Travel Instructions : Air Travel from the U.S.

Travel to Indonesia from the United States is usually via the West coast (there are also direct flights out of Minneapolis and Denver on Northwest and United, respectively). Most flights will take you to Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with refueling stops in Tokyo, Japan or Taipei, Taiwan. The airports in both Singapore and Kuala Lumpur have transit hotels where you can rest before continuing on to Indonesia.

Our recommendation is that from Kuala Lumpur or Singapore you fly to Kuching, Malaysia, in the NW corner of the Island of Borneo. You will usually arrive later in the day and will need to overnight in Kuching.  You will need to schedule your arrival and departure so as to connect to the Kuching-Pontianak flights which only operate on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday (current as of May 2009). Flight time Kuching-Pontianak is about 45 minutes. We will need to book the Kuching-Pontianak flight, as this ticket is available for sale only through the local ticket agent.

You can also enter Indonesia through Jakarta (the capital city). You can get a 30 day walk-in tourist visa at the immigration counter for $25. From Jakarta, there are several flights a day to Pontianak, including flights later in the afternoon.  It will be best if we book the Jakarta-Pontianak flight, as we can get a much better price by booking locally.

The usual cost for round trip tickets from the continental US to Pontianak is about $1400-$1700.

When you arrive in Pontianak, someone will meet you at the airport and arrange travel by road to Bethesda Hospital - about a 5 hour drive.