Simeulue Island

Simeulue lies about a hundred and fifty kilometres off the Aceh coast and it is known for one thing above all. The island had been hit by a tsunami in 1907 that killed thousands, and the survivors turned it into a story told to children - smong, the word for the wave, in a formula that says when the ground shakes hard and the sea draws back, run for the hills and do not go down to collect the fish. When the 2004 earthquake struck, closer to Simeulue than to anywhere else, the islanders ran, and of a population of around eighty thousand fewer than ten died, against tens of thousands on the mainland. It is now cited internationally as the case for oral knowledge in disaster preparedness. The island itself has surf breaks, reef, clove and coconut plantations and very little tourism.

History

Islam was brought to the island in the 17th century by Tengku Di, who built the first mosque in Salur village, and European mariners knew it as "Hog Island", a landfall for ships bound for the pepper ports of west Sumatra. An earthquake and tsunami struck in January 1907, and when the earthquake of 26 December 2004 hit only 60 kilometres away, just seven residents of the island died (Wikipedia, Simeulue).

What's there

• The smong tradition - the oral warning that saved the island in 2004.
• Surf breaks - the reason most of the few foreign visitors come.
• Reef and empty beaches - shallow water around a lightly developed coast.
• Plantation country - clove, coconut and patchouli inland.

When to go

March to September for the sea and the surf. Three days.

Things to know

Access is by small aircraft or a long ferry and both are weather-dependent. Facilities are basic, banking is limited and Aceh's sharia rules apply. Very little English is spoken.

Nearby

Meulaboh and Singkil are the mainland ports; the Banyak Islands are south-east.

Key facts