Mentawai Islands

The Mentawai chain - Siberut, Sipora, North and South Pagai - lies about a hundred and fifty kilometres off West Sumatra across a deep trench, and that isolation is the point twice over. Biologically, the islands separated early enough to develop endemic primates found nowhere else, including the Kloss's gibbon and the pig-tailed langur, and Siberut is a UNESCO biosphere reserve. Culturally, the Mentawai people developed a distinct society with its own language, tattooing tradition and animist religion, sikerei shamanism, which was suppressed under Indonesian assimilation policy and survives unevenly in the interior of Siberut. For most foreign visitors, though, the draw is surf: the reef breaks here are among the most consistent and heaviest in the world, worked by charter boats and a growing set of surf camps.

What you actually see

• World-class reef breaks - among the most consistent heavy surf anywhere.
• Endemic primates - the Kloss's gibbon and pig-tailed langur on Siberut.
• Mentawai culture - tattooing, sikerei shamanism and a distinct language inland.
• Charter boats and surf camps - how nearly all visitors access the breaks.

When to go

April to October for the surf season. A week.

Honest expectations

Access is a long rough crossing or a small flight. Malaria is present. Surf here is heavy over shallow reef and not for beginners. Visiting interior communities should be arranged respectfully through local guides.

Nearby

Padang is the mainland gateway; the Sumatran west coast is east.