Islands of Sumatra
Pulau Nias is 125km of the west coast of Sumatra and is the largest island off it's coast. Nias is 130km long and 45km wide, just smaller than Bali.
Legendary for surfing, this island once hosted a World Surfing Championship round. Reports are that the surfing is as good, if not better after the massive earthquake that caused the 2003 Tsunami. It's reported that vast sections of the reef have lifted 1m or more. Various sections which were submerged are now sticking out of the water. The surfing conditions are best between April and October.
The population is estimated to be around 500,000 people on Nias Island. The capital of Nias is Gunung Sitoli. The airport is located 19km from Gunung Sitoli and the sea port is 5km.
As Nias is difficult to get to it was cut off from Sumatra for several centuries, developing it's own distinctive culture. The Niassian people have an interesting history of animism and ancestor worship. "Rumah adat' - old stone carvings as well as monolithic free standing stones can be found around the central part of Nias island. Some of these date back to over 3000 years old, the oldest found in Indonesia. The village of Holi has an old 'big house' with pyramidal tombs commemerating the great ancestral chiefs.
Off the coast of Nias lie 2 other islands - Pulau Bawa and Pulau Aru. Pulau Bawa is excellent for surfing and can be accessed via the public ferry. It's a 2 hour ferry ride from Nias.
There is no public ferry to Pulau Aru but you can charter a boat from either Nias or Bawa. This island has some great left hand reef breaks.
You can fly or catch a ferry to Nias. Ferries leave from Sibolga and the journey takes 8 to 13 hours depending on the weather. The ferry is run by Pelni which is a government run company. Check out their basic website for the ferry details www.pelni.com
Malaria has been reported on Pulau Nias so take precautions if visiting.
Hotels on Nias Island
The majority of the accommodation on Nias is very basic. There are some nice bungalows right on the beach.
Sorake Beach Resort
Sea Breeze Hotel
Risky Hotel
Magdalena Hotel
The Lantana Inn
Olayama Hotel
Sun Beach Hotel
Pulau Nasi - Sumatra
Pulau Nasi is an island just north of Aceh 15km away from Banda Aceh. If you are visiting Pulau Weh you will only be able to charter a boat directly to Pulau Nasi. It will be cheaper to catch the ferry back to Banda Aceh and get one of the public ferries to Pulau Nasi.
There are 3 small villages on the island. The main entry point by boat is the Ulee Lheue harbour.
Malaria is common on the islands off the coast of Aceh so make sure you take precautions, malaria tablets or lots of mosquito repellent.
The Australian Red Cross and Indonesian NGOs help restore many homes on Pulay Nasi after the tsunami in 2004.
Accommodation on Pulua Nasi
Only basic accommodation can be found on Pulau Nasi. Some of local may be able to put you up if you ask nicely!
Mentawai Islands - Sumatra
The Mentawai Islands are located approximately 100 miles off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia's northern most and largest island, and the port city of Padang, launching point for ferry travel and Mentawai surf charters.
There are 4 main islands in the archipelago, the largest Siberut, Sipura, North and South Pagai and numerous smaller islands surrounding these.
The recent discovery of world-class surf in the Mentawai archipelago and subsequent exposure of images of the region in international surf media has pushed the archipelago to the brink of an explosion of surfing tourism development. Foreign tourism operators in the area are, however, aware of the potential for negative impacts upon the local environment, culture, social fabric, and economy if tourism is allowed to develop unchecked. For this reason, attempts are being made from within the surfing tourism industry, as well as from local government, to manage surfing tourism development. In an effort to minimise the exploitation of this sovereign area and to build sustainable tourism, surf travel is nearly completely restricted to authorised surf charter companies. See surfing Sumatra.
You can either catch an overnight ferry across to the Mentawai Islands from the seaport in Padang or you can fly by Mentawai Air - a 45 minute flight.
