The Ultimate Guide to Getting Around Indonesia

Are you planning to backpack Indonesia and need help with how to get between destinations? This guide has you covered, explaining everything from ferry routes to how to make the most of your travel days. Please note this guide focuses on transport options in popular backpacker destinations such as Bali, Nusa Islands, Gili Islands and Lombok. More information on Java, Sumatra and other destinations in Indonesia will be updated in this guide in the coming months.

Planning your Route

Given the well-developed tourism infrastructure in Bali and surrounding popular tourist islands, it is relatively easy to get transport between any destinations. So, you can wing it and travel around Indonesia without a pre-determined route. However, this may cost you more money on transport. You may also waste more time if you backtrack on your route or book a ferry into the wrong port. Trust me; I’ve been there. On my last trip to Indonesia, I backtracked to Canggu 4 separate times. There was no particular logic as to why I did that; I just didn’t organise my visa extension very well. If you want more information about the tourist visa extension process, read my complete step-by-step guide here. If I had my time again, I would have followed a bit more of a rough route, moved around less and saved a lot of time and money on transport.

To help orientate you on the key destinations and transport hubs in Bali, I’ve created a custom map below:

One important thing to note while planning your route is that you need to allow extra time on travel days. You wouldn’t believe it, but the traffic in areas like Canggu, Ubud, Sanur and Padangbai at peak time is awful. Also, ferry timings are approximate. It’s a common joke that things run on “Southeast Asia” time, meaning they depart whenever they want. Sometimes, the ferries can leave 20 minutes early. Sometimes, they depart 2 hours late. There’s no prior notification if you’re ferry is delayed; you wait at the port until it leaves. Ferries are often cancelled depending on weather conditions. So be super mindful of allowing an extra day on the mainland before your outbound flight.

Getting around Indonesia by Scooter

Much like most of South East Asia, scooters are king when it comes to transport in Bali. Renting a scooter for consecutive days is the most convenient and cost-effective way to travel. Most hostels assist backpackers with scooter rental from a reputable agency, which is relatively common even if you’ve never driven a scooter. While everyone will tell you renting a scooter is the best way to travel, I should point out the risks and realities of scooter travel in Indonesia.

Scooters are pretty dangerous, and a lot (and I really mean a lot) of travellers have accidents. Every second backpacker in Indonesia, and South East Asia in general, has a scooter accident story. It is THAT common. While most of the time, people end up with minor cuts, grazes and gravel rash and a bit of a bruised ego, I met many people with serious scooter accident stories. Broken legs, fractured collarbones, and people having to return home and cut their trip short to recover from serious injuries. Also, not to be morbid, backpackers do die in scooter accidents. When I was in Canggu, another traveller died on the back of a motorbike as a drunk tourist hit her. It was tragic and shook many people in the backpacking/ex-pat community in Canggu- a stern reminder of the dangers of scooters.

You need an international driver’s license to ride a scooter in Asia. I’ve heard that it’s super easy to apply for one in most travellers’ home countries and relatively inexpensive. However, most travellers either aren’t aware of this or don’t bother to get one before they leave home. The scooter companies will still rent a scooter to you regardless of whether you have a proper license. Driving without an international license, you can be fined a fair bit of money or face prison if you refuse to pay.

Even worse, if you are in a severe accident and were driving without an international license at the time, it is highly likely your travel insurance will not pay for your medical expenses. Most travel insurers have a clause stating they will not pay for medical bills which result from you committing an illegal activity. As driving without an international license (while commonplace) is technically illegal, insurance companies will not cover you for scooter accidents.

If you want to rent a scooter for transport in Bali, my recommendations would be:

• Take a scooter lesson when you arrive to learn about road rules and safety from a local. I did one for less than $5 USD, which made me much more confident.
• Don’t drive drunk. You’d think it would be common sense, but there’s something about the scene in Canggu where it’s normalised. By all means, drive your scooter during the day sober. At night, jump in a grab. They are literally so cheap.
• Make sure you always lock your scooter and keep the key somewhere safe. You’d be surprised how often someone is tearing apart the dorm looking for a scooter key.
• Take photos and videos of the scooter’s condition before you rent it. Otherwise, you will be charged for scratches or dents already on the vehicle.
• Be mindful of using your phone while driving or any passengers using their phone, particularly in Canggu. Phone grabbing from other vehicles is not uncommon and can cause serious accidents. For directions, either get the back passenger to discretely use their phone from their lap or have google map directions playing in your AirPods, so you don’t even need your phone out.

