Communication Device and Providers Options

Providers and Prepaid card

 
You should never have a plan to go dark when you visit a new place.  Make sure that your mobile subscription is recognized by Indonesia's providers.  At least you have 1 mobile phone that can contact somebody while you are in Jakarta.   If you have a plan of staying more than a week in Jakarta, I suggest you may buy another cheap GSM mobile phone with prepaid SIM card or just a prepaid card to be plugged in into your existing cellular phone if applicable.

Get your paper work done

Don't forget to bring a pen

 Now you have settled at least 60% of your plan to go to Jakarta.  As you will arrive at terminal 2 later, you need to prepare your paper work in order to pass the immigration without any problems.

1. Your passport should be valid for another 6 months by the day you arrive in Jakarta airport Soekarno Hatta, at least.
2. There is Visa on arrival counter before the immigration table in the airport, but I suggest you prepare the visa in your country before your departure to save time.  VOA cost you US$ 25 for 30 days stay and US$ 10 for 3 - 6 days stay tourist Visa. VOA is not extendable or renewable, unless something extraordinary happen to you such as: natural disaster, accident, or illness that requires hospitalization. 
3. If your propose of visiting Jakarta - Indonesia is business trip, you may need to prepare a sponsorship letter from your company and apply the business propose visa in Indonesian embassy in your country of origin.
4. I suggest that you also bring your name card if you have one.  It will be useful as your temporal and unofficial ID with your contact number on it, just in case you need to leave your personal info to somebody on the way. 

Jakarta's Night Life

 

Jakarta City in the Night

Some tourists might occupy the whole daylight to travel around and having asleep at night just like that.  But this will be your first time visiting Jakarta, don't you want to see more and more ?   So that, instead of dreaming on your bed, try to discover night life in Jakarta.   Those could be bars, pub, local and international restaurants, life music cafe, cinemas, book stores, or even discotheques, family karaoke, night club karaoke, etc.

Budget for visiting Jakarta

Batavia - Jakarta

 
God bless all of the visitors ! Indonesia is a very cheap country.  Having a ratio of 1 US$ : 11.000 Rupiah (average in September 2013), makes Indonesia especially Jakarta  a paradise to every tourist nowadays.  If you come from a country which has an average lowest salary of US$ 10-20 per hour, still single, have no mortgage liability, and not a criminal in the run, I'm sure you can safe a lot from your income to spend at least two weeks in Jakarta; to become a king or queen.  

Available Transportation - Formal and Informal

Perhaps in street of Jakarta you will find a lot more bus or transportation names later, like Kopami, School Bus, PPD, Patas, Koantas Bima, etc.  Those are too many and no need for you to know all that might disrupt your focus to choose one.  So that, I make it simple for you.

Transport from the Jakarta Airport Soekarno Hatta: 

Mark Your Destinations

Now you have chosen your purpose and date to visit Jakarta. Some considerations should have been made at this point.  Some couple like dry season, some other like rainy season, some other like to enjoy the crowds, and some one else perhaps like to a quite atmosphere to refresh themselves.  But anyway everybody has to have destinations plan no matter when they will arrive at Jakarta. 

Now you may prepare your map, or GPS, or Android, or anything with the map of Jakarta in it.  First thing first, we will now start to mark your hotel.  There are several locations of hotels that I will suggest you as the first time visit to Jakarta:

Plan Your Schedule

Idul Fitri

Vesak

Nyepi

Christmas in Church

Now you know your purpose to go to Jakarta.  Pick up a calender and choose the date of arrival, schedule your daily activities, and time of departure.  View major holiday will be brought into your consideration:

1. Idul Fitri Holiday and Fasting Season

More than 90% of Indonesia citizens are Muslim. They embrace Islam as their religion.  So that, Idul Fitri holiday has more effect to the Jakarta and other cities activity than Christmas holiday, or Nyepi (for Hindu), or Vesak (for Buddhist), or any religious holiday.  Even more effects will start 30 days before the Idul Fitri, which is the fasting season for all the Muslim.  Idul Fitri or Eid Mubarak Day will be several days faster from year to year consecutively.  Actually it will be decided by the Moon Calender by Indonesia local authority each year, so I just give you an average timing.