Getting from Sumatra to Malaysia without flying
- Keira Proust
- Mar 18
- 4 min read
If you spend any time travelling in Sumatra, you're almost guaranteed to find yourself on a thoroughly bumpy, slightly terrifying bus. Our last bus trip in Sumatra was the longest and bumpiest. We spent 20 hours travelling from Berastagi to Dumai so we could catch a ferry to Malacca, Malaysia.
Leaving Sumatra
After a wonderful week in Lake Toba with Dad, it was time to say goodbye to our beloved Sumatra. We spent about 24 hours getting to Malaysia from Berastagi, in northern Sumatra's highlands. We left Berastagi on a rickety public bus bound for Medan at around 11am on Monday. The trip was meant to take three hours, but the driver was keen and got us there in two! It was a very tight squeeze with the locals. The drivers in Sumatra also loved blasting loud Indonesian music above everyone's head for the entire ride, so I couldn't say it was peaceful. But the views were quite nice as we wound down the highlands and into the city.
Once we were dropped off on the city's outskirts, we paid $2.50 each for the trip and then caught a Grab into the city mall for a bite of lunch. Our bus to Dumai wasn't leaving until 4pm so we didn't have to rush, which was nice. After lunch, we took another Grab to the next bus station, Bintang Utara, and got ready for another long journey. Armed with snacks, warm clothes and some entertainment, we piled into the "lush bus" just before 4pm and started our journey along Sumatra's east coast towards the port of Dumai.
It was a relatively quiet start to the trip. We soared past endless palm oil plantations and along narrow bumpy roads. The bus stopped at some roadside stalls just before 9pm and the locals headed out to grab dinner. We watched The Castle to pass some time and I tried to doze around 10/11pm but it was fairly impossible. Every time you started to fall asleep the bus would violently bounce back and forth. The loud Indonesian music also started around 11pm and continued until we arrived in the morning. It's safe to say that we arrived in Dumai quite dazed, sleepy and confused. But it was a fun experience and I'd do it again!
From Dumai to Malacca
We arrived at a bus stop on the outskirts of Dumai around 6am. Our ferry to Malacca wasn't leaving until 9am so we had plenty of time. We had booked the earliest possible overnight bus in case it broke down or there were delays along the way (as I'd read had happened for other travellers). However, we were very lucky and arrived on time. We ordered a Grab to the ferry port and waited until 730am before we could go through to the departure gates. It was an easy process. We had booked the ferry tickets online during our overnight bus trip and just had to pay an additional harbour tax at the port before going through customs. It was set up like an airport (albeit much smaller) and we made it through immigration without any problems. Once we boarded the Indomal Fast Ferry we bid farewell to Sumatra and turned our attention to Malaysia. The boat ride took about 2.5 hours, and some weird Chinese and Indonesian films were shown on TV for our entertainment.
We landed in Malacca around 12:30pm and it was immediately clear that we had arrived in a new country. Malacca is a UNESCO heritage town. It has beautiful architecture, a peaceful river, lots of tourist infrastructure and minimal rubbish (compared to other parts of Asia). It was a very smooth process getting into Malaysia. We had filled out an online arrival card beforehand and were then granted a 90-day visa-free stay on arrival. We had a HUGE nap once we got to our hostel before venturing out for some roti, laksa and other Malaysian delights.
Tips for flight-free travel between Indonesia and Malaysia:
You can catch a boat from two main Sumatran ports to travel to Malaysia. These include Dumai and Tanjung Balai. Indomal Fast Ferry runs boats from both of these ports to different cities in Malaysia. You can easily book tickets online here.
It isn't cheap. You will spend between $55-$65 AUD for a one-way ticket to Malaysia.
We took an overnight bus from Medan to Dumai. It cost $25 AUD each. You can also book tickets for these buses online. We used this site, easybook.
You can also catch an overnight bus from Padang or Bukkitinggi in western Sumatra. This is convenient if you are in this part of the state already, otherwise the trip from Medan will be the quickest option.
It's probably cheaper to fly to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia or Singapore but catching the local bus and ferry is a great and unforgettable experience.
There are also boats from Jakarta in Java to Batam off Singapore. If you are on Java and want to skip Sumatra this is probably the best route. You can then catch a boat from Batam to Singapore. You can read more about this journey here.
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