Surfing Tours of the Mentawai Islands
There are a number of surfing companies that have live on boats to take you to the best surf locations around the Mentawai Islands. Contact these companies for more information about their tours:
Surging Waters provides Mentawai Islands surf charters in Sumatra Indonesia on Kaimana, a luxury 80ft surf charter boat. From only US$2300 for 10 full days surfing the best waves on the planet. Group discounts available. www.surgingwaters.com
Places to stay
There are some great villas located on Mentawai catering for surfers including Katiet Villas located in Katiet village. Located on the beach and only 120m paddle out to some great surf breaks.
Kandui Resorts is a new upmarket resort in the Mentawai Islands. With 7 traditional 2 room thatched houses.
Pulau Siberut - Sumatra
Highlights: Siberut National Park
Siberut Island is the largest island of the Mentawai chain of islands off the west coast of Sumatra. Muarasiberut is the port town on Siberut and the only town of significance on the island. The main reason for going to Siberut is for jungle trekking and meeting with the Mentawais people.
You will need to catch a ferry from Padang across to the Pulau Siberut, a 15 hour trip. Depending on weather conditions, sometimes of the year the ferry does not run.
Two thirds of the island is covered in rainforest which offers difficult but rewarding trekking. The island is also surrounded by spectacular coral reefs.
You will need to bring Indonesian Rupiah with you as there are no banks or ATM facilities on the island.
Siberut is home to the 30,000 Mentawais people who still live throughout the chain of islands. The Mentawais people been living in the forests of the islands in similar style for thousands of years, using stone tools and hunting for their food in the forest.
It is believed that the Mentawais people migrated down to these islands from Nias but remained isolated for centuries until discovered by the Dutch in around 1621. In the late 19th century the Dutch permitted Protestant missionaries to visit the island to try to convert them to Christianity. Sir Stamford Raffles described the Mentawais as the most content people in the world, far less spoiled than his own society.
The Mentawais men generally wear loin clothes and the women need to be covered from their waist down covering their legs with sarongs but wearing nothing to cover their breasts. The men decorate their bodies and faces with tattoos.
The Mentawais hunt for monkeys as a food source and then use the skulls of the monkeys to decorate the outside of their houses. Once the skulls are placed on the houses it is forbidden to touch them. Touching these skulls brings disrespect and misfortune to the families that live within that house.
They have a strong culture of song and dance, their particular favorite is the monkey dance which impersonates the actions of the forest monkeys.
Although many of the Mentawais have converted to Christianity or Islam many still practice the original religion which was a form of animism which worships nature spirits as well as believing in ghosts and a soul. The main nature spirits that are worshipped are the sky, sea, jungle, earth and river spirits. Of the river spirits there are 2, the Ina Oinan (mother of rivers) which is benevolent and Kameinan (father's sister) which is evil.
Siberut National Park takes up most of the western part of Siberut Island. Home to various types of monkeys and gibbon species as well as some small tribes of Mentawai people.
Hotels on Siberit Island
Batam Island
Highlights - Ferry from Singapore, ferry to Sumatra, ferry from Malaysia, Airlines to Batam, shopping,
Pulau Batam is closer to Singapore than Sumatra. Part of the Riau Islands, a province of Sumatra, a good entry point into Indonesia with ferries or flights to Sumatra. A ferry can be caught from Singapore to Batam in 45 minutes with on going ferries to Dumai, Bintan, Pekanbaru and Medan in Sumatra.
Batam has a growing number of quiet, beautiful beach resorts and golf clubs to go and relax. These are located away from the main town of Nagoya where the main nightlife and entertainment are (see below for details).
Development on Batam has been fast over the last 10 years building hotels, resorts and golf courses competing against Bintan Island, another Indonesian Island neighboring Singapore.
Nagoya City
The main town of Batam is Nagoya which has a good night life of restaurants, bars and massage centres. Nagoya was formerly known as 'Lubuk Baja' which means 'Pirates Waterhole'!
There is a buddhist temple on the southern outskirts of Nagoya called Vihara Budhi Buddhist Temple.
