Bandar Lampung

Bandar Lampung is the capital city of Lampung province in the south of Sumatra island, Indonesia.

Understand
Bandar Lampung is a conglomeration of two former municipalities occupying the frontage beside Lampung Bay: Tanjungkarang and Telukbetung. If you had been here in 1883, you could have watched (and heard) Krakatoa blow its top in the Sunda Strait, but that might not have been that euphoric given that over 36,000 people in the region died. As capital of Lampung province and the major center of commerce for the southern end of Sumatra, Bandar Lampung has cultivated a diverse array of commercial interests that incorporate agriculture and industry, including coal. While the cityscape can look a bit dun and like it's in a state of development, Bandar Lampung does have a first-rate university in Lampung University.

Also, of particular note to tourism is its proximity to Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, which is one of the rare homes of the Sumatran elephant and Sumatran tiger.

By plane


From the airport you can take a prepaid taxi to Bandar Lampung city centre. There is a taxi counter which lists the various destinations with the prepaid rates.

By bus
Buses from Jakarta are regular and travelling time is about 7 hours. One of the best known services is run by DAMRI who depart from Jakarta's main train station, Gambir Complex and Tanjungkarang train station. Tickets are available from their service desk.

By boat
First you need to get to Merak Port in Banten province which takes about 1.5 hours from Jakarta. Ferries operate around the clock from Merak to Bakauheni. Ferries can carry up to 20 vehicles and 200 passengers at one time and take 1.5 to 2 hours to cross the Sunda Strait. From Bakauheni to Bandar Lampung will take about 90 minutes by car, or longer by bus. The ticket can be bought via Ferizy's website.

Speedboats also ply the route but during daylight hours only.

Get around
Getting around in Bandar Lampung is easy and relatively inexpensive because it is a small city. Traveling between the 2 main areas, (Tanjungkarang to Teluk Betung) will only take about 30–40 minutes by car.

By Angkutan Kota
Angkutan Kota or abbreviated as Angkot or Oplet is actually a car, usually either a Daihatsu Carry or Toyota Kijang, with the interior re-designed to give more space for passengers to seat. By doing this, an Angkot can carry up to 11 people at a time. Angkot is used as a mode of transportation in most of the cities in Indonesia. Different routes can be easily recognized from the color of the car. You may not want to bring anything valuable when traveling by angkot because pickpockets are very common. When you are ready to get off, you can tell the driver "Stop Kiri" which means stop at the left side.

By ojek
Ojek or motorbike taxi is the omnipresent mode of transport here as it is in many Indonesian cities. Although a little more expensive than Angkot, it gives the advantage of a totally personal conveyance. You can find ojeks at most of the main street crossings in the city. An ojek can be hired for a single destination journey or for a full day. As always, don't forget to bargain the price.

By Bus Rapid Transit system
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a newly developed bus transportation system in Bandar Lampung. The buses is still quite new and the fare is relatively cheap, only about US $0.30/trip. Sometimes buses stop in some available sideroad bus stops, but while other bus stops are being built, buses usually stop at roadside walkways that have been labeled as BRT Stop. Some corridors of Bandar Lampung BRT include: Rajabasa-Sukaraja (a main terminal for buses), Korpri-Sukaraja, Kemiling-Sukaraja, Tanjungkarang-Ir. Sutami, Rajabasa-Citra Garden (a housing block), and Panjang-Citra Garden.

Do
Hop on one of the traditional boat in Pasir Putih Beach and visit one or more small islands in Lampung Bay.The beach can be reached within 30 minutes from the city centre and the distance to the islands ranges from 5 minute boat ride to hours. The clean white sands and quiet island (most visitors here are local people who only come on weekends) make the islands a good location for you to relax and get fresh air. The sea is blue and green in some part. You don't need to check out from your hotel, because you can come in the morning and ask the boat operator to pick you up in the afternoon.

Buy
Lampung has a special traditional-made cloth, called "Kain Tapis". There are various patterns of the Kain Tapis that can be bought in some souvenir shops located in the inner part of the town. These souvenir shops also sell other souvenirs such as unique accessories, miniatures, and many more. Instead of traditional souvenirs, there are also some modernized shopping arcades, such as Central Plaza, Mal Kartini, Mal Lampung, and Chandra Superstore.

Daily needs are quite easy to buy. Some supermarkets like Hypermart, Chandra Supermarket, and Giant, offer various quality and range of household and daily items.

Traditional markets are also spread over Bandar Lampung city, for instance: Pasar Tugu, Pasar Gudang Lelang, and Pasar Kangkung. These markets commonly sell raw food materials, such as raw noodles, raw fish and raw meat. Some indoor stalls sell household equipments, such as brooms, mops, buckets, etc.

There are also some speciality stores, such as stationery stores, D. I. Y. stores, and many more.

Budget
Pempek (made from tapioca flour and fish) in Bandar Lampung is one of the best in the country. It originates from Palembang, South Sumatra.You can get it from street vendors or restaurants. It is served with dark sweet and sour sauce, for which you can opt for hot (more chilli) or not hot.

Kemplang is a kind of fish cracker served with hot sauce (similar to pempek sauce but thicker).

Keripik (chips) - banana, pineapple and jackfruit chips are must-buys when visiting.

Nasi Padang (Padangese rice) from Padang in West Sumatra is quite common in Bandar Lampung. They are cheap and can be considered as a wise choice to fulfill hungry stomachs.

Mid-range
Mid-range restaurants can be found everywhere around Bandar Lampung town. Usually, they sell a la carte main dishes with rice. Mid-range restaurants in Bandar Lampung are also budget-friendly since some of the meals available are also not too expensive.

Splurge
In Bandar Lampung, costful and luxury restaurants are available in luxury hotels like Novotel, Sheraton, etc. There are also independent splurge restaurants such as Golden Dragon Restaurant. Various kinds of food starting with appetizers, entrees, to desserts are available with medium-high range of prices. These restaurants offer rather big portions of food, so consider the amount of your orders.

Drink
There is a laid back bar at the top of a hill overlooking the city called Beer and Chips. It offers the best views of Bandar Lampung and reasonably priced beers.

Budget
Hotel Arinas - Jl. Raden Intan No 35 B. Ph: 0721-266778 Grand Anugerah Hotel - Jl. Raden Intan No 132. Ph: +62 721 266999

Hotel Kurnia Perdana - Jl. Raden Intan No 114. Ph: 0721-262030

Hotel Andalas - Jl. Raden Intan No 89. Ph: 0721-263432



Go next
You could try Pahawang Island for some premier snorkeling, Anak Krakatau for a chance to say you've been to Krakatoa, or Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park for tiger and elephant encounters.