West Java

Visas

Citizens of another 87 countries are eligible to obtain one of the following visas:

• Electronic Visa On Arrival (e-VOA/B213)
• Electronic Visitor Visa
• Social, Tourist, or Cultural Visa (B211)
• Free Visa Stamp
• Multiple Entry Visa

Some passport holders are eligible to apply for an online e-VOA or Visitor Visa, otherwise, you must obtain a visa in advance at an Indonesian embassy or consulate. If you get the e-VOA before you arrive, you have the option to extend by simply filling out a new Indonesia eVisa application form online, but must first leave the country in order to request a new visa.

Visas issued at the airport on arrival can only be extended through an immigration office, which should be done 14-7 days before expiry.

Visitor Visa is a single-entry visa valid for a 30-day stay in Indonesia with the purpose of Tourism, Government visits, Business Meetings, Goods Purchasing, or Transit only and is not extendable.

The B211 is a 60-day visa for visiting family, friends or an employment trial and can be extended 3 times by 30-days. More hoops to jump through including being sponsored by an eligible Guarantor. Cost IDR 2,000,000.

9 neighbouring countries get a Free Visa Stamp for stays of up to 30 days maximum with no extensions permitted (Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand & Vietnam).

Multi Entry, investment, sport and journalist 60-day visas are available through the main portal.

The 30-day e-VOA & Visitor Visa fee is IDR 500.000. You may be asked for proof of your return flight details and proof of financial resources.

DO NOT overstay as the fines aren’t cheap (IDR 1,000,000/day) and they can stop you from re-entering for a period of time. As always, check for any updates before you book your trip, as visa policy has changed a few times in recent years.

Getting There

There are plenty of cheap flights to Soekarno-Hatta Airport (CGK) at Tangerang, Banten, near Jakarta, which is also the domestic hub for national airline Garuda Indonesia flights. Garuda is a surfer friendly airline and boards are part of your luggage allowance then a special sporting goods excess baggage tariff of $5/kg applies. International departure tax as of February 2010 is 150,000 rupiah (approx $15) in Jakarta and varies at other international airports; the domestic departure tax in Jakarta is 30,000 rupiah ($3) and also varies elsewhere. It takes 2-3hrs to get to Cimaja overland, 5hrs to Ujung Genteng. There are Pelni ferries from Tanjung Priok (Jakarta) to Sumatra that dock in Padang, Sibolga and Nias as well as routes to Batam and Bintan, just next to Singapore and Malaysia.

Getting Around

Rental cars from $30-50/d (Ezirent-Avis). Drive on the left and give way to bigger vehicles. Renting a car with a driver is a better option (fr $50/d). To rent a boat to get to Panaitan Island, try the ports at Samur (3-4hr boat ride), Tanjung Lesung (4-5hr), or Anyer & Merak (7-8hrs). Many small local boats get into difficulty on the rough Sunda Strait, so the safer option is a proper surf yacht charter (Just Dreaming). Make sure boat has safety equipment, enough food, water and fuel for the trip plus emergencies – they often don’t!

Accommodation

Local legend Dede Surijana has cheaper rooms behind the Quicksilver shop on the main road. There are numerous hotels, resorts, bungalows and losmens in the area of variable quality and price. Sadly Covid took out the perfectly located Cimaja Beach Club.

Panaitan is a World Heritage site so when a camp was built in 2005, outcry followed. The camp is now disused and aside from the odd tribal forager or park ranger, the island remains uninhabited. Panaitan Island Ecosurf offer a choice of staying on small local craft, camping on Panaitan beach or staying at neighbouring Pucang Island Eco Lodge (fr$200/d). Yacht charters on Just Dreaming out of Anyer (fr $2000/9n); various hotels/surf camps/losmens around Pelabuhan Ratu and Cimaja (Daun Daun Losmen, Pondok Kencana, fr $40/n). Down in Ujung Genteng, Mama’s Losmen is rudimentary and cheap and Batu Besar (Big Rock) at Turtles can be part of a West Java tour. All these can be booked with the big agencies like Freeline, Surf Travel Company, and Surf the Earth.

Activities

The prahus (boats) in Pelabuhan Ratu harbour are worth seeing. The national parks are home to some very rare wildlife such as Javan rhinos, leopards (the tigers are gone), wild boar and deer, endangered primates, multitudes of snakes and plenty of marine life including tiger sharks. There’s rafting on the Citarik River or bathing in the Cisolok hot springs. Treking in the National Parks or book a boat trip out to witness the rapid rise of a new volcano Anak Krakatau (Child of Krakatoa), which has grown to over 300m since appearing in 1932, and was responsible for a landslide tsunami in 2018.

Hazards & hassles

Both One Palm Point and Apocalypse are heavy duty waves and hitting the sharp reef is highly probable. Safety gear from boots to helmets and even a light wetsuit can reduce the risk of trip-ending cuts. Sharks are definitely present, but well-fed. Cimaja is mellower than the Indo standard, but sea urchins and local crowds are not. The inside closeout at Turtle’s can catch you out. Avoid rivermouths after rains, as hepatitis is common. Malaria is a much higher risk on Panaitan than the mainland coastal provinces but take precautions to avoid being bitten.

Handy Hints

There are surf shops in Cimaja: Quicksilver for clothing and accessories. Some spares and board repair facilities at the main losmen in Ujung Genteng area. A step-up barrel board is needed for the heavier waves on Panaitan plus Indicators and an Indo gun for Ombak Tujuh. In the Panaitan area, take everything you may need for survival. Finally, don’t wear green boardshorts or rash vests in the water, Nyai Loro Kidul, the goddess of the sea, was born in Pelabuhan Ratu (Queen’s harbour) and every year she likes to take the life of young men in the sea, who are always it seems, wearing green!

Due to global pandemic, Visas, Getting There, Getting Around or Accommodation information and pricing may have changed. Always check Government Travel Advice before travelling.