Getting Around Indonesia by Grab or Gojek

If you haven’t heard of Grab or Gojek, they are about to become your most used apps while travelling South East Asia. Grab, and Gojek are large transport rideshare apps like Uber that are common throughout Bali. Unlike Uber, they have cars and a scooter option where you can jump on the back with a local driver. I recommend downloading and setting up the apps before you leave your home country, so you can get a rideshare from the airport instead of getting ripped off by an airport taxi.

One thing to remember is that Grab and Gojek are only available in some places. To date, the places where I could get rideshare were Canggu, Seminyak, Kuta, Uluwatu and Ubud. Other destinations do not have enough drivers, or the local taxi companies have barred rideshare, so you will need to get a taxi. Due to ongoing conflicts with local taxi drivers, rideshare drivers are also extremely hesitant to pick up in certain areas, such as Sandbar in Canggu, Sanur, and Padangbai ports. You will need to walk further down from the main port area (well out of sight of the taxi drivers) to get a Grab. Or you can show the rate on Grab to the taxi drivers and haggle down the price to something you would be willing to pay (the initial price they offer is usually 3-5 times the rate of Grab).

Is Grab Scooter safe, though?

I feel so much safer being on the back of a Grab scooter than driving a scooter or jumping on the back of another traveller’s scooter. For one, the drivers are locals who grew up driving scooters in the traffic conditions of Indonesia. They drive around in scooters daily and are great drivers. Every Grab or Gojek Scooter has a spare helmet for guests. You can track your journey through the app, send it to family or friends, rate the driver, and report any issues like Uber.

It does feel a bit strange at first having to sit so close to a literal stranger, and straddling the back of a scooter in a short skirt can be awkward. But you will be fine once you get over the initial culture shock. Scooters are much more affordable if you’re travelling solo and much faster as they can filter through traffic where cars get stuck in a traffic jam. You can even travel with your backpack on a scooter between cities. Keep in mind that depending on the scooter size, you may have to wear it on your back, which will weigh you down a bit. I once got a Grab Scooter from Ubud to Canggu with a front and back 65L backpack on, and it took 3 hours in traffic. I lived to tell the tale.

Getting around Indonesia by Taxi or Private Driver

While I recommend getting rideshares where you can, particularly for shorter one-time rides, there will be times when a taxi or private driver is more appropriate. There are many locations in Indonesia where Grab and Gojek aren’t available such as Amed, Sidemen, Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, Gili Islands and Lombok. If you travel to these places and don’t drive a scooter, you must use taxis and private drivers.

Tips for Using Taxis in Indonesia

This is general advice for using taxis anywhere in South East Asia. Overall, I felt safe getting into taxis in Indonesia, even when I was by myself late at night. Generally, though, I would use Grab or Gojek due to the price and convenience of the app.

• Always haggle! Their initial price will always be much higher than the standard going rate for the journey. Feel free to walk away if they won’t lower the price. A few times, I told drivers, “it’s only 20 minutes. I’ll just walk,” and they chased me and offered me a much lower price which I accepted.
• Make sure you agree on the price before you get in the car or put your luggage in the boot!
• Use google translate to communicate the address. Don’t be afraid to show them on a map or point out a nearby landmark like a pagoda. There are so many hostels and hotels with similar names so it is not uncommon to get accidentally dropped at the wrong address.

Should you hire a driver for the day to sightsee around Indonesia?

If you don’t drive a scooter, absolutely, yes! I had many great experiences with private drivers in locations such as Ubud, Lovina, Amed, Sidemen, Nusa Penida and Lombok. Hiring a driver for the day as a solo traveller isn’t going to be the most cost-effective. However, staying in hostels, I never had any trouble filling up the spaces in the car, and then the cost was shared by 4+ people. It’s also super easy to find drivers! Most taxi drivers will give you a business card if you want to hire them to drive you around for a day. Alternatively, there are many driver and transport recommendations in Bali travel groups on Facebook, Tripadvisor or even through word of mouth at hostels.

