Merak Travel Guide

The city of Merak sits right up in northwestern Java, two hours west of Jakarta, and is best known as a launch point for visits to Sumatra.

Worth It?: Only if you are catching the ferry to or from Sumatra.
What to Do: taking a ferry to Sumatra, learning about the green peafowl.
Best Time to Go: April to October has the nicest weather in Merak.
How Long?: A day at most for Merak town itself.
Trivia: the elusive green peafowl used to live in the region, but is now a rarity.

There's not all that much to see in Merak and it's not really worth the effort of getting here on its own merits. Most people heading to Merak either head across the Sunda Strait to the island of Sumatra on a ferry, or continue heading south for the resort of Anyer.

Ferry times from Merak to the main port in southeast Sumatra are around 2 hours, 30 minutes and they leave very regularly throughout the day. Merak does happen to be well known for its associations with the now elusive green peafowl and there is a small museum and several monuments in town that attest to this.

Travel to Merak - Getting There

Soekarno-Hatta International Airport to the west of Jakarta is the main gateway to Java and Indonesia in general, located around 70kms from Merak and two hours by road. The Jakarta-Merak toll road is a reliable highway linking the two towns with ease.

Merak Things to Do

Merak Attractions

Sumatra

the massive island province of Sumatra is Merak's main accessible attraction and the reason most people visit.

Side trips from Merak

Anyer: lying about 30kms to the south of Merak, Anyer boasts a really nice, wide sweeping beach with some good snorkeling and diving as well as access to Krakatau.