Pulau Batam Transportation

We arrived at Singapore's Harbourfont to catch the 9.20am ferry ride. We had to be there an hour earlier as we had to clear customs and also settle other administrative matters such as collecting the tickets.

The boatride to Batam was pretty pleasant and the journey was a smooth 45 minutes. The ferry fare was paid for in the package deal. What we had to come up with were the taxes, both in Singapore (S$20) and in Batam (S$7).

No hassle!

Guys,

If you are going to BATAM and need to find a driver/travel guide.
His name: John
phone no:+6285668471239 or +62811698846.

He can speak very well Chinese and knows batam very well.
You can arrange your own plan/schedule or ask him to recommend which places to go.
Can book him first before u reach batam and tell him what time the ferry you will take,
he will pick up you directly from the ferry terminal.

max -> 4-5 people

4 more images

Batam has it's share of Our Companies and Tour Buses and the tour buses here mostly use the large coaster type of Bus rather than the big passenger type of buses for the daily tours. So a Bus Tour around Batam is a great way to truly experience the island and get to see some of the sights that you otherwise may not know about. Buses are modern and fully air conditioned. The Bus tour we took had trips to shopping centers, where you can choose from jewelry, cosmetics and perfumes, handbags and fashion clothes, accessories and handicrafts, or souvenirs and the ubiquitous Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Outler Stores all around Batam ( hence a lot of shops in my Batam Tips). Most Batam Tours can be booked in advance at the Singapore Travel Agencies in Singapore.

4 more images

This is the main ferry terminal in Central batam, the other ferry terminal is in Sekupang in the south and Nongsa in the North. The Batam Center ferry Terminal is not large but since it is an International Port of Entry, there are immgration counters for departure and arrival areas and there is a terminal fee of Singapore $ 7 when arriving at the terminal. There are 3 floors of shops and Polo Factory Outlers and Snack Stands and Restaurants in the Main Building of the Terminal just before the Immigration Facilities where you can shop or eat or dine and they all accept Singapore Dollars here.

Address is: Ferry International Terminal, Batam Center, Batam - Indonesia
Tel no: Telp. : +62-778-334.704, 334.522
Fax. : +62-778-334.475

4 more images

there are three ferry lines that goes to batam island from Singapore and the one we took was the Batam Fast Ferry. The Ferries going to Batam Island Indonesia originates at the Harbour Front In Singapore, which is just in front of Sentosa Island. You can go to Batam on your own or purchase aday tour from any singapore travel agency but either way you should bring your passport. The ferry ride is about 50 minutes since Batam Island is about 20 kilometers away from Singapore. The Main Port of Entry in Batam Island is in Sekupang and at Batam Center. The Ferries are fast Jetfoil Boats with Airline Like Seats. The Companies are Batam Fast and others.

HarbourFront/BatamCentre/
Sekupang/Waterfront
Adult S$ 34 (2 way)
S$ 23 (1 way)
Child S$ 31 (2 way)
S$ 19 (1 way)

Tanah Merah/Nongsa:
Adult S$ 36 (2 way)
S$ 25 (1 way)
Child S$ 32 (2 way)
S$ 19 (1 way)

1 more image

The best way to get to Batam is by an air-conditioned ferry ride (about 45 minutes one way) from the Harbourfront terminal along Keppel Road, Singapore (just below the cablecars). One of the good ferry service is the Penguin ferry (see website below) which cost Singapore $33 return trip. Other ferry companies include Batam Fast and Wavemaster.

$40 return trip from Singapore Harboufront to Batam Centre Ferry Terminal.
$37 for children.

1 hour from Singapore Harbourfront to Batam Centre.

There are seveal landing points in Batam, namely, Sekupang, Batu Ampar, Harbourbay and Batam Centre.

Habourbay is very near the city of Nagoya, hence very popular for those going to the city.

Batam Centre is about 20 minutes by taxi to Nagoya. Taxi fare ranges from 50,000 Rupiah to 65,000 Rupiah (which is less than $10 singapore dollar). Fare tends to be more expensive from the Batam Centre Ferry terminal, but can get cheaper fare coming back to the terminal.

Always confirm fare with the taxi driver before getting in the taxi.

During my trip there with my large family, we relied on taxis to ferry us all around. However since we are all obviously Singaporean, the taxi drivers there charged us fares that were higher than normal.

On our second night there, we came across a taxi driver by the name of Mr Edi who was the opposite and charged us pretty much the local rates (we assumed it was local rates as it was WAY lower then what we had been charged for the same distance (from town to our resort)).

It was a pity we did not meet him earlier, as we would rather a more honest guy earn our money, and we would have gladly tipped him for this time. When we dined at a pretty quiet seafood place where there wasnt much taxi traffic, he waited for us - and did NOT charge us a high price from the dinner place to our resort. The distance was very short as well.

So, if you happen to go there and are going to rely on taxi, you can give him a call at 08127042355.

He speaks little English but it is enough to understand where you would want to go. He even told my family the next time we come, he'll recommend us good places to eat! So we'll be calling him again if we do go back to Batam!