Our new project: Cafe Flamboyan. A place where you can hanging around with the local people, drink tee and coffee, if you order before you can eat as well. The place is absolutely authentic, people use to play chess, chat and sing all around the time. Even thou it is rustic scabby we have wifi. The manager is Herli and if I am in the village you will find me there as well.
Visit us on Pulau Banyak Barat, the still hidden part of Pulau Banyak with Haloban as seat of the district.
Discover the daily life of the villages and enjoy the surrounding islands.
Just recently open the new bungalow resort The Point on Palambak.
A long, withe sand beach with turquoise seawater is waiting for you on this still hidden and unknown place. This beautiful tropical destination offers you the quieter side of life for a laid back vacation that is all about relaxing, suntanning and swimming in the crystal clear water of the Indian Ocean.
The manager of The Point is the well known and honorable Mr. Darmawan. He started his carrier as a handphone mechanic after that he worked for Caritas. He got independent with a local travel agency for transportation long years before. Now he has already returns to his passion which is rescue the nature of Sumatra. His main focus is on the turtles of Bangkaru. He loves adventure and I think he is the busiest man I have ever met.
For booking you can contact him via Whats App or email.
WA: + 62 821 6645 7040
Email: dmawan_skl76@yahoo.com
Price
All inclusive Rp 250.000/orang/night.
The price includes three main meals, coffee, tee and water. For extra charge you can buy cold drinks (Fanta, Coca Cola, Sprite and Beer)
See you at The Point!
To live like Robinson Crusoe.
Mr. Anhar, a well known, very kind and reliably guide offers packages for island hopping. You can tell him, where do you want to go, how long would you like to stay and for sure he will do his best to ensure you a beautiful stay and trip on Pulau Banyak.
The most approved tour covers three days and two nights on different islands. Tent, food and drinks are included (3 main meals, extra fruits, coffee, tee). He will catch you fresh fish and show you how to survive on a desert island.
Just to give you a hunch about the prices, a 3nights/2 days trip for two people costs 3.000.000 Rp.
He can pick you up from Balai and at the end of the tour bring you back. Nonetheless, he lives in Haloban, so if you wish to visit our village and start your island hopping from Haloban it would make up a nice option as well.
Mr. Anhar has two single kayaks, which you can rent for 150.000 Rp per day.
Sleep in a tent, near the waves.
Instead of staying in bungalows you can camp, which makes your surfing holiday cheaper and adventurous.
Mr. Anhar offers a packet for 10 days, minimal 3 people. (650.000 Rp/day/person)
You can contact Mr. Anhar directly via Whats App.
Maybe you have questions, special wishes, just ask him. He is very open for any suggestions.
Whats App: + 62 852 777 111 08
Be part of the daily life of the people in Haloban on Pulau Tuangku: for the very first time we offer the possibility to rent a house directly in the village of Haloban. The rather small house has two bedrooms, one living room, a bathroom and a kitchen. It is spatial enough for 4 people but you can get extra mattresses.
You can cook by yourself or eat outside but you can choose the common and comfortable way as well and take our services.
Price
400.000Rp per day
5.000.000Rp for two weeks
Contact
Via Whats App
Reka’s Phone: +43 676 6490319
Herli’s Phone: +62 852 7692 2913
For all the travellers who have only limited time to visit Pulau Banyak or don’t want to waste time using unreliable public transport taking speedboat provides a time saving option, it is only according to weather conditions.
You also have the possibility to move forward to Nias or Simeulue directly from Haloban (Pulau Banyak Barat).
We in Haloban are working together with Mr. Has. He supplies following routes and prices:
Papua is the the final frontier, the easternmost province of Indonesia. Don’t mix it up with Papua New Guinea, which is an independent state, both located on the word’s second biggest island called West Guinea. Its major city is Jayapura with an AirPort in Sentani, a town close to the city, located near the beautiful Lake Sentani. The infrastructure of Papua is mostly based on reasonable inland flights.
Papua formerly known as Irian Jaya can feel like a different country. Once you have arrived there you can explore a kaleidoscope of cultural, natural, and ecological diversity, which is unique in the word.
More than 80% of the population are Christian. There is also substantial practice of animism, the traditional religion for many Papuans.
Papua is probably derived from the Malay word papuwah (“fuzzy hair”). In 1545, a Spanish explorer called the island Nueva Guinea. In 1884, the western half of New Guinea was officially recognized as Dutch New Guinea, the northeastern section became German New Guinea, and the southeastern quarter became British New Guinea. In 1905, Australia took over the territory, renaming it the Territory of Papua. After World War II, the British and German territories were combined and jointly administered by Australia as the Territory of Papua and New Guinea. Now, Papua is the biggest province of Indonesia and the highest taxpayer of the land conditioned by the Grasberg Mine, the word’s largest gold mine and three largest copper mine. It is located at the highlands near Puncak Jaya also known as Carstensz Pyramid (4.884m), the highest mountain in Papua and also one of the Seven Summits.
