Visiting Pasar Induk Kramat Jati in Jakarta

The Complete Guide to Pasar Induk Kramat Jati – Jakarta’s largest fruit and vegetable market.

Induk Kramat Jati Market is one of Jakarta’s most impressive traditional markets located in the southeast portion of the city. If you’re visiting Jakarta, consider visiting Pasar Induk Kramat Jati if you want to see a massive selection of local fruits and vegetables. This is the ‘mother-of-all’ produce markets in the city.

Pasar Induk Kramat Jati has a wide selection of fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices. It is open 24 hours a day due to the continuous shipments being made.

Due to its location in southern Jakarta, it receives very few foreign visitors. This fact makes a visit to Pasar Induk Kramat Jati an authentic experience for visitors who are willing to visit very local, ‘non-touristy’ attractions.

Pasar Induk Kramat Jati is so massive that it seems to continue on forever, and ever.

You could easily spend a few hours here walking around checking out what the locals are selling. The selection of fruits and vegetables is very impressive.  As you walk through the market you will pass large produce that workers are transferring into boxes for shipments to other markets and grocery stores throughout Jakarta.

Similar to other produce markets in Jakarta, don’t expect Pasar Induk Kramat Jati to be the cleanest place in the city.

But it is surprisingly organized.  

As you walk through Pasar Induk Kramat Jati it is obvious that locals manage a specific section of floor space. In other words, some market employees might only deal with pineapples whereas other might only work with dragon fruit. After the boxes are packed and weighed, eventually they get moved to the edges of the market and later placed on trucks for shipment.

Pasar Induk Kramat Jati is best described as a wholesale market.

When you are shopping at Pasar Induk Kramat Jati you might find that some vendors simply won’t sell you anything even if you want to buy something.  

This is because many of them won’t sell their product unless you are trying to buy at least 5 kg of a specific fruit or vegetable.  

As you walk through Pasar Induk Kramat Jati the workers will ask you if you would like to buy their product, but due to the language barrier, what they really mean is, “Would you like to buy 5 kg’s or more of my product?”

It is still possible to buy smaller quantities than 5 kg at Pasar Induk Kramat Jati, but 95% of the market workers won’t sell you small amounts.

Prices at Pasar Induk Kramat Jati are very cheap in comparison to grocery stores and most roadside stalls throughout Jakarta. Again, this has to do with buying in bulk. The workers at Pasar Induk Kramat Jati are looking to get rid of large quantities of fresh produce.  Therefore, it probably isn’t worth selling visitors 2 or 3 oranges if they could pack and sell a big box with 500 during the same amount of time, right?

Buying produce might be only a secondary reason for visitors to visit Pasar Induk Kramat Jati.  An hour walk throughout the market is an excellent cultural lesson. The market is so large that it is like a mini city, or an ecosystem of its own.

Pasar Induk Kramat Jati is a very, very interesting place to visit in Jakarta if you aren’t afraid of getting a bit dirty when you travel.

Frontier travelers will love the authentic feel of the market – far removed from excessive tourism.

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JTG Insider Tip: Pasar Induk Kramat Jati – A Mini City within a Large City

Pasar Induk Kramat Jati could indeed be called a mini-city due to its massive size and highly populated workforce. There are literally, hundreds upon hundreds of Indonesian workers throughout the market.  Some will be sleeping or resting in tiny spaces whereas others will be loading large produce boxes onto trucks for delivery.

As you walk through Pasar Induk Kramat Jati you always have to be aware of your surroundings because workers can sneak up on you as they push or pull large carts stacked with produce boxes.

You can even find the odd vendor selling sim cards and memory cards at Pasar Induk Kramat Jati.  In other words, there are so many people that work there that tiny secondary businesses have been set up to service the market employees.  

Pasar Induk Kramat Jati is not a tourist magnet by any means.

Instead, it’s very obvious that very few foreign tourists have ever visited there before.  This is what makes it a rewarding experience if you are not from Indonesia. Some of the locals will surely ask you for a picture to be taken with them, or someone will approach you and try to chat in broken English.

The workers are quite fascinated by the presence of foreigners, in a good way.

