How to get to Rote Island, Indonesia

Latest news:

Starting from the 2nd of April, Wings Air will operate flights from Kupang to Rote. The schedule is as follows:

•Kupang to Rote – Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 3:35 p.m.

• Rote to Kupang – Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 7:00 a.m.

If you are traveling from Bali or Jakarta, we recommend booking a single ticket directly from Bali or Jakarta to Rote (via Kupang) rather than booking two separate flights. This way, the luggage allowance will be included in your ticket, which can help you avoid additional baggage fees and make your journey smoother.

You can book this tickets in www.traveloka.com

Traveling to Rote Island, Indonesia and Boa Vida

Placed in East Indonesia, in the East Nusa Tenggara province, and just southwest of Timor Island, Rote might seem a little out of the way. But getting to Rote Island and Bo’a Vida Rote is easy with several travel options available to suit you.

The steps to get to Rote Island Indonesia are:

If you are travelling internationally to Indonesia, the first step is to decide whether to fly through Bali (DPS) or Jakarta (CGK). 

Fly from Jakarta or Bali to Rote (RTI) There are regular flights that flight to Rote doing a short stop over in Kupang (KOE).

There is the option of daily ferry from Kupang to Rote for those who prefer. 

Drive from ferry port or airport to us at Bo’a Vida Rote.

Flying from Jakarta or Bali to Rote

Jakarta (CGK) to Rote (RTI)

We recommend booking a direct Jakarta–Rote ticket with Lion and Wings Air. This way, the luggage allowance is included in your ticket, helping you avoid being charged extra for baggage.

If you’re traveling from Jakarta, we recommend the flight that departs Jakarta at 9:00 a.m. and arrives in Rote at 4:05 p.m. The journey includes two stopovers: a 40 minute stop in Surabaya and and hour and 25 minutes stop in Kupang. Since your luggage will be checked directly to Rote Airport, the transfer is easy.

Please note that flights from Kupang to Rote operate only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. To ensure a smooth connection, make sure to book your flight to Rote on one of these days.

Tickets can be purchased through traveloka.com or ticket.com.

Bali (DPS) to Rote (RTI)

We recommend booking a flight with Lion Air and Wings Air that departs Denpasar at 11:05 a.m. and arrives in Rote at 4:00 p.m.

Please note that flights from Kupang to Rote operate only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. To ensure a smooth connection, make sure to book your flight to Rote on one of these days.

Since Lion Air and Wings Air are part of the same company, you can check your luggage directly to Rote. This way, the luggage allowance is included in your ticket, helping you avoid extra baggage fees.

The journey includes a layover in Kupang of approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Tickets can be purchased through traveloka.com or ticket.com.

Departing Rote

Rote (RTI) to Kupang (KOE) with Wings Air

Wings Air flight departs Rote (RTI) at 7:00 am and arrives in Kupang (KOE) 20 minutes after departure. This flights are very convenient as they can connect with any Jakarta or Bali flight of your preference.

 Please note that flights from Rote to Kupang with Wings Air are on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Tickets can be purchased through traveloka.com.

Some Quick Tips

We always recommend that our guests travel with travel insurance that covers travel disruption because flights in remote Indonesia are quite weather-dependent. Additionally, we advise our guests to leave a minimum of 24 hours of spare time to catch their onward international flights, to ensure there is enough time to reach Bali or Jakarta for their onward flight should there be any delays.

Boa Vida can assist you with transfers in Rote and Kupang in case you might need. Our driver will pick you up at the airport in Kupang on arrival and take you to the harbour. Further on this article we explain everything you need to know about the different ferrys. Boa Vida assist you as well with ferry tickets purchase.

If you arrive in Jakarta in the afternoon or evening, you’ll find many hotels close to the airport with a range of prices to choose from. We can recommend Jakarta Airport Hotel (located in the airport terminal) or the FM7 hotel (5 minutes from the airport). FM7 have a complimentary pick up and drop off shuttle service.

Other ways to reach Rote Island

here are alternative ways to reach Rote Island beyond Wings Air. You can travel by ferry or with another airline currently operating flights between Kupang and Rote.

