Dumai
Introduction
Dumai is a coastal city in Riau Province, on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, roughly 188 km from the provincial capital, Pekanbaru. It serves as an important transport and trade centre, both regionally and internationally, particularly for traffic to and from Malaysia, and it has its own domestic airport, Pinang Kampai Airport.
The surrounding region is rich in oil, which shapes the city's role as a hub for industry and commerce. If you are passing between Sumatra and Malaysia, or travelling onward from Pekanbaru, Dumai is a practical stopover with a working port city's character.
Getting there
Dumai is well connected by road from both Pekanbaru and Medan, though the Trans-Sumatran Highway skirts the city's edges rather than crossing it. From Pekanbaru the trip takes roughly five hours by bus or by "travels" (shared car pool), and the roads along the way are not good. From Medan the journey runs about ten hours, with large air-conditioned or non-air-conditioned buses departing daily, usually overnight. Note that the main bus station sits in an inconvenient location; an office for shared taxis to Pekanbaru can be found about 300 m from the northern end of Jalan Sudirman, on the east side.
By air, Pinang Kampai Airport (DUM) is roughly a ten-minute drive from the centre of town, with TransNusa serving Jakarta and Wings Air flying daily to Medan, Batam and Pekanbaru. All passenger ferries use the Dumai ferry passenger terminal, so take care not to enter the wrong gate, as it sits side by side with the cargo port gate. Ferries link Dumai with Malaysian ports including Port Klang, Port Dickson and Malacca, and with Indonesian destinations such as Batam, Bintan and other Riau Islands; most ferries to Batam and Bintan stop at Bengkalis off the Riau coast and at Tanjung Balai on Karimun Island. Pelni ships also call at Dumai, connecting it with Sumatran ports like Medan and with islands such as Java, Kalimantan and Sulawesi.
Getting around
Dumai is a compact coastal city, and much of the centre can be covered on foot in the course of a day. If you are staying near the main streets, you can reach shops, waterfront areas and food spots without arranging transport — though walking makes sense for the centre, not for the outlying districts. There is no rail, metro or tram network, so plan your travel around road-based options: buses, shared cars, taxis and ride-hailing.
- On foot: The town is small enough to wander much of it in half a day.
- Ride-hailing and taxis: Grab cars serve the city, and conventional taxis are among the region's transport modes. These are the most convenient choices for short hops across town or for reaching the bus station.
- Buses and shared transport: Bus services run from Dumai to Duri, Padang, Medan, Jambi, Pekanbaru and other cities and regions in Riau Province and across Sumatra, using the AKAP terminal — but the main bus station is inconveniently located relative to the town centre, so factor in a taxi or ride-hailing trip to reach it. For Pekanbaru, choose between a cheaper bus and a pricier shared "travel" car pool; an office for shared taxis sits about 300 metres from the northern end of Jalan Sudirman, on the east side. Journeys to Pekanbaru take roughly five hours over poor roads, while Medan is about ten hours by bus, with large air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned buses running daily, usually overnight. Within the wider region, transport modes also include oplet (share taxi), bajaj (auto rickshaw) and ojek (motorcycle taxi).
- Delman: In the public park on Sudirman Street, Taman Bukit Gelanggang, you can rent a delman, a traditional horse-drawn cart — a short, leisurely way to see the park area rather than a means of crossing the city.
- From the airport: Pinang Kampai Airport (DUM) sits approximately ten minutes' drive from the centre, so the transfer into town is quick and inexpensive by taxi or ride-hailing car; simply arrange a car on arrival.
- By sea: All passenger ferries depart from the Dumai ferry passenger terminal, whose gate sits right beside the cargo port gate — take care to enter through the passenger gate, not the adjacent cargo one. Ferries connect Dumai with Malaysian ports such as Port Klang, Port Dickson and Malacca, as well as Batam, Bintan and other Riau Islands destinations, and national Pelni ships call at Dumai linking it to other Sumatran ports and islands including Java, Kalimantan and Sulawesi. Allow extra time at the terminal, as check-in requirements and immigration queues can add significantly to your journey.
