Mudik by Wooden Boat to Bekasi: Free from Traffic Jams, Cheap, but Full of Risks
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Affordability and freedom from traffic jams are key considerations for some residents of Cilincing, North Jakarta, who choose to use wooden boats for mudik to their hometowns or back to their places of work, rather than land routes.
Most of them use wooden boats to head to Muara Gembong, Bekasi Regency, West Java.
One mudik traveller named Marjuki (43) chose to return home by wooden boat from Muara Gembong to Cilincing to avoid traffic jams.
“Yes, both on the way there and now on the way back, I took this (wooden boat) just to avoid the congestion,” said Marjuki when interviewed by Kompas.com at the location on Thursday (26/3/2026).
Marjuki’s mudik journey via sea tends to be faster, taking only about 1 to 1.5 hours, compared to more than three hours via land routes.
Owner of the wooden boat Kasna (45) said that her traditional vehicle remains a favourite among mudik travellers because the journey is traffic-free.
“Because this is the only access that’s rarely congested; if going by land, it’s jammed,” said Kasna when interviewed by Kompas.com at Cakung Drain Dock in Cilincing on Tuesday (17/3/2026).
Meanwhile, if taking the land route, mudik travellers have to spend around three to four hours due to detours and getting stuck in traffic jams.
Another mudik traveller, Nurjanah (52), also acknowledged that her mudik journey to Muara Gembong is faster when using a boat.
“Yes, it’s faster than by land. By land it’s actually quick too, but only if there’s no traffic,” she said when interviewed at the location on Tuesday.
Nurjanah hopes that the wooden boats can be maintained because they always serve as a reliable option for her and the residents of Muara Gembong to return to their village every year.
Another mudik traveller, Wardanu (35), also relies on wooden boats from Cakung Drain in Cilincing when heading back to his village in Muara Gembong.
He wants to save energy and avoid congestion on the Pantura route.