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What is around Pasar Induk Kramat Jati in Jakarta?

Pasar Induk Kramat Jati is located about 17.5 km south of the Monas. Therefore, it quite far away from most museums and attractions in central Jakarta.

If you are shopping at Pasar Induk Kramat Jati then two of the closest shopping malls that you might want to explore are Tamini Square and Lippo Mall Kramat Jati.

It is also conveniently located close to Halim Perdanakusuma Airport.

There are very few accommodation choices near Pasar Induk Kramat Jati. This isn’t a real nice area to stay.

You are better off staying at Hotel Santika TMII. This is probably the best hotel in this area of Jakarta.

Two of the most popular attractions in southern Jakarta are Ragunan Zoo and Taman Mini. Highly consider visiting these while you are in the south to make your trip more efficient.

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The Pro’s and Con’s of Visiting the Pasar Induk Kramat Jati

Why you should visit the Pasar Induk Kramat Jati in Jakarta?

Pasar Induk Kramat Jati is one Jakarta’s best preserved traditional markets.

You shouldn’t only want to visit the market because you want to buy something. It is an authentic cultural experience as well.

You will learn a lot about the produce industry and the work that goes into shipping fruits, veggies, herbs and spices around Jakarta.

If you do want to buy large quantities or fruits or vegetables this is one of, if not the best market to do so in all of Jakarta. The prices here are very cheap in comparison to most places in Jakarta because you have to buy in bulk and by doing so you will get a wholesale price as a reward.

It is the distribution center for produce in Jakarta.

Why you might not want to visit the Pasar Induk Kramat Jati in Jakarta?

Like most markets in Jakarta, Pasar Induk Kramat Jati isn’t the cleanest place for sightseeing.

Expect dirty floors and lots of traffic throughout the market, with workers shipping goods to nearby transport trucks. Many of the employees will smoke cigarettes as they work, so if you’re sensitive to smoke try to avoid narrow paths throughout the market.

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JTG Insider Tip: Getting into Pasar Induk Kramat Jati

When you are planning your visit to Pasar Induk Kramat Jati be sure to think about your arrival time.  The area around the market can get really busy and heavy traffic jams are common.

Once you arrive at Pasar Induk Kramat Jati you might want to ask your driver to drop you off before the entrance gate to avoid unnecessary parking charges.

From the gate, it literally only takes about 1 minute to walk to the market.  If you do plan on buying large quantities of fruits or vegetables then make sure that you have arranged for a vehicle to pick you up.

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Our Opinion – Visiting the Pasar Induk Kramat Jati in Jakarta

Pasar Induk Kramat Jati could be one of the true ‘hidden gems’ in Jakarta.

The selection is exceptional.  The quality is excellent. The prices are cheap, and the market is massive.

Pasar Induk Kramat Jati is so large that it has developed its own ‘market’ culture.  It is not ‘touristy’ by any means. Actually, it’s the complete opposite. Very few workers will speak English there, but they are still warm and up for having some fun with you as you walk throughout the market.  

If you are serious about buying stuff at Pasar Induk Kramat Jati then make sure that you have a car that you can place your fruits and veggies in.  The crates that they sell are quite large and impossible to bring on a bus or train.

It is very possible to spend over 2 hours just browsing around the different piles of produce.  

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JTG Insider Tip: Pasar Induk Kramat Jati and Taman Mini Indonesia

As you head further south in Jakarta, attractions spread out more and more making it challenging to develop efficient travel itineraries.

Fortunately, Taman Mini Indonesia, one of Jakarta’s largest tourist attractions, is not far from Pasar Induk Kramat Jati.

Therefore, if you are visiting one of these attractions you might also want to consider going to the other during the same day to cut down your transit time in Jakarta’s traffic. Ragunan Zoo is also not too far away from Pasar Induk Kramat Jati but it is still quite a bit farther than Taman Mini.

It might be challenging seeing all three of these in one day. Therefore, it might be a wiser decision to see Kemang and Ragunan Zoo on one day, and then Pasar Induk Kramat Jati and Taman Mini Indonesia on the next day.

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10 Closest Hotels to Pasar Induk Kramat in Jakarta

***Organized according to Star Rating