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Getting To and Around in Indonesia

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There are several international airports in Indonesia. Jakarta (CGK) (Soekarno-Hatta) is about 12 miles northwest of the city and it takes about 45 minutes to get into the city center from the airport. Airport facilities include banks/bureaux de change, a post office (open 0800-1400 in public area of zone B; 0800-1900 in zone D), duty-free shops, gift shops, restaurants (open 1 hour before the first flight and after the last flight), snack bars (available until 2100), car rental and 24-hour medical/vaccination facilities. A bus goes to the city every 30 minutes. Taxis are also available to the city center at a cost of approximately Rp1500 plus Rp550 per km. A regular bus shuttle goes to Jakarta's second airport, Halim Perdana Kusuma (HLP), 8 miles southeast of the city (travel time to the city center - 45 minutes). Denpasar (DPS) (Ngurah Rai), 8 miles south of the city, is the main airport on Bali (travel time to the city center - 30 minutes). There are duty-free facilities at the airport. A bus goes to the city center. Taxis are available to the city and to Kuta, Logian, Sanur and Nusadua.

The departure tax is Rp50,000 (infants under the age of 2 are exempt) if departing from Jakarta or Denpasar airports. Rp20,000 from other airports.

 

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By Sea
High-speed ferries run between Sumatra and Malaysia. Routes are either Medan-Penang or Dumai-Melaka. There are also services between Mandalo (Sulawesi) and the Philippines. Several cruise lines also visit Indonesia. These would include Cunard, Norwegian, Orient Lines, P&O, Radisson Seven Seas, Royal Caribbean and Crystal Cruises.

Ilala Yacht Charters provides exclusive sailing and diving holidays throughout South East Asia and the Andaman Sea and the Andaman Islands. They also provide opportunities in Thailand, Malaysia, Burma and Indonesia. Their luxury, air conditioned charter yacht offers you spacious comfort, good food and service, and privacy. The yacht is designed for up to 8 people for comfortable relaxation and enjoyment. You can find additional information at the Ilala Yacht Charters website or by email. mailto:yacht_ilala@hotmail.com

By Rail
There is a daily sea and rail service between Belawan and Penang (West Malaysia) operated by National Railroad of Indonesia. Buses leave Jakarta from Gambir railway station and from Rawamangun and Blok M bus stations. 

Note: It is not advisable at present to travel to Acech, Ambon and the rest of the Maluku province. For further information visitors should seek official advice.

By Road
Indonesia's international land borders are between Kalimantan and the Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah on the island of Borneo, and Irian Jaya and Papua New Guinea. There are no road links with Sabah and the few roads to Sarawak are not recognized as gateways to Indonesia.

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Getting Around In Indonesia
By Air
By Sea
By Rail
By Road

By Air
Indonesia has a good internal air system linking most of the larger towns to Jakarta. Domestic flights from Jakarta depart from Terminal 1 at Soekarno Hatta International Airport (except Garda Airlines flights, which leave from Terminal 2). Domestic operators include: Bouraq Indonesia Airlines (BO), Garuda Indonesia (GA), Merpati Nusantara Airlines (MZ) and Sempati Air (SG).

To fly inexpensively in Indonesia, check the Asean Air Pass which offers special fares on domestic flights and gives access to varying numbers of cities depending on the ticket bought. Passes must be bought at Garuda Indonesia offices in Europe, USA, Australia and Japan and are not available inside Indonesia. 

By Sea
PELINI, the state-owned shipping company, has six modern ferries serving all the main ports across the archipelago. Foreign cruise liners also operate on an irregular basis. Luxury cruise ships offer trips to various destinations, including the eastern islands (leaving from Bali). 

By Rail
Rail travel within Indonesia is relatively inexpensive. Children under three travel free. Children aged three to seven pay half fare. There are nearly 4,350 miles of track on Sumatra, Madura and Java. In Sumatra trains connect Belawan, Medan and Tanjong Balai/Rantu Prapet (two or three trains daily) in the north, and Palembang and Panjang (three trains daily) in the south. An extensive rail network runs throughout Java. The Bima Express, which has sleeping and restaurant cars, links Jakarta and Surabaya; there are also other express services. There are three classes of travel, but first-class exists only on principal expresses. There are some cars that have air-conditioned accommodations.

By Road
In Indonesia the traffic drives on the left. There are over 234,360 miles of roads in the country, of which about 17,500 miles are main or national roads and 125 miles are motorway with about half of the road network being paved. There are good road connections within Java and to a lesser extent on Bali and Sumatra. The other islands have poor road systems, although conditions are improving with tourism becoming more important. Road tolls are in operation on some major city roads and need to be paid for by visitors if using a taxi. Chauffeur-driven cars are widely available, with rates varying according to the type of destination.

