Weh Island : The Perfect Place To Spend Your Holiday In Aceh

Weh Island with Sabang as the capital lies at the west of Sumatra Islands and have wonderful panorama. The island covers 156.3 km and surrounded by mountains and beaches. Anyone who visits this island will adore it. The island has direct boarder to Hindia Ocean and the sea around it has lot marine nature. That is why local government preserves the existence of the marine life. Special thing you can enjoy besides natural scenery is food stalls that sell coffee. Coffee from Aceh is so famous around the world because it has good aroma. You only need to pay IDR3.000 or US$0.3 per glass. So, when you come there, don’t forget to drink it.

Pictures Imornesia.wordpress.com

Location

To reach Sabang, you can go with speed boat and it takes 45 minutes. The speed boat is available twice a day, Pulo Rondo and Bahari Express boat at 08.00 and 16.00 local time. For those who want to bring the vehicles, such as a car or motorcycle, they can take slow boat and it will take around 3 hours. The Bahari Express boat provides you two classes, economic class and business class. The business class is completed by air conditioner, but the economic class uses natural ventilation. Or, you can go from Ulee Iheue Port in Banda Aceh to Balohan Sabang Port by ferry. It will take 1 hour. After you arrive at Balohan Sabang Port, you can take a taxi. In Sabang, you cannot find any public transportation. That is why most of travelers rent a car or motorcycle. 

Activities

Waiting sunset or spending your time at your balcony room is thing you can do when you visit Weh Island. The wave of water is higher at evening. So, if you are not too familiar to the beach you better keep distance of water. You can snorkel there if you love to. There are many operators provide you snorkeling and diving equipment. So, you don’t have to worry about it. Actually, Weh Island is also has many favorite diving spots in Indonesia. And the marine life there is so beautiful because it has incredible diversity of water. You can see colorful coral reefs and fishes swim around you. The atmosphere of beach becomes more crowded at weekend and holiday

Accommodations

When you come to Weh Island, you can stay overnight at hotel. There is Sumur Tiga which is can be reached around 15 minutes from Sabang City. The concept of the hotel is natural because it uses woods and the wall is made from bamboo. Every room is completed by big ventilation to maximize the current of air into the room. The room doesn’t have air conditioner but it has beautiful panorama outside. You still can enjoy the music or wave water at night. 

Actually there are two types of hotel, standard room and cottage. Standard room is completed by queen bed, fan, and mosquitoes net. Besides the cottage are completed by queen bed, mosquitoes net, fan, dispenser, bathroom with bath up, balcony and hammock. It is a perfect place to relax. This hotel also has a restaurant to provide you local dishes, fried rice, fried noodle or seafood. There is Casenemo near its motel and Sabang Hills Hotel which is located at Sultan Islandar Muda Street, Sabang City, Aceh Province.
The price ranging from IDR500,000 to IDR1,000,000 per night or US$50 – US$100 per night for exclusive class. There, you can enjoy the view from the hill with calm and fresh air. The blue water of the beach mixed by red color gradation of sky will give spoil your eyes. That means the time for swimming is over. After that, you can enjoy your dinner in the restaurant.

When you come to Weh Island, you can go to Tugu Nol Kilometer or Zero Kilometer Monument which is situated around 8 km west of Iboih. Your holiday will be more complete when you visit Weh Island.

Mentawai Islands, the Most Beautiful Isolated Islands in West Sumatra

Mentawai Islands are one of the most isolated islands in West Sumatra, Indonesia. They are underdeveloped islands. When visiting this island, you will not easily find any modern buildings such as skyscraper buildings, beautiful houses, shopping malls, theme parks, and many more. The islands are remote, and therefore it is difficult to come in and out of the islands. Mentawai people rarely keep in touch with the outside world because of the remote position. 
The islands are still surrounded by tropical rainforest and wild jungle. The wild nature, however, create a panoramic beauty to the islands. Especially, the relationship among the people and the forests are very strong. The people treasure the forests very much. No wonder, a strong spiritual bound among create harmony.  

Pictures Mentawaiblog.blogspot.com

Location

Mentawai Islands are situated at the West coast of Sumatra. The islands comprise for municipalities. They are Sipora, Siberut, South Pagai and North Pagai. To reach the islands, you can fly by Sebaung Merauke Air. The airplane flies from Padang to the islands. It takes about 30 minutes flying from Padang. You can book first when you are about to fly to the islands. Other than airplane, you can go to the island by ferry. The ferry also departs from Padang. However, the ferry can’t operate any time. The departure depends on weather conditions. At the moment you arrive on the islands, you will see white coral beaches and thick rainforests. You’ll be amazed by the beauty of the islands.  

Activities

 There are many activities you can do in Mentawai Islands. The first one is surely surfing. There are many surfing spots you can try here. Surfing can be done throughout the year. This is because the water is perfect, the barrels are incredible and not too crowded. Another activity you can do is trekking. When doing this activity, you’ll see a magnificent jungle landscape. You can also try to paddle pirogues, i.e. traditional boats used by local people. Most travellers also love learning ancient traditions of the local people. They tend to absorb in the culture, such as seeing a shaman cure illness of a patient. Other interesting activities that most travellers do are snorkeling and diving. Ecotourism is also a popular activity here. Travellers can see rare primates and natural rainforest.  