Where to stay
Dumai has only a handful of places to sleep, with two or three nice and new hotels among them. Several sit along Jl. Jendral Sudirman: Hotel Cititel, right next to the Malacca ferry agent; Hotel City; Hotel Comforta; and Hotel Grand Zuri, which is neat and clean, close to the city centre, and offers a limited vegetarian dish. Hotel Komala is on Jl. Sultan Syarif Kasim.
- Hotel Cititel, Jl. Jendral Sudirman — adjacent to the Malacca ferry agent
- Hotel City, Jl. Jendral Sudirman
- Hotel Comforta, Jl. Jendral Sudirman
- Hotel Grand Zuri, Jl. Jendral Sudirman — neat and clean, near the city centre, limited vegetarian dish available
- Hotel Komala, Jl. Sultan Syarif Kasim
Getting to your hotel takes some care. Once you reach the jetty, don't let touts bother you: walk fast and take a tricycle, or better, book a Grab before leaving the terminal. Don't tell anyone how long you plan to stay — say you're here for a business meeting with your boss, who is arriving later. After that you won't be bothered; otherwise van and tricycle touts will try to push prostitutes on you.
Food & drink
Dumai's food scene leans on traditional Indonesian cooking, with a few local specialities worth seeking out. Ayam penyet — fried chicken served with a hot, savoury chilli sambal — is sold along Patimura street, in Sei Masang, and on almost every street in the city. Pecel lele, fried fish with a similar traditional chilli, is another staple. For seafood, head to Hasanuddin (Ombak) street, where fresh fish and shellfish are widely available. Mie sagu, a Riau speciality noodle made from sago starch, is served at Mie Sagu Marineford in Pangkalan Sesai, while Rumah Makan Pak Datuk on Jl. Jend. Sudirman serves rice with gulai, and RM Pondok Kayu Resto on Jl. Sultan Hasanuddin focuses on seafood dishes. Vegetarian travellers can eat at HL Vegetarian on Jl. Sultan Syarif Kasim, which offers lacto-ovo Asian food, coffee and salads.
To drink, look for air akar and es samudra, local Riau drinks available around the city. Coffee shops include Moka Coffee & Food Addict on Jl. Ombak and Vienna Coffee & Tea on Jl. Nangka, which serves a range of coffee, tea and desserts. One practical warning: if you visit during the fasting month of Ramadan, finding lunch is difficult, as only some fast food chains and Chinese-operated restaurants stay open during the day.
What to see and do
Dumai's sights are modest but varied. For religious architecture, you can visit the Chinese temple Hock Liong Kiong on Jalan Kelakap, roughly a five-minute walk from the bus terminal, along with the Buddhayana temple Vihara Buddha Padma on Jalan Nangka and Vihara Mudita Maitreya on Jalan Kamboja. The Grand Mosque Al Mannan stands in Bagan Besar, Bukit Kapur. Away from the city, Koneng Beach in Medang Kampai offers white sand. For active pursuits, you can swim at Kolam Renang Sasana Tirta in the Pertamina refinery complex at Bukit Datuk, Dumai Selatan, or play badminton at Gor Bulu Tangkis Olympia, also in Bukit Datuk.Three days in Dumai
Day one: Arrive at Pinang Kampai Airport and get your bearings in Dumai, a port city in Riau Province on Sumatra. Jalan Sudirman is the main street to orient yourself around, and it makes a sensible first stop for a sense of the city's layout. If you have come from Pekanbaru, the Trans Sumatran Highway connects the two, and if you have come from Medan, the same highway runs the other way. Settle in and take an easy walk along Jalan Sudirman before an early night.
Day two: Give the day to the water. Dumai is a port, and ferries are the way to reach Malaysian ports such as Port Klang, Port Dickson and Malacca, as well as Indonesian destinations including Bintan in the Riau Islands, Bengkalis in Riau, Tanjung Balai and Karimun Island. Pelni services link Sumatra with Java and Kalimantan. If you would rather stay ashore, spend the afternoon around the harbour area and along Jalan Sudirman.
Day three: Use the morning for anything you missed, then plan your onward travel. Pinang Kampai Airport serves domestic routes, with airlines such as DUM, TransNusa, Jakarta and Wings Air, and Batam among the connections. If you are heading overland, the Trans Sumatran Highway takes you towards Pekanbaru or Medan. Note that Malaysian and Indonesian ferry links make Dumai a natural crossing point, so check schedules before you commit to a route.