Many places accept Singapore dollars as easily has Indonesian Rupiah as well as many banks and foreign exchange/money changers within Nagoya with competitive exchange rates.
Batam's seaports of Batam Centre, Batu Ampar, Nongsa and Sekupang are exempt for the 100,000Rp exit tax out of Indonesia though there is a S$2 harbour tax which is applied to your ferry ticket. The new airport, Hang Nadim International airport now recieves international flights to and from Kuala Lumpur though all over flights are internal to Indonesia. For airlines that fly into Batam check out the Getting there by plane section.
There are various departures of ferries across to Pulau Bintan, starting at 8am and finishing at 5.15pm. The trip takes around 45 minutes.
The majority of the nightlife is consolidated in a few streets in the center of Nagoya with numerous pubs like The Last Pub, Classic's Pub and Ice Bar. Most of the larger hotels have a disco or karaoke bar. For more information about the nightlife in Batam visit the Batam Adults Only Entertainment page.
The Pacific Hotel, 5 minutes by taxi from the centre of Nagoya has a large, loud nightclub, Entry costs 40,000Rp which includes one drink.
There are lots and lots of shopping malls all over Nagoya and other parts of Batam. One of the largest is the Nagoya Hill Shopping Mall which is huge with 3 levels of lots of shops selling everything from clothes, jeans, lingerie, jewelry, handbags and electronics items. On the second level is large Matihari Department store.
There is a great selection of places to eat in Batam. Everything from Indonesian food from different regions including great Padang food, as well as many restaurants from around the world. Batam, being an island also has a great selection of fresh seafood.
Kazu Japanese Restaurant is a sensational Japanese restaurant located within Nagoya. It is very plain on the outside within a office block complex at Complex Hamoni, Blok B 1-2. Ph: (0778) 332 743. It may be plain on the outside though it has some fantastic Japanese decor on the inside including traditional private rooms with the sunken table where you dangle your legs under the table. The prices are reasonable and has a great selection of sake.
Sa Rang Bang Korean Restaurant is located in the rear of Harmoni Hotel.
Massage centres and spas
There are many massage centers around Nagoya. Some are pure professional and others a little dodgy. I was recommended by a number of locals the Sport Massage Centre and Spa and had a massage there which was one of the best I've ever had. For a traditional massage it is 90,000Rp for one hour or 120,000Rp for 1.5 hours. It is located a few minutes walk from the Goodway Hotel on Jl. Imam Bonjol.
Win's Spa is a spa centre just for women offering hair dressing, facial treatments, manicures, pedicures and waxing. Located just behind the Harmoni Hotel in Nagoya. www.winsspa.inbatam.net
Isabella Massage House right next to the Matahari Mall offers Balinese traditional massage, body scubs and combination massage. A 2 hour Balinese massage is 120,000Rp (US$11) www.isabellamassagehouse.com
Tempat Senang is a luxury resort/spa set in the hills close to Indah Puri Golf Club. Accommodation and spa packages start from S$330 www.tempatsenang.com
At Waterfront City you can have a half-day package (up to 4 hours) of action packed cable water skiing. Including lunch the packages are only 325,000Rp (US$34.75). You can contact the Cable Ski Park on Tel: +65 9487 5007 or www.cable-ski.com.
On the south sound of Batam Island is the Barelang Bridge built in 1992 connecting Batam to 5 smaller islands. As you enter the last bridge there is a historic site called Galang Refugee Camp. In 1979, 20,000 Vietnamese 'boat people' sailed from Vietnam seeking refuge in Indonesia. After numerous rejections they finally settled at this site which was recognised by the United Nations a refugee camp. For 19 years the refugees developed this area with there own church and temple. Many of the refugees gained entry to Australia or Canada while some were returned to Vietnam. The camp was closed down in 1995 though the camp remains untouched. Entry to the camp is 10,000Rp.
Just outside of this camp are many food stalls offering many different types of Indonesian snacks and drinks.
There are 6 golf course in Batam to choose from.
