Is Jakarta Worth Visiting? A Traveler’s Perspective
Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport was the most affordable entry point I could find to fly Zach and I into Indonesia. That alone ensured we would be passing through, but was it worth it to stick around and check out Jakarta as a destination?
Jakarta's reputation on the Internet seemed to be negative. Dirty, busy, and congested appeared to be the city's primary offenses. A recent Reuters article named Jakarta as the worlds most polluted city based on data from IQAir.
When looking at booking a room, reviews said things like good room by Jakarta standards, not bad for Jakarta, or high score for Jakarta. The best rooms were barely scoring 8 out of 10. Ouch!
I decided to give Jakarta a chance. It is the capital city of Indonesia, over 11 million people call it home (30+ million if you count the surrounding amalgamated towns), making it the largest city in Southeast Asia. I wanted to know is Jakarta good for tourists.
Nobody cares about you in Jakarta (and that's a good thing)
Walking down the streets of Chinatown or strolling the Ancol beach area nobody approached. Taxis drove by without a word. Street vendors only acknowledged my presence only when I approached them.
At night, the despondent denizens lying on the streets of Glodok never begged. Children never swarmed trying to sell me trinkets or bracelets. The only interaction I received from strangers was the occasional stare or glare.
I hadn’t been to Bali at this point in the trip, so I didn’t appreciate what a rare and precious thing being an ignored foreigner in Indonesia is. The people of Jakarta were living their lives, and I was just someone passing through.
When I did interact with locals, they were mostly warm and welcoming. We visited a club in the very local neighborhood of Indah Purah. We stood out and the patrons definitely noticed we were there, but it was with joyful enthusiasm instead of dollar signs. The band at the club was great, and we finally got to hear Indonesian music which was an important side mission for Zach.
Jakarta’s rodents are horrific in size
Rats that I first mistook for cats, cockroaches that looked like mice out of the corner of my eye. The rodents of Jakarta kept me on my toes. Are the rats in abundance because of the unregulated street food? The poor garbage disposal? The open sewers? I don’t know, but they are big, bold, and in charge.
Despite every street food experience ending with me squealing and jumping due to some rodent, it never stopped us from eating.
Jakarta’s street food scene is outstanding
The night time street food scene in Jakarta is only rivaled by Ho Chi Min and Bangkok in my experiences so far. The streets are teeming with locals digging into deep-fried delights, meat on sticks, stir-fries, dumplings, meatball soup, and more every night of the week. Indonesian food is delicious!
I tried to use my chef senses and only eat at places that were busy because proper holding and storing temperatures didn’t seem to be too much of a thing. Throwing caution to the wind, I skittered away from roaches and rats and ate enough for two every night.
On our last night in Jakarta, we accidently ordered 100 meat on sticks. It was our fault (mostly).
Our Bahasa sucked, I wanted 10 sticks, not 10 orders but the cost was still only about $10 Canadian so we paid up and ate until we hated ourselves.
Jakarta is a Conservative City
Jakarta is a multicultural city but all versions are conservative and the government is Muslim. I kept both shoulders and knees covered at all times but I still seemed to receive judgey glances frequently. It was actually really bothering me, I was wearing more clothes in Jakarta’s equatorial heat than I do in Canadian chilly spring, and I still didn’t fit in.
My theory in the end was that I’m black, traveling with a white partner, and my afro was in full force, I stand out. The attention never felt positive and it was one of the only things I felt unhappy about in Jakarta.
Jakarta is Sinking
Jakarta might not be around to visit in another 30 years. The north of Jakarta is sinking the most rapidly at an estimated 12 cm a year according to a Reuters article and the BBC stated it was as high as 25 cm a year back in 2018.
The government has started construction on a new capital in Kalimantan named Nusantara as a solution to the problem. I don’t know what the citizens of Jakarta will end up doing, but this mega-city’s days may be numbered.
The problem stems from location, the extraction of groundwater, and climate change. Residents in Jakarta already deal with flooding nearly every year while still not having access to a sustainable water supply. The cycle might mean that there isn’t a Jakarta to visit one day.
