Sumatra • Mentawai • Weh — 22 days / 21 nights between jungle, spirits and the ocean. Some places lie at the end of a road. Others can only be reached by river, by boat and by forest trail. This expedition goes exactly there.
Over 22 days we will cross three extraordinary islands and several entirely different worlds of Indonesia.
We begin in West Sumatra, among mountains, rice fields and the remarkable houses of the Minangkabau — a society in which the family home and inheritance have been passed down the female line for generations. Then we sail to Siberut. There the asphalt disappears, a boat replaces the car, and the river becomes the road leading deep into the world of the Mentawai. For several days we will live close to a local community, getting to know the traditional uma houses, the symbolism of tattoos, life in the forest and the sikerei — the healers and spiritual guides of the Mentawai.
Back on Sumatra, we fly to the north of the island. In the forests of Gunung Leuser we set out with local guides to meet Sumatran orangutans living in the wild. We also reach Aceh — a region with a remarkably strong identity, whose history was forever marked by the tsunami of 2004. The final days are spent on the green island of Weh — among bays, coral reefs, jungle and the warm waters surrounding the northern tip of Sumatra.
This will not be a journey of ticking off one place after another. We want to hear the story before we take the photograph. To understand why a Minangkabau house belongs to the women, what the Mentawai tattoos tell, and why, for the people of Siberut, the forest is far more than a collection of trees. We will travel comfortably wherever it is possible — good hotels, private transport, fast ferries and domestic flights. On the Mentawai islands we will deliberately leave part of that comfort behind. Because there are places you cannot come to know from behind the window of an air-conditioned car.
The price does not include international flights between Poland and Indonesia, or the Indonesian visa.
Arrival in Padang on the west coast of Sumatra. Transfer to the hotel, check-in and rest after the journey. Overnight: Padang
After breakfast we head into the mountains by private transport. We stop at the Lembah Anai waterfall and see the first examples of the distinctive Minangkabau architecture. In the afternoon we reach Bukittinggi. A walk through the town and around the famous Jam Gadang clock tower. Overnight: Bukittinggi
A day devoted to one of Sumatra's most fascinating cultures. We visit traditional rumah gadang and meet a society in which land, the family home and inheritance are traditionally passed down the female line. There will be time for architecture, local crafts, cuisine and meeting people. Overnight: Bukittinggi
We set out for the spectacular Harau Valley. Rice fields, waterfalls, small villages and towering rock walls form one of the most distinctive landscapes of West Sumatra. We stop to see what its everyday life looks like. Overnight: Bukittinggi
We return towards the coast. Along the way, more encounters with the landscape and culture of West Sumatra. In the evening, preparations for the most expedition-like part of our journey. Overnight: Padang
Early in the morning we take the fast ferry to Siberut. Once on the island, the way we travel changes: local transport, a boat, the river and the jungle. We reach a Mentawai community. From this moment on, for several days, we live in simple local conditions. Overnight: Mentawai — traditional uma / local house
Our first full day in the world of the Mentawai. We get to know the traditional uma house, the daily life of its inhabitants and a way of seeing the world in which people, the forest, the ancestors and the spirit world remain bound together. We do not want merely to observe. We want to listen. Overnight: Mentawai
One of the most important days of the whole expedition. We meet the sikerei — the traditional healers and spiritual guides of the Mentawai. We learn the meaning of the plants used by the community, of the old rituals and of the distinctive tattoos. Overnight: Mentawai
This day we partly surrender to the rhythm of the place. We accompany our hosts in their daily life: preparing food, working, moving through the forest and along the river. We do not schedule every hour. Overnight: Mentawai
One more full day on Siberut. Time for further encounters, walks and understanding the relationship between the people and the forest that surrounds them. Overnight: Mentawai
We say goodbye to the Mentawai. By boat and local transport we return to the port, then cross back to Padang by fast ferry. After several days of simple conditions we return to a comfortable hotel. Evening free. Overnight: Padang
After breakfast, transfer to the airport. We cover the long stretch of Sumatra by plane. After landing in Medan we drive by private transport to Bukit Lawang, on the edge of Gunung Leuser National Park. Overnight: Bukit Lawang
We set out with local guides into the rainforest. Our goal is to watch Sumatran orangutans in their natural habitat. Jungle, tropical vegetation and trekking in one of the most important ecosystems of Southeast Asia. Overnight: Bukit Lawang
After the trek we slow down. We explore the surroundings of Bukit Lawang, local villages and everyday life. There will also be time to rest, with optional activities for those who wish. Overnight: Bukit Lawang
Private transfer to Medan airport. We fly to Banda Aceh, avoiding a many-hour drive across northern Sumatra. On arrival, transfer to the hotel. Overnight: Banda Aceh
We explore a region of remarkably strong identity and history. We see the monumental Baiturrahman Grand Mosque and places connected with the tsunami of 2004. We visit the Tsunami Museum — a place that tells of the disaster, the people, remembrance and the rebuilding of the city. Overnight: Banda Aceh
After breakfast, transfer to the port. We cross to Weh island by fast ferry. After mountains, cities, rivers and jungle, the rhythm of our journey changes. Ahead of us — the ocean. Overnight: Pulau Weh
We take a boat to the waters around the small island of Rubiah. Coral reefs, snorkelling, tropical fish and time by the water. After the intense part of the expedition, we begin to slow down. Overnight: Pulau Weh
We explore Pulau Weh from the land. Jungle, local settlements, volcanic landscape and beaches. We also reach Kilometer Zero — the symbolic western end of Indonesia. Overnight: Pulau Weh
Another day spent on the water. By boat we head for bays and snorkelling spots around the island. No rush, and no long drives. Overnight: Pulau Weh
The last full day of the expedition belongs to you. Beach, snorkelling, optional diving, a walk, a hammock — or simply time by the ocean. Overnight: Pulau Weh
After breakfast, the fast ferry back to Banda Aceh. Transfer to the airport. The end of our shared expedition.
This is an expedition-style itinerary. The order of individual points may change due to weather, local conditions and the schedules of ferries and domestic flights. Transport schedules for 2027 must be reconfirmed before the expedition takes place.
★★★☆☆ moderate / demanding in places
You do not need to be an athlete or have trekking experience. What you do need is basic physical fitness, openness to different travelling conditions and readiness for a few more demanding days. Most of the expedition is comfortable — private transport, good hotels, domestic flights and fast ferries, with long drives deliberately kept to a minimum.
The most demanding part of the expedition will be Siberut and the days spent among the Mentawai:
The trek in Gunung Leuser also calls for basic fitness. This is not, however, an extreme expedition — there are no multi-day marches with heavy backpacks, and no climbing.
This number is a deliberate choice. On the Mentawai islands we do not want to arrive as a large tourist group. A small group makes it easier to use local boats and transport — and above all, it makes a real meeting with the people possible. We want to have time to sit down, talk, listen, ask questions and sometimes simply be together.
For people curious about the world. For those interested not only in what they will see, but also in why a place looks and works the way it does.
For people open to other cultures, beliefs and ways of life. For those able to trade a hotel bed for a mattress and a mosquito net for a few days, knowing that this is exactly what lets them reach places ordinary tourism never does. For people untroubled by mud on their boots, a boat instead of a car, and the fact that sometimes it is the weather, the river or the sea — not the clock — that decides the way forward.
At the same time, wherever comfort can be provided, we provide it. After the more demanding stages we return to good hotels, and we cover long distances by plane rather than spending whole days in a car.