Benefits of hiring a private driver for the day

• Local knowledge! Most drivers also have guiding and tourism experience and will tell you facts about the place you are travelling around. Every driver I had was knowledgeable and gave us recommendations such as cuisines to try, the best times to visit a place to the best crowds, the best bars for live music etc.
• Not having to worry about navigation or parking. The scenery in Indonesia is stunning, so it’s a massive plus to relax and admire the view out the window without worrying about missing a turn. On longer car rides, we even played Uno in the backseat to keep ourselves entertained.
• Flexibility. While the drivers often recommend where you should visit and how long people usually stay there, you can create your own itinerary. Generally, when discussing the price with a driver, they will want an idea of where you want to visit and how many hours you will require them as a driver. This will affect the price as destinations further away will cost more petrol, and the drivers often have families that would like to get home at a decent hour. However, if you decide against stopping at a specific temple or spending a little longer chilling at a beach, the drivers are generally relaxed about it.
• Getting to know a local! We had great chats with most drivers and talked about things like politics, religion, family life and even our favourite movies. It’s also great to know you are giving money directly to a driver instead of through a company that will only provide drivers with a small cut.

Getting around Indonesia on Foot

While Indonesia (and most of South East Asia) is a very vehicle-heavy country, you can still get around on foot. I love walking everywhere as you see so much more of a place, and it’s great exercise. To be completely honest, Indonesia was a bit less walker-friendly than I would have liked.

• I felt incredibly safe walking everywhere, even by myself late at night. Locals were friendly, and I don’t think I ever got catcalled. If anything, sometimes you get people stopping and asking if you want to pay for a taxi, but when you say no, they drive away. Overall, the whole interaction seemed harmless.
• Footpaths aren’t a thing that exists in many parts of Indonesia, and where they do, people use them as scooter parking, so you end up walking on the road anyway. It’s annoying, but I just tried to walk as far to the left of the road as possible. Cars, trucks and scooters will move around you- it wasn’t that much of an issue. Walking at night in the dark, I put my iPhone flashlight on to signal to traffic that I was there, in case they didn’t spot me in the dark.
• Be wary of holes! I can’t believe this needs to be a whole dot point, but it does. There are quite a few open maintenance holes and just general holes on the side of the road that are super dangerous. Always watch where you’re going (more than usual). I nearly twisted my ankle a few times when I got distracted. I also met a girl who fell into a maintenance hole outside Luigi’s in Canggu. Aside from scratching all down her legs, she fell into sewerage and had to be pulled out by a few drunk English lads coming out of Luigi’s.
• Another warning- street dogs. Street dogs can be aggressive in Indonesia, mainly if you walk around at night. I had a few near-dog attack experiences but luckily, nothing more serious. From my experience, it was more of an issue at night when there were fewer/ no people around. During the day, the street dogs were friendly or just ignored passers-by. Those same dogs travel in packs at night and get much bolder with defending their territory.

Getting Around Indonesia by Ferry

Unless you’re staying in Bali or Lombok and not leaving, chances are you will have to catch a few ferries in Indonesia. The ferry system is organised chaos but also easy to navigate. For booking ferries in Indonesia, I highly recommend the 12GO Asia website. In peak season, you should book ferries at least 24 hours in advance to avoid disappointment. Popular routes often have a few ferries departing daily, so there’s availability. Some hostels also organise ferry bookings and include transfers to the ports, which can be more affordable than booking it yourself.

Tips for catching ferries in Indonesia

• Expect delays! Transport in Bali runs to a different and not precise timing than it does in modern European cities. If the ferry is scheduled for 2 pm, it could depart anytime from 1:30 pm (yes, 30 minutes early) to 4 pm. It also might get cancelled due to weather conditions. Always allow extra time and arrive earlier than you need to.
• You don’t need to print your ticket if you book on 12GO Asia or other online sites. However, you will need to check in before disembarking, where you will receive a physical ticket.
• The ferry will be a tiny wooden fishing boat between some locations. I had a particularly memorable ride between Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan, where my “ferry” was a small fishing boat with seven locals and about 17 chickens in cages fluttering around.
• Be prepared for some extremely rocky rides! Depending on weather conditions, your journey may not be smooth sailing. Most ferries or boats I jumped on were pretty bumpy from memory. If you get seasick, make sure you take tablets. Good luck if you’re hungover like I was many times.
• If you’re on Bali mainland, check which ferry port is closer to you before booking. There are two large ports, Sanur and Padangbai, which offer regular services to most islands. However, you can also get smaller (and sometimes cheaper) boats from other coastal towns such as Amed.
• Speaking of Padangbai and Sanur, they are hectic and not fun. Many aggressive street sellers push sunglasses, sarongs and snacks while you await the ferry. The taxi drivers are incredibly intimidating when you disembark from either of these major ports. They get so close to your face that it can be an uncomfortable experience. I preferred getting on boats from smaller cities like Amed to avoid this. Heading to Amed? Read my complete travel guide here.

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