The stunningly beautiful and lonely withe beaches of Papua are still not frequented by western visitors. You will face an extraordinary untouched natural beauty accompanied with local authentic atmosphere, mightily friendly and hospitable people and on top on this delicious traditional meals for cheap prices.
Sentani-Jayapura
Probably you will arrive on Papua at the Sentani Airport. Sentani offers a great first sight and step to Papua, which is still a hidden place for western visitors.
You can easily spend some couple of days in Sentani, roam around the lake, visit villages, get the first breeze of Papua, take the chance to acclimate but don’t except to much, Sentani is a busy town – nevertheless I loved to discover it.
There is a plenty of Indonesian hotels but the best choice offers Izy Guesthouse with nine spatial, clean and pretty bungalows with attached bathroom owned and managed by a charismatic lady called Sherly. She speaks a beautiful English then she has spent a lot of time in Australia and Papua New Guinea. The guesthouse has a nice garden with a cozy canteen where you can have tee and coffee the whole day, breakfast is also included.
The mesmerising Beaty of Biak…
It takes only two hours from Sentani to Biak Island by aeroplane. You will arrive in Biak City which is the largest population centre on the south coast. The rest of the island is thinly populated with small villages.
Biak itself and the small islands to the south of Biak offer a plenty of beautiful white beaches and great diving and snorkelling spots. You will truly find yourself in paradise.
Heading to the north of Biak you will cross nice and tidy villages. It takes a 2 hours ride by motorcycle from Biak City to Wafsarak Waterfall.
On the way to Wafsarak you will pass by the beautiful Batu Picah Beach.
Close to Biak City there is a historical site, the huge Japanese Cave which remembers on the Battle of Biak (1944). In World War II, a strategic airfield of the Imperial Japanese Army was located on Biak, serving as a base for operations in the Pacific theatre. American forces eventually captured the island killing 4.000 Japanese solders during the battle.
There is only one Guesthouse out of the city which is in Bosnik village, the Bosnik Beach Guesthouse. It is owned by Ibu Augustina (Phone: 0062 (0) 852 4403 2326), a very kind and diligent lady who speaks a good English. The tidy wooden house has a couple of nice stylishly furnished rooms, those which face the see with attended bathroom. Traditional breakfast is included and it offers a great base to explore the surrounding white sanded beaches of Eastbiak.
There is a market in Bosnik which gets busy three times a week, it is really worth of a visit.
Baliem Valley – one of the world’s last fascinatingly traditional areas
Wamena and the Baliem Valley
One of the unforgettable treasure of Papua is Baliem Valley, a place of an everlasting culture and untouched tribal life of Papua’s native inhabitants. The stunningly beautiful Baliem Valley lies high up in the mountains of central Papua at an altitude of 1.600 meters above sea level, hemmed in by steep green mountain walls.
Baliem Valley is 72 km long, and 15-31 km wide in places. It is cut by the Baliem River, which has it source in the northern Trikora Mountain. It gets very cold in the night (around 12-15 degrees Celsius) and it is mostly sunny and warm by daytime.
By trekking, you can witness traditional ceremonies, traditional markets and the way of life of the Dani tribe.
The only access to the Baliem Valley is by flying to the town of Wamena. From Wamena into the interior of the Baliem Valley you can rent a car, travel by public bus or just walking.
Even if time is changing quickly the valley and surrounding highlands remain one of the world’s last fascinatingly traditional areas. Visiting the Baliem Valley and trekking through high mountain scenery, takes you to places, which you could never ever have imagined.
The main town and base centre of the area is the fast rising Wamena. The town is nothing special but offers good opportunities for shopping food and also souvenirs. There are some hotels and guesthouses in Wamena. Baliem Guesthouse belongs for sure to the best choice lodgings of the town. The prices of the clean and nice rooms starts at 400.000rp, breakfast is included.
The internet is a bit slow in Wamena, the interior of the valley has no net at all. There are some villages with small kiosks but it is good to take your own food. If you are planing to spend a night or more in the interior the villagers will be happy if you bring them coffee and sugar or rice, they will offer you a place to stay.
If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact me.
WA: 00436766490319
Email: smile.theworldsmiles@gmail.com
Pulau Banyak is for sure one of the most beautiful destinations on Sumatra. The area is surrounded by pristine, white beaches and uninhabited coral islands. You can go for small jungle trips on Pulau Tuangku and Bangkaru, Ujung Lolok on Pulau Tuangku is a great spot for surfing and you can snorkle everywhere around the islands.
With an area of 123 square miles (319 square km), the group lies north of Nias and 18 miles (29 km) west of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean.
The islands Pulau Banyak lie within the Aceh Singkil Regency in Aceh Province, and are divided into two districts: Pulau Banyak District and Pulau Banyak Barat District (Western Pulau Banyak). Pulau Balai is the seat of the Pulau Banyak District, and Haloban is the seat of the Pulau Banyak Barat District.