Jakarta is Safe to Visit, Relative to Other Major Cities
Jakarta is safe for tourists to visit if you follow basic safety practices:
Use crossbody bags and keep and eye on your belongings and drinks, especially in crowded places.
Leave valuables at home and don’t show signs of wealth and affluence
Use a reputable taxi service such as Bluebird or ride share services such as Gojek or Grab.
Avoid or minimize the time spent walking at night and walk on well lit streets with a companion if possible.
Be wary of scams, don’t book tours with strangers or let anyone convince you that you have won something.
Protect your debit card and credit card numbers when using ATM’s, look for signs that the machine has been tampered with and only use machines in busy public places.
Avoid pulling out large sums of money in public. Keep a small amount of cash separate to handle transactions and keep your remaining money hidden.
Numbeo, a site that compares the safety of cities based on factors such as break ins, vehicle theft, muggings, and violent crime, amongst other factors puts Jakarta only 5 points behind my city of Edmonton for safety.
Los Angelos is on par with Jakarta with both cities having a crime index of 52. The rate that crime is increasing in Jakarta is significantly lower than both North American cities. The main factor tarnishing Jakarta’s crime rate is corruption and bribery.
Ever-changing safety concerns to monitor before and during your trip are natural disasters and terrorist activity.
While in Jakarta, I took precautions like walking on the well-lit roads when locals did, versus unlit sideways and alleyways. Cabbed when it got too late at night, and was weary of where I pulled my phone out.
The biggest threats to my safety were the crumbling sidewalks and the traffic when there were no sidewalks at all.
I never felt unsafe in Jakarta and we spent most of our stay in the notorious Glodok district renting a $10 a night room. Cautious at times perhaps, but for a mega city that isn’t unusual.
Is Jakarta worth visiting?
Jakarta is absolutely worth visiting! I felt like my time spent in Jakarta was the most authentic experience of my whole trip. There is something magical in witnessing life unfold in another land with another culture that pays no mind to you. I’d include a couple of days in Jakarta in any Indonesian itinerary.
Jakarta is a big city with bigger problems and huge rewards. The food, the culture, and the pulse of non-stop action was alluring and make it one of the best places in Indonesia to visit. Jakarta is a city worth taking the good with the bad.
Thanks for reading and I hope you include a couple of days in Jakarta on your next trip to Indonesia. Check out my guide on what to eat in Indonesia to prepare you for your trip.
Have a fantastic day, and Live Self Happy!
Sources
Sinking Jakarta
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-indonesia-capital-idUSKBN1WU1JI
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44636934
Crime rate Jakarta
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Indonesia Trip Planning Recommendations
Accommodation
Booking.com for hotels, condos, and guest houses.
Hostelworld for hostels. I love renting a private room at a hostel, it’s the best of both worlds.
Vrbo has whole vacation homes for rent.
Airbnb has bookings with locals and unique themes.
Agoda has crazy discounts, but I have booked two listings with them that were not as advertised. I have over a dozen good bookings with them and their selection in Southeast Asia is massive. I recommend using Agoda combined with Google searches of the property.
Flights
Hopper and Skyscanner scan multiple airlines to compare Mexico flight deals.
Kiwi.com has bargain flight connections with different airlines.
Traveloka is an Indonesian travel company that has sales on airfare and accepts international credit cards.
Tours and Excursions
Hi I’m Felicia,
I call Edmonton, Canada home and am the Executive Chef at River City Revival House located in the Starlite Room downtown.
My mission in life is to manifest happiness in everyone around me and myself. I hope this blog inspires you to travel, eat well, and Live Self Happy!
Feel free to leave a comment or follow me on Instagram
The Tren Maya is Mexico’s new high-speed train line that connects Palenque to Cancun. The route is a loop that covers both the Northern and Southern coasts. The Northern route that runs through Merida is already operational. Zach and I boarded in Palenque and rode the Tren Maya all the way to Cancun.