordinated by our team, allowing you to simply relax and enjoy the experience.

What is a seaplane?

"A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing (alighting) on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are in a subclass called amphibious aircraft, or amphibians." Wikipedia

The Bawah seaplane

Our aircraft is part of the Airfast fleet, an Indonesian aviation company with more than 35 years of experience in the industry and an impeccable safety record. The amphibious Twin Otter seaplane 300 has wheels and float pontoons, giving it the enviable ability to take off and land on either water or land.

Built originally in Canada, it’s a STOL (short take-off and landing) aircraft that’s become a commercially successful twin-engine commuter seaplane.

If you are wondering how much a seaplane costs to buy... They don’t come cheap! Prices vary, depending on whether you’re buying a new one or an older one, and so do maintenance costs. Annual maintenance alone ranges from around $6M to -$8M or more a year, even before you consider fuel and other flying costs.

Our seaplane flight path

Bawah’s amphibious seaplane or floatplane as it can also be called takes off from Batam’s Hang Nadim International Airport and guests are weighed with their luggage at check-in to ensure even distribution of weight aboard the plane (just be sure to keep prying eyes off the scale) see here for our guide to packing in under 15kg.

Each of our two planes can hold up to 10 passengers, weight dependant. Given the small size of the vessel, passengers feel intimately connected to the process of flying. You’ll watch the pilots turn round to give a quick briefing to passengers before the propellers slowly wind up, and they push buttons, pull levers, check gauges and move the aircraft forward.

Soon the plane is airborne and the land of Batam cedes to the open sea for the majority of the 75-minute flight. The flight is typically smooth, with only the occasional gentle turbulence common to light aircraft, and all transfers operate during daylight hours to ensure guests enjoy the  scenery throughout the journey. Before landing, the aircraft makes a circle of the islands so that guests can get an overview of the layout and snap those once-in-a-lifetime aerial shots of the resort.

Meet our seaplane pilots

Each flight has two pilots in front, one international and one Indonesian. One of the international pilots, the dry-humoured Captain Wolski, boasts 6000 hours of flying experience on seaplanes. “Landing and taking off on the tarmac is the same but the water is the biggest difference,” he explains after a routine landing. “You start as a boat, satisfy the boat planing like a speedboat, and by the end, you are 100% an aircraft. In between, you need to satisfy the conditions of both the boat and an airplane. The same considerations are also true for landing. The runway is always changing, always moving. Our plane is designed for short take-offs and landing, with thick wings that generate a lot of lift without the need to point the aircraft at the sky.”

There is a 15-kilogram luggage restriction per passenger, but thankfully given Bawah’s easy-going vibe, you won’t need to pack much.

Like our new look navy blue design seaplane too?

The top 5 questions guests ask about seaplanes

1) How does a seaplane fly?

A seaplane is generally a modified landplane.  We use a twin Twin Otter aircraft that has been adapted with amphibian floats.  Here’s an interesting guide to seaplane flying that explains the differences between a seaplane and a land plane. 

2) Are seaplanes safe?

It’s an important question!  Air Tunilik has answered it beautifully, concluding:
“Put simply, seaplanes are safe when they are maintained and piloted by trusted, experienced
pilots with seaplane rating from reliable companies.”  

Our seaplane pilots have over 6,000 hours of flying experience on seaplanes with the highly-rated air
carrier Airfast Indonesia - rated highly all over the world.  Through its commitment to safety, Airfast has earned and maintained Category 1 in Indonesia’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation safety rating since that rating was introduces introduced in 2007.

3) Are seaplanes scary?

For anyone who feels a little nervous about flying, it's perfectly natural to wonder what travelling by seaplane is like. The good news is that most guests tell us the experience is far more relaxed and enjoyable than they expected.

Before departure, you'll have the opportunity to meet your pilots, who are highly experienced in operating flights throughout the Indonesian archipelago. During the journey, you'll be able to see into the cockpit and enjoy panoramic views of the islands below, making the flight feel open, calm and immersive.

Many guests also find reassurance in knowing they're flying aboard an amphibious aircraft specifically designed to operate safely from both land and water. Rather than a conventional flight, many describe the experience as a scenic sightseeing journey—one that quickly becomes one of the highlights of their visit to Bawah Reserve.

4) How fast do seaplanes fly?

Seaplanes do fly more slowly than land planes due to the increased drag from the floats, which adds both weight and surface area to the design. We fly at around 130 to -135 knots, depending on the altitude. Flight time between Batam and Bawah is around 75 minutes.

5) Can seaplanes land on land?

Not all seaplanes are the same.

Traditional floatplanes have pontoons instead of wheels, meaning they can only take off from and land on water. Bawah Reserve's aircraft, however, is an amphibious Twin Otter, equipped with specially designed floats that incorporate retractable landing gear.

This allows the aircraft to operate seamlessly from both conventional runways and open water. It departs from the runway at Hang Nadim Airport in Batam before making a gentle water landing on the  lagoon at Bawah Reserve—one of the most memorable moments of the journey.

It's this unique versatility that makes amphibious seaplanes the ideal aircraft for reaching remote island destinations.

If you have any further questions regarding the transfer journey to Bawah Reserve please do drop our reservations team a note at reservations@bawahreserve.com