Travel around Batam

Here's some items of bit of information about travel in and around Batam as well as some interesting things to do.

• Local

• Regional

• International

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Here's some items of bit of information about travel in and around Batam as well as some interesting things to do.

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Road

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That's relatively easy. It's a 70km drive from Batam centre to Galang Anchorage that will take you about an hour. 

 

Ojek

Motorcycle taxis are known as Ojek and there is even an Downloadable App for calling them called GOjek!. Very handy for cutting through the traffic around town and the Ojek is the primary transport for many locals. You'll see office workers and school kids heading off on the back of a scooter. Getting to Galang by Ojek would be an adventure in itself!

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Teksi

The easiest way to get around Batam is by Taxi. There are taxi compamies and private taxis all are plentiful and cheap.Negotiate the rate before you head off. Rate for a taxi from Batam to Galang Anchorage is likely to be IDR 600,000 (approzimately S$ 60).

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Car and driver

Most convenient is to allow us to send a driver to meet you at a loctaion in Batam centre and then transfer you directly to the base. IDR 500,000 one way.

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Rent a car

Rent a car is available but whilst the driving style is good it will take some getting used to! Most folks drive slowly and thath's the plus. While it might appear chaotic there is a flow to it. Countless motorcycles zip in around the cars adding to the challenge. If you decide you want to drive our advice is, go slow, expect the unexpected and do not make any sudden changes in direction.. Let the motorcycles flow around you. Once you have that idea, it's all ok!

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By water

Ferry ports

Batam has 5 ferry ports that connect it to

• Singapore 

• Johore, Malaysia

• Numerous other Indonesian islands

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Most popular are Harbour Bay Batam, Batam Center, Nongsa a round trip from Singapore is about IDR 500,000 (S$ 50). If you are coming to visit us, we can recommend Harbour Bay as that has the nicest terminal and is not quite as busy as Batam Center. Use the Nongsapura Terminal if you are visiting Nongsa point Marina.

 

Sail

From Singapore: It will be best to enter local waters through Nongsa Point Marina and obtain your Tempoary Import Paper for cruising in local waters. From Nongsa you can either head east or west. We can recommend the trip around the eastern side of Batam and then cutting through under one of the bridges (i.e. No 5).

 

There's two reasons for this,

1. there's not as much  shipping traffic

2. all the squals which frequent the area come only from the west or southwest

 

There's a main shipping channel on the western side of Batam as well as a really convuluted path through many islands there. The eastern side is not nearly as confined so makes for a mor erelaxed trip.

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The squals which hit are catabatic winds generated from the peaks of Sumatra and hence the local term "Sumatras"! Most common in the wee hours of the morning or late afternoon, Sumatras brew very quickly. On the eastern side of Batam, Rempang and Galang there are many bays that provide good anchoring.

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From south: If you're sailing up from 'south' Galang Anchorage will be your first boating stop after Benoa Harbour, Bali. With over 16,000 islands in the whole Indonesian Archipelago, there are countless anchorages along the way. But if you just want to get off the boat have a hot showwr and a cold beer, then we'll be it!

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Air

Ferry ports

Batam's Hang Nadim Airport is fully capable of accepting Jumbo sized aircraft and serves as a backup runway for Singapore's Changi Airport. From the airport you can fly to most major Indonesian centers as well as Malaysia.

But the most fun thing to do is...

Take a Susi Airlines flight from Batam to one of the southern islands or into Sumatra. Susi Airlines came to prominence after the Tsunami that hit Sumatra. While all other airlines cancelled their flights in and out, Susi Airlines kept flying. As a result the airline won more routes and gained a great foot hold in the country.

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There's a great You Tuvbe series called "the worst place to be a pilot"... But that is Papua