The national airlines are Garuda Indonesia (GA) (website: www.garuda-indonesia.com) and Merpati Nusantara Airlines (MZ). Other major airlines that serve Indonesia include Air France (website: www.airfrance.com), Air India (website: www.airindia.com), Cathay Pacific (website: www.cathaypacific.com), Emirates (website: www.emirates.com), Gulf Air (website: www.gulfairco.com), Japan Airlines (website: www.jal.com), KLM (website: www.klm.com), Lufthansa (website: www.lufthansa.com), Qantas (website: www.quantas.com), Singapore Airlines (website: www.singaporeair.com) and Thai Airways International (website: www.thaiairways.com).

From London to Jakarta is 20 hours 20 minutes and to Bali is 22 hours 15 minutes (with a good connection in Jakarta). From Los Angeles to Jakarta is 24 hours 20 minutes. From New York to Jakarta is 30 hours via Europe or 31 hours via Los Angeles. From Singapore to Jakarta is one hour 35 minutes. From Sydney to Jakarta is seven hours 55 minutes.

Jakarta (CGK) (Soekarno-Hatta) is 20km (13 miles) northwest of the city (travel time – 45 minutes). To/From the airport: A bus goes to the city every 30 to 60 minutes. Buses leave Jakarta from Gambir railway station and from Rawamangun, Blok M and Pasar Minguu bus stations. Taxis are also available to the city centre. Facilities: Banks/bureaux de change, a post office, duty free shops, gift shops, restaurants, snack bars, car hire and medical/vaccination facilities.
Halim Perdana Kusuma (HLP), 13km (8 miles) southeast of the city (travel time – 45 to 60 minutes).
Denpasar (DPS) (Ngurah Rai), 13km (8 miles) southwest of the city, is the main airport on Bali (travel time – 30 minutes). To/From the airport: A bus goes to the city centre. Taxis are available to the city and to Kuta, Urud, Nusadua and Sanur. Facilities: Restaurant/bar, newsagent, bank, post office and car hire.

IDR100,000; infants under the age of two are exempt.

For a list of the air- and seaports which may be used to enter and exit Indonesia, see the Passport/Visa Information.

High-speed ferries run between Sumatra and Malaysia-Singapore. Routes are either Medan–Penang or Dumai–Malacca. There are also services between Mandalo (Sulawesi) and The Philippines. Many cruise lines serve Indonesia.

There is a daily sea and rail service between Belawan and Penang (West Malaysia) operated by National Railroad of Indonesia.

Indonesia’s international land borders are between Kalimantan and the Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah on the island of Borneo, and Papua and Papua New Guinea. There are no road links with Sabah and the few (poorly maintained) roads to Sarawak are not recognised as gateways to Indonesia.

Indonesia has a good internal air system linking most of the larger towns to Jakarta. Domestic flights from Jakarta depart from Terminal 1 at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (except Garda Airlines' flights, which leave from Terminal 2). Domestic operators include: Bouraq Indonesia Airlines (BO), Garuda Indonesia (GA) and Merpati Nusantara Airlines (MZ) (website: www.merpati.co.id).

The Asean Air Pass offers special fares on domestic flights and gives access to varying numbers of cities depending on the ticket bought. Passes must be bought at Garuda Indonesia offices in Australia, Europe, Japan or the USA (not available inside Indonesia). For prices and further information, contact Garuda Indonesia (tel: (020) 7467 8600; website: www.garuda-indonesia.com).

IDR8-30,000 depending on airport of departure; infants under the age of two are exempt.

Main ports: Soekarno-Hatta (Jakarta), Ngurah Rai (Bali), Polonia (Medan) and Sekupang (Batam). PELNI (website: www.merpati.co.id), the state-owned shipping company, has 23 luxurious passenger liners serving all the main ports across the archipelago. Foreign cruise liners also operate on an irregular basis. Luxury cruise ships offer trips to various destinations, including the eastern islands (leaving from Bali). For further details, contact the Indonesia Tourism Promotion Office (see Top Things To Do).

Children under three travel free. Children aged three to seven pay half fare. There are nearly 7000km (4350 miles) of track on Java, Madura and Sumatra. In Sumatra, trains connect Belawan, Medan and Tanjong Balai/Rantu Prapet (two or three trains daily) in the north, and Palembang and Panjang (three trains daily) in the south. An extensive rail network runs throughout Java. The Bima Express, which has sleeping and restaurant cars, links Jakarta and Surabaya; there are also other express services. There are three classes of travel, but first-class exists only on principal expresses. There is some air-conditioned accommodation.

Traffic drives on the left. There are over 378,000km (234,360 miles) of roads in the country, of which about 28,500km (17,670 miles) are main or national roads and 200km (125 miles) are motorway. Nearly half of the network is paved. There are good road communications within Java and, to a lesser extent, on Bali and Sumatra. The other islands have poor road systems, although conditions are improving with tourism becoming more important. Road tolls are in operation on some major city roads and need to be paid for by visitors if using a taxi. Chauffeur-driven cars are widely available, with rates varying according to the type of destination. Driving at night can be dangerous due to locals often driving without their lights on. During the rainy season the roads are almost impossible to pass. Bus: The 'Big Bird' chartered buses have been serving Indonesia since 1979. There are regular services between most towns. Bus trips can be made from Jakarta to Bali (two days) and as far as Sumatra. Indonesia is the land of jam karet (literally ‘rubber time’), and complicated journeys involving more than a single change should not be attempted in a day. Bus fares are relatively low, but most are fixed with a higher price for the air-conditioned buses. Vehicles can be extremely crowded, as they tend to the transportation needs of Jakarta's major schools and workforce. Many of the buses are air conditioned and can hold from 12 to 54 passengers. The crew includes a conductor. There are ‘Bis Malam’ night buses on a number of routes, running in competition with the railways. Pre-booking is essential. Special ‘travel minibuses’ offering a door-to-door service are also available in cities and major tourist areas. Visitors should note that Indonesian bus drivers are notorious for reckless driving. Taxi: Widely available in most large cities and some smaller towns. Metered taxis are usually only found in the main cities and major tourist areas. Taxi drivers do not always know how to get to the desired destination and passengers may have to tell them. Like all public transport vehicles, taxis have yellow number plates (for private and rented vehicles, the number plates are black, while Government vehicles have red plates). Car hire: Available from a number of companies and from taxi firms, some of which also provide a limousine service. Documentation: An International Driving Permit is required.

There are two forms of tricycle rickshaws available in Indonesia: the motorised version is called bajaj (pronounced ‘baj-eye’), which is a bright orange colour and seats two passengers, with the driver in front; and the becak (pronounced ‘be-chak’) is pedal-powered by a rider sitting behind a maximum of two passengers. Fares should be negotiated in advance. Rickshaws are an extremely popular and cheap form of transport and can be hired almost everywhere (although becaks have now been banned from Jakarta city centre). Motorcycles and bicycles can be rented on a daily or weekly basis; for motorcycles, an International Driving Licence is recommended and a helmet should be worn. Bemos and Colts are small buses, seating up to 10 people, and can be chartered on a daily or weekly basis for travel away from the city centres; fares should be negotiated in advance. Horse carts may still be hired in rural areas (though they are no longer available in Jakarta). River taxis are popular in Jakarta amongst the older locals. These boats allow passengers to cross the river from a major road to the other side, without going the long way around.

Jakarta is the only city with an established conventional bus service of any size. Double-deckers are operated.