Getting to the Mentawais is simpler than it looks, and we handle most of it for you. This covers the practical things worth sorting before you fly.
Entry requirements: check the official source
Indonesian visa and entry rules change, sometimes at short notice, and they differ by nationality. We are a surf company, not an immigration service, so please treat this section as a starting point only and confirm the current requirements with the official Indonesian immigration authority or your own government's travel advice before you book flights. Getting this wrong at the airport is the one mistake we cannot fix from a boat.
In general terms, most visitors need either a visa on arrival or an electronic visa, obtained before or on arrival depending on nationality, and passports typically need at least six months validity remaining with blank pages available. Some travellers are asked to show onward travel. Rules on extensions vary. All of that is exactly the sort of detail that shifts, so verify it rather than trusting any blog, including this one.
Flights
For the charters and the Mentawai camps you are heading for Padang (airport code PDG) in West Sumatra. There are no direct international flights, so you connect through Jakarta, or sometimes Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. Give yourself a comfortable buffer on the connection: domestic delays are normal and missing the boat departure is a genuinely expensive mistake.
For Jenny's Bamboo Surfcamp at Krui you fly instead to Bandar Lampung in South Sumatra, and a camp taxi brings you the rest of the way up the coast.
Book flights that land the day before your trip starts where you can. An overnight in Padang is cheap insurance against a delayed connection, and it means you start the trip rested instead of straight off a red-eye.
Getting to the islands
On a charter, we collect you from Padang and you leave from the harbour, usually in the evening, crossing overnight so you wake up in the islands. For Sunset Surf Villas it is the Mentawai Fast ferry from Padang to Tuapejat, roughly a three-hour crossing, then a short boat to the villa. We coordinate transfers and ferry tickets either way. There is more detail in our getting there guide.
Money
Bring cash in Indonesian rupiah, and bring enough for the whole trip. Once you leave the mainland there are no ATMs and card payment is of limited use. Withdraw or exchange in Padang or at the airport before you head out. Budget for the Mentawai surf tax, tips for the crew if you would like to, and anything you plan to buy locally. Our cost guide covers what sits inside and outside the trip price.
Connectivity
Expect very little, and enjoy it. An Indonesian SIM bought in Padang will give you patchy coverage in places, and some camps have WiFi, but on a boat in the middle of the archipelago you should plan for none at all. Tell people at home you will be off-grid rather than promising daily updates, and download anything you want to read or listen to before you leave the mainland.
Health and insurance
Speak to a travel clinic well before you fly about routine vaccinations and any malaria guidance for the region, since that advice depends on where exactly you are going and on your own medical history. Bring any prescription medication in its original packaging with enough for the trip plus a buffer.
The one thing we will push you on: get travel insurance that explicitly covers surfing, and read the policy wording rather than the summary page. Many standard policies exclude it. You will be hours from proper medical care, and evacuation is expensive. This is the cheapest peace of mind you can buy for a trip like this.
On the ground
- Language: Bahasa Indonesia. Our crew speak English, and a few words of Indonesian go a long way with everyone else.
- Power: Indonesian sockets are type C and F, 230V. Bring an adapter and a power bank.
- Water: drink the bottled or filtered water provided rather than tap water.
- Respect: the Mentawais have their own culture and the villages are not a tourist attraction. Dress modestly ashore and ask before photographing people.
What we take care of
Airport transfers, boat and ferry logistics, accommodation, meals and getting you to the waves. Your job is flights, insurance, entry requirements and packing sensibly. Send us your flight details once they are booked and we will build the rest of the journey around them.