Bus - There are regular services between most towns. Bus trips can be made from Jakarta to Bali which takes about two days. Bus fares are about the same as third-class rail. Vehicles can be extremely crowded, although many of them are air-conditioned. There are "Bis Malam" night-buses on a number of routes, running in competition with the railways. Reservations is almost always essential. Special "travel minibuses," offering a door-to-door service, are also available in cities and major tourist areas. Jakarta is the only city with an established conventional bus service of any size. Double-deckers are operated.

Taxi - Taxi service is widely available in most large cities and some smaller towns. Metered taxis are usually only found in the main cities and major tourist areas. Taxi drivers do not always know how to get to the desired destination and passengers may have to tell them. Like all public transport vehicles, taxis have yellow number plates (for private and rented vehicles, the number plates are black, while government vehicles have red plates).

I would recommend ordering your taxi by phone as this is safer. If you hail a taxi on the street, please do the following :
- Note the taxi’s company name
- Note the taxi’s number and the driver’s ID
- Make sure the drive agrees to take you to your destination
- If the driver tries to bargain instead of using the meter or claims his meter is broken, get out of the taxi and find another one. Or you can negotiate an acceptable fare.

Rental Cars - Rental cars and cars for hire are available from a number of companies (AVIS, Hertz and the local Blue Bird Company. and from taxi firms, some of which also provide a limousine service.  They are available at most of five-star hotels and international airport (arrival terminals). You will need an International Driving Permit to rent a car.

If you do rent a care, be aware of streets that use 3 in 1 regulation which is obliged 3 people minimum in the car from 6.30 AM to 10AM. Try to get with universal door locks and power windows. Always to drive on the left and overtake only one the right. Always keep car doors and windows locked at all times. Thieves can snatch purses through open windows. Some car-jackers plot to make the tires flat. Then they may appear as “friends” ready to help and call some motorist for assistance. They usually working in groups, one person carrying on the pretence while others rob you.

Rickshaws - There are two forms of tricycle rickshaws available in Indonesia: the motorized version is called bajaj (pronounced 'baj-eye'), which is a bright orange color and seats two passengers, with the driver in front; and the becak (pronounced 'be-chak') is pedal-powered by a rider sitting behind a maximum of 2 passengers. Fares should be negotiated in advance. Rickshaws are an extremely popular and cheap form of transport and can be hired almost everywhere (though becaks have now been banned from the Jakarta city center). 

Motorcycles - Motorcycles can be rented on a daily or weekly basis. In Bali and Yogyakarta for instance, motorcycles can be rented, usually on a daily basis, costing about US$ 5,50 (year 1996). Weekly rates are probably less. Insurance is usually covered in the rate, whereas in Bali you do not need a driver’s license and in Yogyakarta it is a small formality to issue a temporary one at a fee. Around beaches motorcycles are also popular, so here too, they can be rented for only the day’s use. Although motorcycles are already popular at tourist spots, these individual rentals are not recommended for safety reasons. Aside from the fact that Indonesians drive on the left side of the road, like in most Commonwealth countries, it would still be unfamiliar terrain for the tourist, not to mention the local driving habits, traffic patterns and road signs. Therefore, if you prefer to stay on the safe side, use one with a driver instead of driving it yourself, and sit behind him equipped with headgear. If you do drive, you will need an international driving license is recommended and a helmet should be worn.

Bicycles and Ojeks - Bicycles or bikes are rented in Bali and Yogyakarta on a daily basis. There is no insurance on the bike or rider, so make sure to ride carefully by keeping left most of the time. A ride to the countryside to see the pleasant and paddy fields is certainly recommended. Bicycles at small villages are also used as “commercial vehicles” and often, for a small fee, you can just hop on the back and get where you are going.

An Ojek is a motorbike hired with its rider. You may pay him for one single trip (minimum is RP 1000) or you may hire him for the day, or by the hour. Be sure to bargain beforehand. Ojeks can be found in cities and their suburbs, at intersections or at the mouths of certain side roads. Rarely, if ever do ojek owners rent out their motorbikes without themselves riding them. Ojeks usually come in handy to go to places where roads are either too narrow or bumpy for four-wheel vehicles.

Mikrolet, Oplet, Bemo, and Colt - These different names probably apply to the same vehicles, depending on where you use them. They are usually employed on tours between city and suburbs and can seat up to 10 passengers per vehicle, sometimes even more than its capacity. Fares are not uniform, as here it does depend on distance covered by the passenger. One advantage over the bus routes is that by using these smaller vehicles you may be let off anywhere you want to, making it a slower vehicle because of its frequent stops. If you care to charter such a vehicle, you may do so, however, you should bargain for it after having obtained the right information on the approximate rates from your hotel clerk. They should cost less than hiring a chauffeur-driven car or a taxi.

Horse carts - These may still be hired in rural areas (though they are no longer available in Jakarta).

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