Traveling on a Night Train from Bandung to Yogyakarta

If you have plenty of time exploring a certain country, traveling on a train overnight is one smart move. It does cut costs not alone for your transportation but also a big chunk on the accommodation - sleeping on a train saves costs for a hotel.

Last January 19, I was heading to Yogyakarta from Bandung through the cheapest mode I knew, via a train. The train service for the 8PM schedule was Lodaya Malam (malam means night). I took the Business (adult) class for 110,000 rupiahs. Please check the Kereta Api website before traveling because your target date could have no train schedule available. Also, from there you can already budget – posted there are the fares for every train service with different classes - some with only Executive class, some with Business, while some with Economy.

True to what Rick Warren tweeted, ‘I've heard 1000s of great singers traveling the globe but Indonesia & the Philippines seem to have the most’, at the waiting lounge of the train station, a band was playing not just local but also English songs. It’s a great treat for travelers bound for distances at night.

Arrival time as in my ticket should have been 3:41AM but with the frequent stopovers, I had observed while being half-asleep, we arrived in Tugu Station, Yogyakarta or Jogjakarta or simply Jogja at 5:45AM – two hours more than everyone anticipated. But it’s alright – arriving in broad daylight only meant a safer road as I crept into the streets of the city before checking in the hotel. :)

My trip from Bandung to Yogyakarta is the longest travel by land I’ve ever had.