Indah Puri Golf Resort - 15 minutes from Sekupang or 25 minutes from Nagoya - http://www.indahpuri.com/
Batam Hills Golf Resort - Waterfront City -
Getting There
To and from Hang Nadim Airport and Nagoya will take about 20 -25 minutes in a taxi at a cost of up to 90,000Rp.
Hang Nadim Airport has free wireless internet access though at times it is very slow.
There is a 30,000Rp departure tax payable as you enter the departure gates for internal flights or 100,000Rp for international flights (to Kuala Lumpur)
The following are airlines with flights to and from Batam:
Mandala Air - fly to and from Balikpapan, Denpasar, Jakarta, Jogjakarta, Kupang, Medan, Padang, Pangkal Pinang, Pekanbaru, Pontianak, Semarang and Surabaya. www.mandalaair.com
Batavia Air has direct flights from Batam to Jakarta, Jogjakarta, Medan, Padang, Pekanbaru and Pontianak. www.batavia-air.co.id
Kartika Airlines have direct flights from Batam to Medan, Jambi, Jakarta, Palembang and Pangkal Pinang. www.kartika-airlines.com
Lion Air has connecting flights to over 30 destinations in Indonesia as well as connecting flights to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh City. www.lionair.co.id
Firefly is a new Malaysian budget airline flying between Malaysia and Sumatra. Firefly have direct flights from Batam to Subang Airport Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. www.fireflyz.com.my
Garuda, Riau Airlines and Kartika Airlines
Batam to Singapore Ferry
Ferries can be caught from Singapore to Batam, around a 45 minute trip. From Singapore's HarbourFront ferries go to Batam centre or Sekupang or Batam Waterfront. Ferries from Tanah Merah ferry port in Singapore go to Nongsapura Batam. Although Tanah Merah is the closest ferry port from Changi Airport, Nongsapura is the furthest away from the main town in Batam - Nagoya. Taxi's will charge 100,000Rp from Nongsapura to Nagoya. It is far better to get the ferry from one of the other Singapore ports and arrive closer to Nagoya or directly to Sekupang where ferries can be caught directly to Dumai in Sumatra.
There are several ferry operators to get from Singapore to Batam in Indonesia. There are multiple daily ferries from Singapore to Batam at a cost of around S$33 plus . The ferry takes about 45 minutes. The first ferry departs Singapore at 7.35am and the last departs 9.50pm. All Batam ports, namely Harbour Bay (Jodoh), Batam Centre, Nongsapura, Sekupang and Waterfront City (Teluk Senimba) are visa-on-arrival ports of entry.
A taxi from Batam Centre to Nagoya has a fixed price of 45,000rp and takes about 15 minutes.
Check out the below links for the departure times and prices:
From Batam a ferry can be caught from Sekupang port across to Dumai in Sumatra 7.30am daily or Batam to Medan weekly on Saturdays operated by Pelni Ships. Check with Pelni for the Batam to Medan as although they are weekly sometimes they do not run.
There are also regular ferries running between Johor Baru in Malaysia directly to Batam. Ferries run every hour between ZON Ferry Terminal Johor Baru and Batam Centre Ferry Terminal. For timetables check out ZON's website www.zon.com.my/ferry.html Prices are one way RM69 or RM110 for adults and RM46 one way or RM69 return for children (plus RM8 per person for ferry port tax).
It's fairly cheap to get around Batam by taxi or the many public buses. If you want to drive yourself or have a driver drive you around renting a car can also be fairly cheap at around US$45 per day.
Batam Transport at Batam Centre have a range of cars to hire on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Prices start from S$50 (US$33) just for the car though you will need an international drivers license or S$68 (US$45) which includes a driver with the car. batam_transport@yahoo.com.
Batam Car Rent Generally have larger cars, 4WDs and RV's which start from S$80 (US$52) for self drive or S$110 (US$72) including a driver. batamrentcar.com
Accommodation in Batam
Nagoya
Hotel Grand Palace (3 reviews) is located in central Nagoya, right next to the Entertainment district. All the rooms are air-conditioned with hot water showers. Prices from 100,000Rp. Click here for pictures, prices and contact details.
