Travelling 65 hours on a boat from Java to Sumatra
- Keira Proust
- Mar 5
- 7 min read
The biggest hurdle in our attempt to travel through Southeast Asia flight-free was getting from Java to northern Sumatra.
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We had originally planned to take a relatively short ferry trip from the west of Java to Sumatra's southern tip before making our way to the north of the island. However, we quickly realised that would be a nightmare. We'd heard that huge distances and terribly unreliable transport plagued the island, making travel from the south to the north difficult for even the most intrepid person. It would have taken roughly 40 hours of non-stop driving, in a car that we did not have, from the southern port to our first destination. Alternatively, we could have spent more than a week on long overnight bus hauls to reach the destination.
With that information in mind, we strongly considered whether we should just fly. But I remembered a wonderful family I had interviewed while working at the ABC who had attempted to travel from the UK to Australia, and back, without flying.
So I found their Buckle Up Dorothy blog and started reading. I quickly discovered they caught a multi-day Pelni ferry from Jakarta in Java to Medan, Sumatra's capital, on their adventure last year. However, they said a local helped them purchase the ferry tickets. Armed with this new information, Paddy and I frantically searched for ways to get a Pelni ferry ticket from Jakarta to Medan.
There was very limited information online and the information we could find was mostly in Indonesian. But we saw there was a Pelni office in the town we were staying in, so we caught a Grab to try to purchase a ticket in person. Alas, it turned out to be a corporate office and the only person we could find spoke very broken English. After speaking to someone on the phone, he told us to download the Pelni mobile app and book that way. Perhaps it would be that easy after all! Back at the hostel, we tried to book a ticket but it turned out that you could only book 14 days in advance.
A couple of days later we were able to select an available date on the app (although we discovered the ferry only left once a week at 8pm on Fridays). We filled out all the necessary information and tried to book but they did not accept visa cards or any foreign payment methods!! A lady at the hostel informed us we would possibly be able to pay for the ticket at the Indomaret (a local version of a 7-Eleven supermarket) but we had to do it within three hours. We headed to the nearest Indomaret to pay and were excited about how close we had come. But they wouldn't accept our card so we went looking for an ATM to withdraw the required amount. Three ATMs, 3,400,000 rupiah ($340 AUD) and one successful transaction later we had the proof of payment needed for the ferry ride. We just needed to exchange it for the actual tickets when we arrived at the port, so I guarded that receipt like our lives depended on it.
A long boat journey to Sumatra
We arrived in Jakarta a week or so later and stocked up on noodle cups ahead of the 63-hour boat ride just in case the food onboard wasn't too crash hot. The Pelni app said boarding closed two hours before departure, so we left Jakarta with plenty of time to spare. We got a Grab around 3:30pm and hoped we were going to the right place. We soon realised the terminal we had punched into the app was a bus terminal and not the port. Our Grab driver didn't speak much English so it took a couple of back-and-forths before he realised where we actually needed to go and agreed to take us there for an additional tip.
Before long we were winding our way through massive shipping containers, cranes and trucks. It definitely felt like we were heading to a freight port and not one made for humans. But sure enough, we were going the right way and soon arrived at a slightly chaotic ferry terminal. We successfully printed our tickets, got some more snacks and waited to board. We were called through at around 5pm and made our way to an airport-like waiting area with hundreds of locals. We spotted one Western couple and spoke to them as we boarded. They were also trying to travel without flying and had come from Bali like us. They were headed to Singapore and would be stopping at one of the islands, called Batam, along the way. They were staying in economy class while we had booked "1st class". As they pushed their bags into the cramped economy bunk beds we said goodbye and headed up to the 6th floor. Our 1st class ticket included a private cabin, three meals a day and, of course, transportation to Medan. The printed tickets stated we would be staying in separate cabins so we thought we might be separated by gender because we were travelling in a Muslim nation and weren't married. However, the man checking the tickets didn't seem to mind and allowed us to stay in the same room together. Hooray!
Sunsets, karaoke and city views
Once on board, we watched the sunset over the port and got ready to say farewell to Java. The boat didn't leave until closer to 9pm but we were just stoked to be on our way! We were very relieved to have booked 1st class because the economy ticket meant you were crammed in with dozens of other people in plastic bunk beds and shared bathrooms. I had been prone to seasickness in the past so I was a little worried about being stuck on a boat for several days and wanted a private bathroom nearby in case of emergencies. Luckily for us, the sea was the calmest I had ever experienced and I barely felt a bump the entire journey!
Our room had two single beds, a little window, a slightly dodgy bathroom with a toilet that didn't flush properly, a TV and a desk. The privacy was nice. I used the days to catch up on sleep, read, research, watch the ocean and relax. The 7th floor had a deck with seats that were packed with locals. Everyone wanted to say "hello" and ask where we were from because it was rare to see foreigners onboard. Another thing everyone did was smoke, which meant the hope of catching any fresh air outside was dashed in an instant. We spent the second night watching the locals sing karaoke and eventually got dragged up to join in. Paddy was thrown onto the drums and I was thrusted a microphone and expected to sing English songs I didn't know the words of. But it was good fun and we made friends with a Medan local, Ruli, who later became our Sumatran guardian angel.
We were treated to views of Singapore and Malaysia on our second morning onboard. The sea was a bright turquoise and incredibly flat. Many freight ships made their way from Singapore's port, including some carrying goods for Cosco and AGL.
Getting from Belawan Port to Medan
We were meant to arrive at the Belawan Port, north of Medan, at 10am on Monday but suspected, like most transport in Indonesia, that we would be late. We ended up spending more than 65 hours on the boat and it was after 12pm by the time we started disembarking. We passed villages on stilts, mangroves and little fishing boats as we came into Belawan. We quickly realised getting from the port into Medan would be a nightmare. The traffic outside the terminal crawled at a scarily slow pace and our Grab drivers kept cancelling on us. Miraculously, our friend Ruli found us and insisted he help us find a safe way into the city. It was 2pm by the time we got into a Grab. Ruli treated us to some singing, stories and laughs during the drive. Once we arrived safely at the hotel we thanked Ruli, said goodbye and headed out for a big feed of our first non-boat food in three days.
We only spent one night in Medan and were keen to get out of the city. Our next stop was Bukit Lawang, on the edge of the Gunung Leuser National Park in northern Sumatra. We were treated to incredible wildlife, hospitality, food, nature and adventure in Bukit Lawang. More on that next time :)
Tips for booking an Indonesian Pelni ferry:
The easiest way to book is to download the Pelni Mobil app. You can usually only book within 14 days before departure.
The app will only accept payment from a local Indonesian bank account and some other local methods.
The best way to pay as a foreigner is at a Pelni office or an Indomaret supermarket within three hours of booking the ticket online.
You will receive a receipt when you pay at the Indomaret, which must be used to receive your tickets at the port.
It costs about $170 AUD per person for a 1st class ticket. Economy is much cheaper, about $50-$60 AUD, but be warned, it'll be a crammed adventure.
Most Pelni ports are in the middle of a freight shipyard and can be confusing to access. Make sure you leave with plenty of time to spare and ask your accommodation about the best address to put into the maps before you leave.
FINALLY:
It can be daunting and confusing catching a Pelni ferry but the experience will be worth it! You will hang out with locals, watch beautiful sunsets on the water and have a unique travel experience onboard.
Ask a local if you're confused. They are incredibly friendly and often happy to try and help.
It really is worth booking first-class tickets if you want a little comfort. It is more expensive but you will have your own privacy and amenities, which is worth every dollar on a multi-day trip.
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