Travel tidbits...
Travel around Batam
Here's some items of bit of information about travel in and around Batam as well as some stuff.
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Local
- roads -
Regional
- ferry system to many destinations around Riau e.g Sumatra...
- fly with Susi Airlines to 100's of places -
International
- Batam's Airport handles a lot of flights. If you want to visit any places in Indonesia, it will be cheapest from here i.e. Batam - Bali for around $100! (And that's if you purchase on the day you fly!)
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View a Google map of the Batam and the Barelang Highway
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Local
Road
Batam has one of the highest motorcycle:car ratio's of anywhere. Thanks to Valentino Rossi, this is Yamaha country! You will see the whole world on a bike here. Cycle on the streets is not for the faint hearted and especially on the roads south from Batam's center. There are lots of big factories located in this sector and so the 1000's of workers use motorcycles as their primary transport. As such, th ecycling groups normally organise a transfer bus from the Ferry Terminal to Bridge One to commence their riding.
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Motorcycle taxis are known as Ojek and there is even an Downloadable App for calling them called GOjek! Very handy for cutting through the traffic around town and the Ojek is the primary transport for many locals. You'll see office workers and school kids heading off on the back of a scooter.
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The easiest way to get around Batam is by Taxi. There are taxi companies and private taxis, all are plentiful and cheap. Negotiate the rate before you head off. Rate for a taxi from Batam to way down the Barelang Highway is likely to be IDR 600,000 (approximately S$ 60).
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Most convenient is to get a driver to meet you at a location in Batam centre and then transfer you directly. To hire a hotel car and driver is about IDR 1million for the day (approx. $100).
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Rent a car is available but whilst the driving style is good it will take some getting used to! Most folks drive slowly and that's the plus. While it might appear chaotic there is a flow to it. Countless motorcycles zip in around the cars adding to the challenge. If you decide you want to drive our advice is, go slow, expect the unexpected and do not make any sudden changes in direction.. Let the motorcycles flow around you. Once you have that idea, it's all ok!
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Water
Batam has 5 ferry ports that connect it to
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Singapore
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Johore, Malaysia
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Numerous other Indonesian islands
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Most popular are Harbour Bay Batam, Batam Center, Nongsa a round trip from Singapore is about IDR 500,000 (S$ 50).
We can recommend Harbour Bay as that has the nicest terminal and is not quite as busy as Batam Center. The Nongsapura Terminal is best as it is seldom crowded. Most populous is Batam Centre Terminal as many weekend Singaporeans folk over for cheap shopping and the mall is connected directly to the terminal here. Singapore's cycle groups favour the Sekupang Terminal as it is most direct to the Barelang Bridges.
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.
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Air
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 Tube series called "the worst place to be a pilot"... But that is Papua
The Barelang Highway. Bridges 1-3 are really tightly spaced. After that it stretches out.
All kinds of vendors use the scooter. There's a whole SHOP on this one!..
This is a good overview of Susi operations around the Archipelago..
Special for those who enjoy real flying. Whilst not flying around Batam, this is a really great series to watch.