A Sailors Practical Guide to Kupang

Anchorage

10°10.050’S 123°33.832’E
22m sand bottom

Convenient anchorage can be found NE of the jetty in Kupang. The bottom is steep and the depth quickly changes from 60 to 10 meters. We anchored quite far out, as the bay was already full of boats when we arrived. If choosing a shallower anchorage, watch out for the reef which runs along the beach and dries at hightide.

Getting Around

Bemos are definitely the best way to get around in Kupang.

They pass all the time, go pretty much anywhere,
they are super cheap and they drive until quite late in the evening.
It cost us 5,000 IDR for a long trip and 3,000 for a short one.

Some people like to rent a car to get around and gather supplies, but I would not recommend it as it is very expensive at about 600,000 IDR / 42 USD
Although this might be more affordable if you are a group of people splitting the cost.

The Bemo ride can be quite an experience too, with flashing neon lights, hello kitty decorations and extremely loud hip-hop with very offensive language.
This is quite comical for a minibus decorated on the outside in Christian Images and messages.

Food

There are many little vegetable stalls all over Kupang along the roads with cheap produce.
A huge market can be found a bit north of the anchorage, just ask the Bemo for the Pasar. It is well worth asking for the price before you pick what you want, as some people can be cheeky and sell you stuff at a very exaggerated price. But generally people are very friendly and honest and if you aren’t happy, try to haggle a bit, that’s what the locals do. For this however you do need to practice your numbers or the locals will take you for a fool. 😀

There are heaps of restaurant all over Kupang and you can get a decent meal for somewhere between 10-20,000 IDR (maybe more for meat)
Most places in Kupang, the food is pre cooked and I would recommend eating early in the day when the food is still fresh, or at night when dinner is cooked.

Kupang is busiest at night when the streets are packed with food vendors. The food options are quite different in the morning and at night.

Water

There is a small shop across the road from the beach where you land your dinghy, where you can buy drinking water. From the street you can see the Ultra red Water-maker. We payed 6,000 IDR per 20L jerry-can.
Leva your jerry-cans with them, and come back later when they are full. (“Jam berapa?” means, what time.)

Diesel

There is a Pertamina fuel station right in front of the beach. The best option is to bring your jerry-cans directly to the pump to avoid the fee of a middle man or the doubt whether you will get the right fuel or not. Dexlite is available at 9,500/L and Pertamina Dex at 11,000/L as of Oct 2021. Foreigners are not permitted to buy Solar from the station.