

The bus drives to the harbour of Merak, goes on the ferry boat (here you have to get off the bus) and continues the journey to Bandar Lampung. The DAMRI (Indonesian state-owned public transit bus company) offers busses going from Jakarta on Java to Bandar Lampung in the South of Sumatra. Once arrived in Tanjung Balai you can continue by bus to Lake Toba (4 hours) or by train (4,5 hours) or bus to Medan. to Lake Toba.Īero Speed Ferry connects Port Klang in Malaysia and Tanjung Balai on Sumatra Monday to Saturday. However, Dumai is very far away from everything. Check their website for schedules and booking information. Check this guide on how to travel with PELNI.įurther more Indomal Express operates between Malacca and Port Dickson in Malaysia and Dumai on Sumatra. It is best to book PELNI tickets at one of their offices. You can now book tickets online or directly at the port. For example, there are connections from Batam (near Singapore) via Tanjung Balai Karimum to Medan (Belawan port). The company is called PELNI (“Indonesian National Line”) and operates large cargo ships. There are also ferries between Malaysia and other parts of Indonesia and Sumatra.

From here you can take locals busses to Bandar Lampung (1:30-2h, ca. Be aware that ferry trips can be cancelled due to rough seas. Ferries depart every 20 minutes in daylight hours and it takes 2 hours to get to Sumatra. From here ferries run to the port of Bakauheni on Sumatra. Besides that there are also Damri Busses conecting Jakarta and Merak. It wil cost around 10,000 IDR and take 3 hours, but it is common that they only offer the lowest class. The port on the Northern tip of Java is called Merak. The Airport is called Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport (BTJ) and offers connections to Penang and Kuala Lumpur and even cities in Saudi Arabia. If you are looking to start North and make you way down, you can also fly to the city of Banda Aceh. Travelers who want to explore the islands such as Nias or Mentawais on the west coast of Sumatra, flying to Padang (PDG) is the best option. You have to fly to Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Singapore or Bangkok first and catch a flight with Air Asia or Betaik Air from there.Īpart from Medan many major cities, such as Banda Aceh in the North or Padang in the West, have international airports with connections to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. There are no direct flights to Medan from Europe or North America. So if you are searching for flights, they sometimes only have Kuala Namu instead of Medan in the search options. The airport is called Kuala Namu International Airport (KNO).

Medan is the main hub for flights onto the island of Sumatra.
