Sumatra by bus

Bus and ferry trip from Jakarta to Sungai Penuh in the Kerinci valley.

Moving around the island of Sumatra without a plane was pretty challenging. The southern half of Sumatra has fewer attraction than the north so I decided to go directly to the Kerinci valley.

I started by a bus from Jakarta to Bandar Lampung. The bus itself goes on the ferry to cross from Java to Sumatra. It costs 155'000 Indonesian Rupiah to go from Jakarta Gambir Train Station to Bandar Lampung city center with the company Damri (~8 hours).

Bandar Lampung is a provincial city. It's a good hub if you want to go to the Way Kambas or Bukit Barisan Selatan National parks, but the city itself has not much attractions. I stayed one night in the Gesthouse Palapa. The next day, I went to the Terminal Bus Rajabasa in the outskirt of the city to find a bus to go north. At the bus station you have several company with bus going everywhere on the island, all the way to Aceh (a few days of ride). People there spook only a little bit of English, but they where really helpful. They told me that the roads on the west coast weren't good so I booked a bus to Jambi.

The 22 hours it took to reach Jambi were the hardest moment of my trip up until now. I was in a really old city bus refurbished into an "intercity bus". The AC was freezing and water from condensation was dripping from the roof. The road, even if it's one of the main on the island, was full of potholes big enough to bath in them. The road is crowded by trucks loaded with fruits to make palm oil, so the traffic is not smooth at all. The ride is so bumpy that you cannot read and you can barely sleep. If I had to do it again, I would make a one night stop in Palembang to cut the trip in two. The bus costs 280'000 IDR and will drop you in the outskirt of Jambi. I took a Grab (Uber like app. for south-est Asia) taxi to the center for 35'000 IDR.

Jambi is the same as Bandar Lampung, an economical center for its region with no tourist attraction. I spent a day and a night there to recover from my bus ride. I booked a bus to Sungai Penuh in the Kerinci valley with the company Safa Marwa (0741-65756, Jl.Pattimura 7) (130'00 IDR, ~10 hours). They came to pick me up at my hotel, so I didn't have to go to the bus station.

South of Sumatra is really off the beaten path. During the 4 days it took me to go to Kerinci, I haven't met any other tourist. English is hardly spoken (young people tend to be more proficient). But everybody is really friendly and genuinely happy to see a foreigner. I've got invited many times for a  a cup of coffee, coconut or even invited to stay a night in their home. That's what made the charm of south Sumatra for me.

The fellas at the bus station of Bandar Lampung. Took me on a bike ride to buy some food before boarding the bus.

Terminal Bus Rajabasa

Price list for the different destinations.

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