How you get from point A to point B will vary greatly based upon your choice of adventure. When we create your personal itinerary, we are happy to assist you in setting up your transportation as well. For now, you can see some of the ways that we get around listed below.
Airports
Minangkabau International Airport in Padang, West Sumatra is the closest port-of-entry for travelers coming from overseas. In Kerinci, there are also twice weekly flights (Mondays and Thursdays) with Susi Air to and from Jambi City - Kerinci. Fatmawati Airport in Bengkulu provides easy access to the region with flights from Jakarta, Batam, Krui, and Padang.
We’ve got you covered for booking domestic airfare! Just email us your airfare requests at explorekerinci.com and we’ll set you up!
Minangkabau airport has daily international flights to and from Kuala Lumpur (AirAsia). Domestically, there are flights to and from Jakarta, Medan, and Batam. The Minangkabau airport is about an hour outside of the city of Padang, and roughly 8 hours from Sungai Penuh.
Cost: Kerinci - Jambi flights are 350,000 IDR;
Conditions: Flight schedules and costs can change at any time, so check (and preferably buy) before you arrive. Email us at tickets +628117448990 / +628116138315 if you need help purchasing tickets.
"Travel" Mini Buses
Fairly cheap and comfortable way to travel between Sumatran cities.
In Padang or Bukittinggi, you’ll find popular companies such as Safa Marwa, Ayu Transport, Kelinci Putih, SKW (Sinar Kerinci Wisata), and others that provide transport to Kerinci. Your accommodation in Padang can often arrange pickup, or you can go straight to one of the transport company’s offices (loket) via taxi or angkot. Set departure times are around 9am and 7pm every day, although, since they drive around town picking people up, times are extremely flexible, and the overall trip time can increase quite a bit.
We are always more than happy to help arrange this ahead of time as well, as often, if not done in advance, seats are already full.
For a more complete listing of how to get to and from Kerinci, check out this PDF. Remember, prices can change at a moment’s notice, and travel times are just estimates (this is Sumatra, after all).
Cost: 150,000 - 200,000 IDR (public bus)
Cost: 1.000,000 - 1.200,000 IDR (Pivate car)
Cost: 1.000,000 - 1.200,000 IDR (Pivate car)
Conditions: The road to Kerinci is long and windy, and often filled with potholes. If you're prone to carsickness, buy some Anti-Mo motion-sickness medicine before you head out.
Angkot
Cheap and easy way to get between villages in the Kerinci valley.
An Angkot (known as a bemo in some other parts of Indonesia) is a public mini-van that helps shuttle people around Kerinci at a low cost.
For a more complete listing of the Angkot system in Kerinci, check out this PDF. Remember, prices can vary slightly, especially if you have a lot of baggage taking up space.
Cost: 5,000 - 20,000 IDR
Conditions: Be prepared to be crammed in tight, and avoid the back seats where the head room is especially low. You can pick them up in the bus terminal in the main market area of Sungai Penuh, but often you'll have to wait for other passengers to partially fill it up before they will depart. Generally, you can also hail them from the side of the road, although outside of the route from Sungai Penuh to Kersik Tua/Pelompek where they run throughout the day until the evening, they can be hard to find.
Shared Taxis and Cars
For getting to and from the big city as well as traversing more remote destinations.
When coming from Padang, Jambi, or Bengkulu to Kerinci, you can choose to use either a public shared taxi, which have set departure times of around 9am and 7pm every day (although, since they drive around town picking people up, times are extremely flexible, and the overall trip time can increase quite a bit). Or you can rent a private car and driver, which gives you the freedom to decide when you depart. Within Kerinci, it is also sometimes necessary to rent a private car to do drop-off or pick-up from some of the more remote areas without public transportation. Thankfully, it’s pretty cheap to rent a car in the valley.
Cost: 150,000 - 100,000 IDR
Conditions: Vehicles are usually 6 or 7 passenger vehicles (often Toyota Avanzas, Suzuki APV, or similar). Public shared cars start around 135,000 IDR per seat. Private rental cars from Padang usually cost around 900,000 IDR and include gas and driver. Within Kerinci, the cost for a private car is only about 350,000 IDR per day, including a driver but excluding gas.
Ojek | Motorcycle Taxis
The main form of public transportation within villages, particularly Sungai Penuh.
It’s usually easy to spot them, with their solid or striped helmets indicating which company they are organized with. Hail them from the side of the road, or look for a group of them killing time at an ojek stand. We can also help you rent a motorcycle for a day if you’re an experienced rider –a great way to explore the area.
Cost: 5,000 - 70,000 IDR
Conditions: Within Sungai Penuh, the cost is generally 3,000 IDR for a ride, with costs increasing the further you go out. With some haggling, it’s possible to take them as far as Lempur or Kersik Tuo an hour or more away, but costs can skyrocket up to 70,000 IDR.
Bendi | Horse Drawn Carriage
Traditional horse drawn carriages are alive and well in Kerinci –and not as a tourist trap!
Since most people don’t own cars and there are no taxis, a bendi is the easiest way for locals to get heavy or numerous objects home from the market. They’re also a fun way to get from point A to B within town. Keep in mind, the bendi was not designed for tall Westerners, so if you are head and shoulders above the average Indonesian, be prepared to hunch!
Cost: 10,000 IDR
Conditions: Costs vary depending on distance and amount of passengers, but shouldn’t be more than 10,000 IDR.
Bicycles
Another great way to explore the valley is by biking.
There are a number of mountain bike clubs around that would be happy to have a visitor tag along. In Sungai Penuh, there has even recently been a growing popularity of tandem bikes.
Ask us, and we’d be happy to help assist you in renting some.
Cost: 50,000 IDR/ hour
