Interisland Ferries

Indonesia is as much water as land, and for a resident the sea is practical transport, not just scenery. Thousands of vessels move people and cargo between the islands daily, from short vehicle-ferry hops to multi-day passages across the eastern archipelago.

State-owned Pelni is the backbone of long-distance sea travel. In 2026 it runs around 26 passenger ships of its own, many German-built and now decades old, plus government-owned pioneer (perintis) vessels reaching remote ports no commercial route would serve. Ships sail fixed multi-day loops, so miss your sailing and the next may be a week away.

Cabins run from economy, which is open dormitory bunks and still basic, up through classes 2B, 2A, 1B and 1A, the last a two-berth private cabin. Many sailings now sell economy only, so do not assume a cabin is available. Fares stay modest: Jakarta to Makassar (about two nights) is around Rp 560,000 in economy; Jakarta to Bitung, the port for Manado (five to six days), about Rp 680,000. Discounts of 20 to 30 per cent appear over holiday periods. Book through the Pelni Mobile app or tiket.pelni.co.id, which take payment and issue an e-boarding pass; the contact centre is 021-162.

Short crossings are the workhorses. Merak-Bakauheni joins Java and Sumatra; Ketapang-Gilimanuk (Java to Bali) takes barely an hour; Padangbai-Lembar (Bali to Lombok) runs around the clock at four to five hours and is the only route carrying vehicles. These ASDP ferries are cashless, booked through the Ferizy app. Schedules thin out the further east you go.

Tourist fast boats to Lombok and the Gili islands now leave mainly from Padangbai, Sanur, Serangan and Amed, not Benoa (now Pelni's Bali hub). Crossings run from under an hour (Amed) to about 2.5 hours (Serangan), typically US$25 to US$40 one way. Since January 2026 boats returning from Gili Trawangan must first clear at Bangsal in Lombok, and all crossings stop for Nyepi each March. Seaworthiness is a genuine concern: a fast boat sprang a leak in the Lombok Strait in March 2026 and its 108 passengers were evacuated. Choose an established operator.

Leaving the country by sea is easiest from the Riau Islands. Frequent ferries connect Batam and Bintan to Singapore's HarbourFront and Tanah Merah terminals in 45 to 70 minutes: Batam is served by BatamFast, Majestic Fast Ferry, Horizon Fast Ferry and Sindo Ferry (Majestic and Sindo are separate companies, not one rebrand of the other), Bintan by Bintan Resort Ferries. Whether a passenger ferry still links Medan (Belawan) or Dumai with Penang or Singapore is unclear at the time of writing; recent Belawan-Penang traffic is freight, so confirm before relying on it.

Ferry timetables & bookings

Operators and booking channels verified at the time of writing:

Pelni (nationwide passenger ships; book at tiket.pelni.co.id or via the Pelni Mobile app)

Perama Tours (Bali, Lombok, Gili, Komodo and Flores)

BatamFast (Batam-Singapore)

Majestic Fast Ferry (Batam-Singapore)

Horizon Fast Ferry (Batam-Singapore)

Sindo Ferry (Batam-Singapore)

Bintan Resort Ferries (Bintan-Singapore)

Contributor: nicklemeister

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