Indonesia Travel Guide - Getting There

The national airlines are Garuda Indonesia (GA) (website: www.garuda-indonesia.com) and Merpati Nusantara Airlines (MZ) (website: www.merpati.co.id).

There are no direct flights from Europe and the USA – most transit Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). From London to Jakarta, Java is about 20 hours and to Denpasar, Bali is about 22 hours (including approximate stopover time).

Java: Jakarta (CGK) (Soekarno-Hatta) is 20km (13 miles) northwest of Jakarta city centre (journey time – 45 minutes). To/from the airport: A bus goes to the city every 30 to 60 minutes. Buses leave Jakarta from Gambir railway station and from Rawamangun, Blok M and Pasar Minguu bus stations. Taxis are also available to the city centre. Facilities: Banks/bureaux de change, a post office, duty-free shops, gift shops, restaurants, snack bars, car hire and medical/vaccination facilities.

Bali: Denpasar (DPS) (Ngurah Rai), 13km (8 miles) southwest of Denpasar city centre, is the main airport on Bali (journey time – 30 minutes). To/from the airport: A bus goes to the city centre. Taxis are available to the city and to Kuta, Urud, Nusadua and Sanur. Facilities: Restaurant/bar, newsagent, bank, post office and car hire.

Note: For a full list of the air- and seaports which may be used to enter and exit Indonesia, see the website of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in the UK (see Contact Addresses).

Rp100,000 from Jakarta and Denpasar; Rp75,000 from other airports; transit passengers continuing their journey on the same day, and infants under the age of 2 are exempt.

Main ports: Belawan (Medan), Dumai, and Padang on Sumatra.

High-speed ferries run between Sumatra and Malaysia. The most popular route is Belawan (Medan)–Penang (journey time – 4 hours), operated by Langkawi Ferry (tel: (61) 452 1111; website: www.langkawi-ferry.com). There are also services between Dumai–Malacca, Mandalo (Sulawesi), and The Philippines.

Many cruise lines serve Indonesia.

There is a daily sea and rail service between Belawan and Penang (west Malaysia) operated by National Railroad of Indonesia.

Indonesia’s international land borders are between Kalimantan and the Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah on the island of Borneo, and Papua and Papua New Guinea. There are no road links with Sabah and the few (poorly maintained) roads to Sarawak are not recognised as gateways to Indonesia.