Explore Ancient Swamp of Tebat Rasau

Explore the Ancient Swamp of Tebat Rasau, a living landscape where ancient waterways, distinctive ecosystems, and ancestral traditions converge. Discover the ecological wisdom, biodiversity, and cultural heritage of Belitong’s inland wetlands, revealing the enduring relationship between local communities and the natural world.

Tebat Rasau lies in East Belitong, along the Lenggang river, and is one of the geosites of the Belitong UNESCO Global Geopark, recognised in 2021. Its appeal is quiet: slow water, dense stands of rasau, and a landscape that feels far older than the roads that lead to it.

Scientists describe the area as the remains of an ancient river system. Fish living here, such as the Asian arowana and a freshwater pufferfish, are part of the story of how Belitong was once joined to Sumatra and Borneo by land, when sea levels were much lower during the Ice Age.

The rasau itself, a pandan-like plant that gives the place its name, matters to the people who live nearby. Its leaves are woven into mats and baskets, and its thick growth along the banks helps slow the water when the river floods. Since 2018 a local community group has worked to look after the river and to welcome visitors.

A few tips for a visit: go with a local guide, who can explain the river's plants, fish and stories; travel slowly by boat and keep the noise down; ask before photographing people at work; and leave the river as you found it, with no litter and no plants or fish taken. If you have time, join a rasau weaving session. It is the best way to understand why this plant is so valued here.