Getting to Indonesia

Prior to Getting to Indonesia

Before getting to Indonesia be sure you know the kind of transportation services by air, sea, and land transportation. Most easiest way to visit Indonesia is by flight where you can land in different Indonesia International Airport to start your Indonesia trip. The top five busiest airports in Indonesia are Soekarno Hatta International Airport ( Tangerang, Banten), Juanda International Airport ( Sidoarjo, East Java ), I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport ( Denpasar, Bali ), Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport ( Makassar, South Sulawesi ) and Kualanamu International Airport ( Deli Serdang, North Sumatra ).

Not only that, make sure you have all the necessary travel documents that you will need to bring along on your trip. It will be wise if you are well aware of all the policies regarding immigration and visas to Indonesia from your home country to avoid all the unnecessary inconveniences.

1 . By Air

The main gateways for entry to Indonesia are Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in the outskirt of Jakarta and Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport. Both have undergone massive expansion and are now equipped with the latest and most convenient facilities. Other Airports that also serves international flights includes Juanda Airport in Surabaya, Hasanudin Airport in Makassar, and Kuala Namu in Medan. The recently established West Java International Airport in Majalengka, West Java Province about 68Km from Bandung will also serves numerous international flights.

Travel to Indonesia from the Americas can take as little as 20 hours and requires at least a transit at East Asia, Europe or the Middle East. Meanwhile, travel from most of Europe will take less than 20 hours. Furthermore, there are also available direct flights to Jakarta from Amsterdam, London and Istanbul. Australia though, is just 4–7 hours away. Next, there are several flights from various cities in the Middle East to Indonesia. There are also short flights from Indonesian cities to nearby Malaysian cities, such as from Pontianak to Kuching, Tarakan to Tawau, and Pekanbaru to Malacca.

Garuda Indonesia, the Indonesia government, serves flights to several cities in Southeast Asia, East Asia, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Amsterdam and London in Europe. The airline also has extensive code-sharing agreements (Sky Team) and this assists in providing quite good flight frequencies from airports in countries near Indonesia.

Other international Airlines that serves to and from Indonesia includes: AirAsia. Cathay Pacific Airways, China Airlines, Emirates, Eva Air, Firefly, Japan Airlines, KLM, Korean Air, Lion Air, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas and Jetstar Airways.

2 . By Sea or Ferries

Ferries connect Indonesia with the neighboring countries of Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Most connections are between ports in Sumatra and Riau Islands Province and those in Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia. The close proximity between Batam Island and Bintan Island in Riau Islands Province to Singapore and Malaysia has made the twin island the third and fourth main entrance to the country. Ferry service between Malaysia’s Sabah state and East Kalimantan are also available. Onward boat connections to Jakarta and other Indonesian islands are available from these ports. Meanwhile, Roll On Roll Off (RoRo) ships connect General Santos and Davao in the Philippines with Bitung, in North Sulawesi.

Frequent ferries connect Singapore to various ports in Batam, as well as Tanjung Pinang and Bandar Bintan Telani Lagoi (Bintan Resorts) in Bintan. Furthermore, daily ferries that connect Singapore with Tanjung Balai in Karimun Island also available. In Peninsular Malaysia, daily and frequent ferries depart from various ports including Johor bahru and Port Kland Near Kuala Lumpur to Batam, Bintan, Tanjung Balai, as well as Dumai and Pekanbaru in Riau Province, and Tanjung Balai Asahan in North Sumatra.

Cruise Ships and Yachts

Cruise ships embark at 5 ports: Tanjung Priok (North Jakarta), Tanjung Perak (Surabaya), Belawan (near Medan), Makassar and Tanjung Benoa (Bali). There are 24 schedule of regular cruise ship from Singapore, visits Java and Bali, whereas irregular schedule cruise ship visits Bali and Nusa Tenggara. You may take a cruise and stop at specific locations along the way with everyone else, in which case Immigration will be handled on your ship. It may be possible to end your cruise here, in which case you’ll need to visit an Immigration office after disembarking.

Committed to make it easier for yachters and cruise ships to enter her waters, the Indonesian government has implemented a number of policies that simplify procedures. These include the waiver of cabotage so that cruise ships are able to embark and disembark passengers at the appointed ports. The government has also eased the CIQP (customs, immigration, quarantine, and port authorities) procedures and simplified the sailing permit application from one month to just one day. 

3. By Land

Indonesia share land borders with three countries: Timor Leste in Timor Island, Malaysia in Borneo, and Papua New Guinea in Papua. From Timor Leste, The border crossing to Indonesia is located at the town of Atambua with the main border post of Mota’ain. In atambua, there are also the border posts of Matamauk and Napan.

From Malaysia, Regular buses between Kuching (Sarawak, eastern Malaysia) and Pontianak (West Kalimantan) pass through the border post at Entikong. The Aruk Border Post in Sambas Regency, connect West Kalimantan Province in Indonesia to Sarawak, Malaysia. The Nanga Badau Sanggau Border Post also connects West Kalimantan and the State of Sarawak in Malaysia.

The only land crossing that connect the Indonesian province of Papua and Papua New Guinea is the Skouw. Border Post situated at Muaratami District which is about 60Km from Jayapura, the capital city of Papua Province.

Getting to Indonesia can comes from many places by air, sea, and land. Note to remember is always bring your document to get easier while travel in Indonesia. Do you need assist to choose which one is best for you to get in Indonesia? Feel free to ask Indonesia Impression, we will help you to choose the best way to getting to Indonesia.