Accommodations

If you decide to spend the night on the islands, you can choose to stay in Muara Siberut. Most travellers like to stay in the local people’s house. They sleep on the floor together with the family in which they stay. The rate for payment definitely depends on the negotiation. It is difficult to find a restaurant, hence, it is recommended that you bring enough food. However, if you don’t like staying in one of the local people’s house, you can stay in luxurious resorts, such as Mentawai Resorts or Siloinak resorts. Otherwise, you can simply set a tent around the villages.  

Mentawai is an archipelago which has so many interesting cultures. The local tradition makes the island so attractive and therefore, it is not a waste visiting the beautiful Mentawai Islands.

Batanta Island, the Virgin Island in Raja Ampat, West Papua

Batanta Island is one of the most fascinating islands in West Papua. The island is like a virgin island because there are still many areas of the island waiting for exploration. The island is blanketed with pristine rainforest. Hence, it is one of the islands in West Papua that is valuable to be explored. The island is not too large. Even, you can see the mountains which are near the coast. You can easily access the mountain from the beach. If you want to explore the entire island, you can even travel by boat. The boat can take you to the inside of the island through the river. The people of Batanta still firmly hold their traditional way of life, including their traditional architecture and their daily life principle.

Location

Batanta Island is situated in the west of Sorong, the mainland city near Raja Ampat. The island is one the four main islands in the archipelago of Raja Ampat.  The area of Batanta is about 453 km² with the highest point reaches 1184 m. You can reach the island by sea transportation. However, reaching the island is quite difficult. This is actually an irony, as in fact, there are many Pelni Ships travelling to Sorong from ternate. The Pelni Ships even sail really close along the southern coast of the island. However, it is hardly difficult to find a boat that is willing to stop by Batanta. There are only a few odd Perintis ships as well as boats stop by. The only easiest way to reach the island is by renting a cheaper boat from Sorong.

Activities

As the island is like a virgin island, there are many exciting activities you can do here. Most activities are actually suitable for those who love exploration. Among the activities you can do include, hiking, bird-watching, diving and snorkeling. For hikers, Batanta offers exciting prospects. Recreational hiking is surely unknown here as the area around the mountain has not been developed optimum. However, you can ask local people there to guide you to do bird-watching in the forest. Bird-watching is an interesting activity as you can find various species of birds, including sulphur-crested cockatoos, palm cockatoo and cassowary. For diving and snorkeling, there are many good spots available. Nevertheless, the only place equipped with diving facilities is the only resort in the island. Thus, only guests are welcomed to dive with them

Accommodations

You can stay at Seahorse Paradise Resort when you visit the island. The resort is owned by a Hungarian. It lies in the northeastern coast of Batanta. This is the only resort in Batanta. Although it is the only resort, the facilities here are complete. Visitors will be served with exclusive facilities. The resort provides cruise ships to dive and all facilities to dive for visitors. Apart from the resort, visitors can also stay in bungalows around Batanta. The bungalows cannot be booked online as they are managed by local people.

Travelling to the island will give you the most exciting experience in your life. You will have an unforgettable experience in this incredible Batanta Island.

Wayag Island, an Island in Raja Ampat with Diverse Species

Wayag Island is one of the most beautiful islands in Raja Ampat. The island has many beautiful spots, such atolls and underwater spots. The total area of the island is about  155,000 hectares. In this island, you can find pristine beaches with incredibly unique karst islands. The karst island is like mushrooms sprouting out of the sea water. 
The panorama of the island is so amazing that you feel like you are in heaven. The flora and the fauna are diverse that you feel like you can’t count how many they are. The beautiful scenery of the island is not just on its surface but also in its underwater. When you do water activities here, you’ll see how amazing the underwater life in this island is.

Pictures Anditomato.blogspot.com

Location

Wayag Island is situated in the West Waigeo area, Raja Ampat. Precisely, the island is in the nortwest of Papua Island. To reach the island, you should go by boat from Sorong. Book a flight to Sorong first when you want to visit the island. Sorong is the main gate to the islands of Raja Ampat. You can fly by several airplanes such as Express Air, Merpati Air or Lion Air to Sorong. 

The various flights enable you to come to Sorong more easily. Having arrived at Sorong, you can then go by boat from Port Sorong. The boats are varied, such as Sinabung, Labobar, Dorolonda, Gunung Dempo and Tatamailau.The boat will take you to Waisai within about two hours. From Waisai, you can continue your journey by rental long boat for about Rp6,000,000 ($550).

Activities

The most interesting activities you can do in Wayag Island is diving and snorkeling. You can dive in many dive spots. You’ll see various colorful coral reefs species when diving. Also, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery complete with its fish species, such as jacks, barracudas, wobbegong sharks, bumphead parrotfish, sea fans and pigmy seahorses. 
If you love photography, this is the best chance to take the most amazing pictures in this dive spot. The dive spots you can try include Biak Diving and Papua Diving Sorido Bay Resort and Kri Eco Resort. You can also enjoy the beautiful atolls in this island. Take the pictures as well and keep it as your most precious pictures.

Accommodations

Wayag Island does not have shelters to stay overnight. If you want to spend the night on this island, the best way is to find a homestay around the island or find a resort nearby, such as those in the Dampier area, i.e. Kri Eco Resort and Sorido Bay Resort. There are no restaurants in the island. Hence, you must bring enough food supply when visiting the island. You need to buy food in Dampier when you run out of food supply. Hence, when visiting the island, you need to carefully prepare everything well.  

Wayag Island is a remote island with the most fantastic view. Most tourists are interesting in visiting the island as it offers them the most amazing adventure or exploration. Hence, include this island in your travel plan when you are in West Papua.