Bima is the largest city on the island of Sumbawa, and sits on the island’s east coast. Many travellers will end up spending some time here if they are crossing Sumbawa. That said, there is not a huge amount to make it a travel destination in its own right. The range of hotels and restaurants is improving 🙂 there is enough to keep visitors comfortable for a day or two. Read on for advice on getting to Bima, where to stay and what to do.
Getting to Bima
Getting to Bima by bus
As the biggest city on Sumbawa, Bima is well connected by road to other major points on the island. The Trans-Sumbawa Highway is in good condition, making bus travel relatively comfortable. Sumbawa Besar, the western gateway to the island, is 6-7 hours away by bus. Sape, the easternmost port on Sumbawa, is around 90 minutes away. There are regular buses to and from both places throughout the day.
Getting to Bima by plane
Bima’s small airport lies out of town to the west – Sultan Muhammad Salahuddin Airport (BMU), and makes the city easy to reach in around 25 minutes. It has regular connections to Denpasar Bali, and Lombok Praya, meaning it is easy to reach from Bali, and Lombok.
Getting to Bima by boat
Bima is an important port for the island of Sumbawa and is well connected to other ports in Indonesia. The harbour is a couple of kilometres west of the town centre. PELNI ferries run to Makassar on Sulawesi and Kupang on Timor twice a week. The ferry to Makassar takes around 30 hours and to Kupang it takes around 40 hours. There is also a weekly ferry to Surabaya on Java, which takes around 50 hours, and to Waingapu on Sumba, which takes around 13 hours. Tickets can be bought from the PELNI office in Bima (Kantor PELNI Bima on Google Maps), which is on Jl Ksatria No.2, Penatoi, or through travel agents in town.
What to do in Bima
As mentioned above, Bima is not a great tourist destination in itself. However, as the largest town on Sumbawa, it is a good base for exploring harder-to-reach parts of the island. There are also a couple of things to do in the town itself.
The Sultan’s Palace
If you have some time to spare in Bima, consider visiting the Sultan’s Palace, also known as Museum Bima (Asi Mbojo), for an afternoon. This largely wooden structure, dating from the 1930s and the former residence of the Sultan of Bima, houses well-preserved exhibitions of royal and martial artifacts, along with various other items related to Bimanese history. You’ll even find some wax figures dressed in traditional attire. The entrance fee is Rp5,000. While the palace has a somewhat quirky and slightly rundown atmosphere, this contributes to its unique charm. A staff member may offer a guided tour in exchange for a small tip.
Wawo
The area just outside Bima is called Wawo. It’s really known for its cool traditional buildings and houses with thatched roofs. Like always in Indonesia, the easiest way to check it all out is to just rent a motorbike and cruise around to the local villages whenever you feel like it. You can usually rent a bike right from your hotel, or you could try this place: Mess – Toko Surabaya Motor.
You can also catch glimpses of that traditional architecture and those thatched roofs just by looking out the bus window when you’re traveling between Bima and Sape.
Mount Tambora
This mighty volcano in the north of Sumbawa changed the world’s weather when it erupted in 1815, causing a global ‘Year Without a Summer’. Conditions were so gloomy in Switzerland that Mary Shelley was inspired to write Frankenstein. Bima is often used as a base for visiting Mount Tambora as it has the closest airport, but it’s still a good five-hour drive away (from Bima to Desa Pancasila – the start point of the hike). The volcano is seriously remote and is an arduous climb, but is visited occasionally by adventurous climbers.
Where to stay in Bima
Bima does not have a brilliant range of hotels. Most visitors are business travellers, and the hotels reflect this; they tend to be somewhat sterile and overpriced. That being said, it’s a large town and you won’t be stranded without somewhere to stay.
Hotel Lambitu (their Instagram) has a wide range of rooms to suit all prices, including the best budget rooms in town. It’s a clean, modern hotel in a large building in the centre of town. Staff are very friendly and will do their best to help you organise activities or transport. Rooms start at Rp200,000; suites are available from Rp350,000.
The Marina Inn (around Rp475,000 per night) is the best hotel in town and also one of the pricier options. It’s the most modern hotel you’ll likely find in Bima. There’s also the Marina Hotel, which is okay – but it’s worth checking recent reviews as it might not be as good as it used to be. Like most hotels here, it mainly caters to business travelers. Still, the rooms are modern and clean, there’s a decent restaurant, and the staff are friendly.
Where to eat in Bima
Finding Western-style restaurants in Bima is even harder than finding a variety of hotels. You’ll probably end up eating at your hotel restaurant quite often. For local food, some good options are Uma iLoPETA, Surf Cafe Bima (it has a nice ambiance), and Illocake Corner. There are also many “warungs” around town serving delicious and authentic Indonesian food at very cheap prices. If you’re looking for coffee, try Soehendar Coffee, Discoffee, or Beeginning Coffee.
Final thoughts
Bima is not a great tourist destination in itself. Most visitors are either on business or passing through as they cross Sumbawa overland. However, it’s not an awful place to be for a day or two. The Sultan’s Palace in town is worth a visit, and the city is a good base for those adventurous enough to tackle the mighty Mount Tambora. The largest town on Sumbawa, Bima has a limited but adequate range of hotels.
Have you been to Bima? Do you have any suggestions other than those listed above? Let us know in the comments below.
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