Option 1: Fast Ferry

The Fast Ferry is another option for traveling from Kupang to Rote.

The ferry departs from Kupang at 9:00 a.m. every day from Monday to Sunday and takes around 1.5 to 2 hours. It doesn’t go particularly far from land, so you’ll have good data and phone coverage for most of the journey, which helps pass the time quickly.

If you’re arriving on an early flight from Jakarta — for example, with CityLink or Batik Air at 6:00 a.m. — the FastFerry is an ideal option, as you can transfer to the ferry without having to wait until the afternoon.

Return Schedule: The return ferry from Rote to Kupang departs every day from Monday to Sunday at 12:00 p.m.

Ticket Prices

• VIP Class: 245,000 IDR (with comfortable reclining chairs)

• Executive Class: 172,000 IDR

Onboard Experience

The VIP area offers comfortable reclining chairs, and the air-conditioned room can be quite cold, so we recommend bringing warm clothes.

Surfboards:

Surfboards are allowed on the FastFerry for a small additional fee of 30,000 IDR per board bag. This is paid separately to your tickets.

We highly suggest you double-check the schedule on their Instagram page Bahari Kupang or at their website expressbahari.com

We highly suggest you double-check the schedule on their Instagram page Bahari Kupang or at their website expressbahari.com

Option 2: Susi Air

Susi Air is currently operating three flights per week between Kupang and Rote. The schedule is as follows:

 .

Kupang to Rote: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:30 a.m.

Rote to Kupang: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 8:30 a.m.

It’s important to note that as Wings recently began operating flights to Rote with a convenient schedule, this might affect Susi air and they may stop operating long-term. Susi Air’s planes have 12 seats capacity. 

For this reason, we generally recommend booking with Wings Air, which operates larger planes and has a higher chance of maintaining service in the long term. However, if you are traveling soon — for example, in March or May — and the flights are available, Susi Air can be a convenient option. 

Flights with Susi Air can only be booked 90 days before your date of travel. Book with Susi Air Rote on www.traveloka.com www.traveloka.com

The flight takes about 30 minutes, and from the airport to Boa Vida takes roughly 50 minutes by car. This means you can be at Boa Vida at 9 morning.

Susi Air allows surfboards within 20kg weight limit per bag (maximum size. 1.8 m) with extra fees for additional weight. Larger surfboards are better transported with Wings or by ferry. Our driver can meet you at the airport and send it with the ferry for you if needed.

Option 3: Slow Ferry

If time is not of concern and you would rather get to Boa Vida in one day of travel but cannot make the early flights or fast ferry, there is the option of the slow ferry. The slow ferry departs Kupang at 3:30 pm and takes around 4 hours, arriving at Pantai Baru Harbour, around 7.30 – 8pm.

There are basic snacks and drinks available for purchase on board, as well as an indoor air-conditioned seating area.

It cost 64,000 IDR for adults and 41.000 IDR for kids.

From there, it takes around two hours to reach Boa Vida. You will arrive at Boa Vida around 10 pm, and dinner will be ready when you arrive.

Traveling with surfboards

If you are traveling with surfboards there is some important things you must know.

Susi Air does not charge for surfboards if you bring one surf bag with a maximum of two boards inside. The weight allowance for the surfboard bag is 20 kg, if more than that there will be an extra charge. If you need to bring extra boards it will cost 774.250 IDR.

Please be aware there are size restrictions of 1,80 cm. If you are traveling with a longer board bag or a longboard let us know and we will arrange for it to be transported by ferry. A Boa Vida representative will meet you at the airport to collect your boards, which will then be shipped on the next ferry crossing, collected, and delivered directly to you at Boa Vida.

Lion Air charges 200.000 IDR per board and there is no size restriction.

WIngs Air charges 1.000.000 IDR per surfboard and size restriction is 6,5 ft,

There is a small additional charge for the Bahari Fast Ferry, around 30,000 IDR per board bag.

There is no additional fee for surfboards on the slow ferry, but you will need to leave your board bag in the vehicle parking area of the ferry.