Regina Inn. (1 review) Budget hotel located right in the centre of Nagoya. Rooms from 110,000Rp. For pictures, prices and contact details click here.
Hotel Sindo Gemilang. (1 review) Budget hotel located right in the centre of Nagoya. Rooms from 120,000Rp. For pictures, prices and contact details click here.
New Star Hotel. A small budget hotel located in downtown Nagoya. Rooms from 120,000Rp. For pictures, prices and contact details click here.
Lai Lai Mutiara Hotel. (2 reviews) A modern budget hotel in downtown Nagoya with 57 standard and superior rooms. Accept VISA and Mastercard. Prices start from 125,000Rp. For pictures, prices and contact details click here.
Rama Hotel. A budget hotel with 29 rooms starting from 130,000Rp per night. For pictures, prices and contact details click here.
Orion Hotel. (1 review) Rooms from 120,000Rp. Located in the centre of Nagoya. For pictures, prices and contact details click here.
Holiday Hotel. A budget hotel in downtown Nagoya. Room prices from 150,000Rp+. For pictures, prices and contact details click here.
Horisona Hotel. Located in the centre of Nagoya single rooms from 175,000Rp. For pictures, prices and contact details click here.
Sari Jaya Hotel. Located in Nagoya's Business district, 30 minutes from Sekupang Pier and 35 minutes from Hang Nadim Airport. Rooms start at 185,000Rp. For pictures, prices and contact details click here.
Grand Park Hotel. (1 review) A modern hotel, built in 2000 right next door to Planet Holiday in downtown Nagoya. Rooms from 188,000Rp. For pictures, prices and contact details click here.
Golden Virgo Hotel (3 reviews) A comfortable clean hotel with rooms from 210,000Rp or S$35. For photos and contact details click here.
Triniti Boutique Hotel and Spa (2 reviews) Hotel and a relaxing spa for massage and relaxation. Rooms from S$39 per night. For photos and contact details click here.
Hotel Seruni. (1 review) A 3 star hotel in down town Nagoya with disco, 24 hour room service. Prices for rooms start at S$43 or 264,000Rp. For pictures, prices and contact details click here.
Formosa Hotel (3 reviews) prices from S$55 or 369,500Rp per night, in the centre of Nagoya, Batam. The hotel has wireless WiFi internet hotspots available in public areas. For contact details, prices and pictures click here.
Puri Garden Hotel. Located in central Nagoya with touch of Balinese Style Hotel. 144 rooms starting from S$73 per night. For photos, pictures and contact details click here.
Novotel Batam A 254 room 4 star hotel. Rates from 435000 Rp. Bookings can be made directly with the hotel click here.
i Hotel. The newest hotel in Nagoya, located next to Nagoya Hill Shopping Centre. Prices start from S$77 per night. For pictures, prices and contact details click here.
Goodway Hotel. (1 review) A modern hotel with 273 rooms and suites with aircon, mini bar, international TV channels, wireless internet access and swimming pool. Rooms from 480,000Rp or S$108. For pictures, prices and contact details click here.
Harmoni Hotel. In downtown Nagoya, a hotel with swimming pool. fitness centre. Rooms starting from S$89+ or 548,000Rp+ by internet booking. For pictures, prices and contact details click here.
Beach Resorts in Nongsa
Batam View Beach Resort - 2010 Room rates start from S$140 weekdays and S$170 weekends plus taxes www.batamview.com
Other resorts
Tempat Senang, close to Sekapung, in the hills overlooking the Puri Indah Golf Club is an oasis in Batam, Tempat Senang luxury resort/spa. A choice of 4 different styled rooms, China, India, Indonesian and Thai. Spa and accommodation packages start from S$330. www.tempatsenang.com
For more information about Batam and the other Riau Islands check out WalkaboutIndonesia - Riau Islands.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar