How to best get around Indonesia?

Friends, we are very happy when you share your travel experiences with us and give useful tips that will be helpful to those who are just about to go somewhere you have already been. For each of your stories, we will reward you with bonus points or promo codes that you can use to purchase tickets on our website. We are publishing the story of traveler Nikita, who visited Indonesia this summer. Nikita spent a whole month traveling and gladly shares his observations with us. Today we will talk about transport.

“In no other country I had traveled to before did I feel such a dire need for transport as in Indonesia (perhaps because I haven’t traveled much in Asia in general). And not just any transport, but specifically a moped. This wonderful nimble machine in Indonesia simply must become your companion, because I can’t imagine how else one could get around there. Indonesia, like any typical Asian country, is not designed for pedestrians. Public transport, even in large cities, is either non-existent or unpredictable and chaotic. By the way, Jakarta, as far as I know, is the only metropolis in the world with a population of about 10 million people that does not have a subway! The streets are practically not equipped with pedestrian paths, so everyone walks exclusively on the roadway. During rush hour (which lasts at least half the day), this is especially pleasant.

So, what’s good about a moped? First — in Indonesia, mopeds will always be rented to you without a license. That is, none at all. Not even a car license is needed. Second — moped rental is very cheap. In Bali, you can rent a moped for 40–50k rupiah per day, in less touristy places, the price might increase to 60–80k per day. Third — car rental is not always and everywhere available, but a moped can be rented in absolutely any more or less large town, and no reservations are needed — you just come, bargain, and ride away. Fourth — traffic. Cars in Indonesia are almost constantly stuck in traffic jams, while with certain moped riding skills (which appear after a couple of days), these jams can be easily bypassed along the side of the road, between cars, etc. Fifth — roads. Not to say they are in bad condition, but there are also heavily broken ones where you could lose half a car. A moped passes through them without much difficulty. Moreover, while I was traveling in Indonesia, I repeatedly came across roads marked on Google Maps that, de facto, are only suitable for mopeds (due to their narrowness); cars simply wouldn’t fit there.

As I said, moped rental is very cheap. It’s much more profitable to rent a moped for a long term. I rented a moped for a month in Bali for 600k. I fully admit that you can bargain for an even lower price. Before renting a moped, you need to carefully inspect and check it. Naturally, I recommend taking an automatic, where you don’t need to shift any gears, just twist the throttle. In general, I doubt you’ll be able to rent such an old moped anywhere; most often, relatively new ones are rented out. Probably one of the main indicators is the mileage. I rented my moped when it had 1000 km on the odometer, which is very little. When checking, you must ride the moped, check how the brakes work, preferably photograph all scratches and dents, if any, to avoid disputes upon return, and definitely (!!) check the front light and side lights.

Many hesitate to take a moped or any other transport in Indonesia because they are afraid of “crazy traffic” and “crazy moped riders.” I myself was a little apprehensive about this trip because it was the first time I rented a moped. There’s nothing terrible about it; for the first couple of days, you just need to ride carefully, understand the principles of driving, and understand the principles of traffic in Indonesia. Believe me, the traffic turned out to be much more understandable than you might think. In Indonesia, everyone moves very predictably. Traffic rules are generally not observed there. It would seem — horrible! But in reality, everything is very simple and clear. If everyone is going on a red light — then you can go, don’t hesitate and brake. If everyone is turning under a prohibitory turn sign — then the turn is allowed. If you are on a moped — you can drive on the oncoming lane, just don’t go fast and don’t bother anyone. No one will bother you. By the way, traffic in Indonesia is left-hand. This is actually observed”. Anything to add?) Leave comments!)