‘The joy of going from Bali to Jakarta by train, bus and ferry’

There is much more to Indonesia than Bali. Most people head for Bali to soak up the sun and frolic in the ocean, but I believe a trip through the interior up to Jakarta is well worth it. It is a distance of 1,154 kilometres, and you will see some beautiful countryside.

I started my trip in Bali and stopped overnight in a hotel, before catching a taxi to the bus station in Denpasar. From there I caught a bus to Gilimanuk, cost of bus was around AU$4 and took around 4 hours travelling over some very hilly country.

I overnighted in Gilimanuk at a cost AU$23. The hotel was quite pleasant and very clean.

From Gillimanuk to Banyuwangi was the next leg of my journey and required a ferry ride. The ferries left often, about every half hour, and operated 24 hours a day. The ride was roughly 50 minutes to reach Banyuwangi. On-board there was a cafe selling coffee and noodles as well as other snacks, so one did not go hungry.

The ferry moored at Ketapang, which is right next to Banyuwangi — a 20-minute train ride or 10 minutes by taxi. I could see the Ijen volcano as the ferry docked. Tours of the active volcano can be arranged and it is well worth doing a tour. The road is quite steep, but the volcano spews blue lava thanks to the incredibly high levels of sulphur so it’s quite spectacular.

A stay at the Ketapang Indah Hotel is a must if exploring this region is on your list.

The Banyuwangi Train Station is about 150 metres from the ferry terminal so I found it an easy walk. There are two trains daily from Banyuwangi to Surabaya. One leaves in the morning and arrives mid-afternoon, the other leaves at night. I took the morning train as I wanted to see as much as possible on the journey through Java.

Passports must be shown before a train ticket is issued. The passport has to be shown at the other end of the journey as well.

There are two class sections on the train. First Class, at a cost of AU$10.50 or Second Class at a cost of AU$7.50.

The train was wonderful, excellent seats and very clean. Each seat has an electrical plug for charging phones etc. I foudn the staff on-board the train to be most helpful. Food and drinks are brought around frequently, they were fresh and tasty.

The only downfall was the squat toilet, only because my old knees are a bit stiff for squatting. But I managed and all was well.

When I arrived in Surabaya mid-afternoon I had plenty of time to find a hotel. I stayed for a few days.

Surabaya is in East Java and is not particularly well-known by tourists. I found it interesting to learn it was the second largest city in Indonesia. There are a number of attractions here, including the House of Sampoerna Cigarette Factory (Samperna is a well-knonw brand of cigarettes in Indonesia and in addition to the factory you’ll find a museum here), the Monumen Kapal Selam (a Russian submarine used by the Indonesian navy, now a museum), and G-Walk (a wealth of food stalls and night markets, great for people watching).

My final journey was by train from Surabaya to Jakarta. This trip was a lot longer than the previous leg and the First Class ticket was around AU$40. I feel it was well worth paying for, given the trip took around 10 hours. Comfortable seats are a must.

The seats had a fold out table so eating was a comfortable experience. There were also electrical outlets for charging phones etc. Wi-Fi was available in almost every area of Indonesia.

This journey to Jakarta was very enjoyable. I loved passing through fields and little villages, and travelling along the seaside for a while, before I finally arrived in Jakarta.

While travelling using bus, train and ferry throughout the country required a little patience and flexibility, I found it to be so much nicer than simply hopping on a plane where I would have seen very little. Of course, it’s more efficient to go by plane, but when you are on holiday who is in a hurry? I certainly wasn’t. It was a pleasant trip and I’d do it again if I had the chance.

How do you like to explore a destination while travelling? Have you done the trip from Bali to Jakarta in Indonensia?

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