Palu
Palu is the capital of Central Sulawesi province in Indonesia.
Understand
 |
Note: A 29 Sep 2018 earthquake (Richter 7.5, with a tsunami) has damaged buildings and caused fatalities in Palu; a large bridge spanning a coastal river has collapsed in Donggala. |
Get in
By plane
- 1 Mutiara SIS Al-Jufrie Airport (PLW IATA, formerly Masovu Airport) (located on the southeastern outskirts of the city, roughly 6-8 km from most hotels in the city centre). Has frequent flights to Jakarta, Surabaya, Balikpapan and Makassar, plus some regular flights into smaller airports all around Sulawesi.
The so-called "official" prepaid airport taxis, which look more like private vehicles, charge rather steep (considering the short distance) Rp75,000 fixed fare to the city center (March 2016). City taxis are only allowed to drop off passengers in the airport, and the minimum fare for passengers going to the airport is Rp55,000 rather than regular 20,000 (the meter will probably display only Rp30,000 to 40,000 on arrival).
Get around
Taxis in Palu are normally not hailed on the street, but are called by phone. The phone numbers of the two larger companies are +62(451)455455 (MMU) and +62(451)456789 (Taksi Utama). The taxis are metered, but the minimum fare, which will be charged even if the meter shows a lesser amount, is Rp 20,000 (March 2016), except for trips to the airport where higher limit applies. The dispatchers (and drivers) most likely speak little to no English, but most hotels will be happy to call a metered taxi for you, if you ask them.
Blue minibuses (angkot) are plying the city roads during the daytime and approximately till 10pm. A shared ride normally costs Rp 5,000 per passenger (March 2016), the driver will vary his route based on where his current passengers are going, so the same trip will likely be done using a different route each time. If catching an empty angkot. make sure the driver understands you just want a shared ride, not a charter (which will likely cost much more, or even more than a taxi, especially if you didn't fix the price beforehand). As this may be problematic for a foreigner not speaking at least some Bahasa Indonesia, catch another angkot (preferably one with many passengers), call a taxi or just walk, if in doubt.
See
- Lore Lindu National Park: a protected area of forest on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, in the province of Central Sulawesi. The Indonesian national park is 2,180 km² covering both lowland and montane forests (200 to 2,610 meters above mean sea level). It provides habitat to numerous rare species, including 77 bird species endemic to Sulawesi. The national park is designated as part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves. In addition to its rich wildlife, the park also contains megaliths dating from before 1300 AD.
Do
Buy
- Mal Tatura, features: KFC, Ramayana, Optik Melawai, etc.
Eat
- KFC, Jl. Sultan Hasanuddin I No. 15, ☏ +62 451 425156. 6am-10pm.
- Kaledo, spicy soup
Drink
Sleep
- 1 Hotel Santika, Jl Mohammad Hatta 18, ☏ +62 451 424111. The 3-stars hotel in Palu. Opened in 2012.
- 2 [dead link] Sutan Raja Hotel & Convention Palu, Jalan Abdul Rahman Saleh No. 45, ☏ +62 451 482 999, info@sutanrajahotelpalu.com. Located just 1 km from the airport, the hotel provides karaoke, live music, swimming pool, fitness center, health spa and a meeting room. Rp996,000 for a double room.
- 3 Swiss Belhotel Silae Palu, Jl. Malonda No. 12, Silae, Palu, ☏ +62 451 461 888, palu@swiss-belhotel.com. The first and the only international 4-star hotel in Palu, it overlooks the Palu Bay. The hotel has seven F&B outlets on its premises.
Go next
- Ampana, from which daily ferries depart for the Togian Islands.