Mentawai Guides
Everything you need to plan the trip.
Straight-talking guides to surfing the Mentawai Islands and South Sumatra, written by a family that has spent its life on these waters.
Choosing your trip
Surf charter or surf camp?
Boat or beach. What each is actually like, and what you give up with either.
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Choosing your boat
Ombak Kabau or Odyssey Mentawai?
A straight comparison of our two charters, including where people get it wrong.
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Before you book
Is the Mentawai right for me?
The surfing level these reefs really ask for, who thrives and who should wait.
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Bringing the family to the Mentawais
It works, if you pick a camp rather than a boat. What suits families and what does not.
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Planning & budget
What a Mentawai surf trip costs
What is included, what is extra, and what pushes the price up or down.
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Planning & value
Surfing the Mentawais without overpaying
The genuinely affordable camp, why shoulder season is the lever, and how to compare quotes properly.
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Season
The best time to surf the Mentawai Islands
Peak season, shoulder months and the swell-versus-crowds trade-off, month by month.
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The Waves
A guide to the Mentawai surf spots
The regions, the famous breaks and which waves suit which surfer.
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Travel
How to get to the Mentawai Islands
Flights to Padang, the overnight charter crossing, the fast ferry, and reaching Krui.
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Planning & kit
What to pack for a Mentawai surf trip
Boards, fins, reef kit and the things people wish they had brought.
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Planning & travel
Mentawai travel basics
Flights, transfers, entry requirements, money, connectivity and health.
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