The islands vary in their land cover; most are sandy with limited vegetation, while the larger islands have deep rainforests and are fringed by intertidal mangroves. The fringing coral reefs are habitat to diverse species, including green and leatherback sea turtles, pelagic and coral fish, and varieties of octopus, lobster, and other sealife. The weather is tropical; August to January are the rainy season, followed by a dry season from approximately February to July.
Once if you have arrived to Sumatra, Medan you can take a shared or privat car to Singkil (Contact: Darmawan’s Phone: 0062 (0) 812 8431 4851, 0062 (0) 813 77219667 or Satiman’s Phone: 0062 (0) 822 9410 7162), from where you can reach the islands by boat. There are two villages with accommodation possibilities: Balai and Haloban and you will find bungalows on the uninhabited islands around. Sikandang, Tailana, Palambak and Bangkaru have operated bungalows, on the other islands you can find camping possibilities but for that reason you have to have a contact.
Contact possibilities:
For further information according traveling around Sumatra on general visit Satiman’s homepage: http://www.sumatra-tour.com
Interest of visiting – a list of the best known islands:
This island is the biggest of Pulau Banyak with three villages called Haloban, the seat of the Pulau Banyak Barat District (Northern End), Ujung Sialit, the Christian village and Suka Makmur. You can search for jungle experiences around Haloban, staying in the South called Ujung Lolok you will find yourself at one if the best surfing spots of Sumatra.
If you prefer to stay in a village in the calm Haloban you will find accommodations. You can use the village as a base for your daily trips around Pulau Banyak.
On Pulau Sikandang you will find a dozen of bungalows. The atmosphere there is great and the surrounding see is just wonderful.
This beautiful uninhabited island is very close to Haloban and is the seat of the Telekomsel Tower, which deliver the phone and internet signal for this area.
One of the most beautify spots but indeed it is very difficult to compare the islands and make a ranking. You can do a daily trip from Haloban and enjoy this scenic island like Robinson Crusoe without disturbing by anyone. There is also camping possibility on this incredible beautiful place (for that contact Mr. Anhar on Whats App: 0062 (0) 852 7771 1108)
Haloban, the still hidden fishing village, is the second most important place (after Balai) of Pulau Banyak, the seat of the Pulau Banyak Barat District (PBB) and it is also my home. If you would like to come to the islands but you prefer to stay in a village my house is welcoming you, I have a small but clean guest room. It will be a simple homestay and from here you can make daily tours even overnight trips with camping possibilities to everywhere around Pulau Banyak. (See Activities around Tailana).
There is also a losmen (Indonesian Guest House) in Haloban and you will find small food stalls and some stores to buy your daily needs as well.
If you arrive in Singkil there is every second day a boat from there directly to Haloban. It takes around five hours to get there. Actually Haloban is the closest village to Pulau Tailana. You can find transportation from Balai to Haloban as well but it could be difficult, better to call Herli or me before you arrive.
You can contact Herli or me if you are heading for Pulau Banyak and Haloban.
Contact:
Haloban is the most important village already merged with Asantola on the biggest island of Pulau Banyak which called Pulau Tuangku, it is as mentioned above the seat of the Pulau Banyak Barat District (Western Pulau Banyak) with a population of around 1500 persons. The major sector of the local economy is fishing but it already has a high school. Actually, this village owns Bangkaru, the turtle island and Pulau Asok.
Homestay
Summer 2017 I renovated a small house furthermore extended it with a new kitchen and washing room. It is still an Indonesian style apartment and it only has the average standards of the village, which means amongst others no flush toilet, but I was focussing on cleanliness and brightness and it was important for me to make the it spatial.
Washing room
The living room
Bedrooms
The kitchenThe homestay offers you full service and can also help you to plan and organize your trips.
So if you would like to be part of the Indonesien life, welcome home!
A beautiful hidden place for surfing, experiencing impressive traditional life, drifting on long beaches and relaxing.
Simeulue Island is located at the tip of Aceh province approximately 150 km off the coast of West Sumatra surrounded by the Indian Ocean, north of Pulau Banyak. It has an area about 2300 km² and a population about 85.000 inhabitants.
To reach Simeulue you can take a direct flight (280.000-480.000rp) from Medan to Sinabang by wings air or you can cross the sea by ferry (less than 50.000rp).
Every day at 13:15 wings air departure from Medan to Simeulue and there is also a daily flight from Simeulue to Medan at 14:55.
Twice a week there is a ferry from Labuhan Haji (8-9 hours), twice a week from Singkil (∼12 hours) and three times from Meulaboh to Sinabang. The schedule can change due to weather conditions or for any other reason.
Here you can see the schedule of the ferries (from September, 2016):
If you come to Simeulue you don’t have to stay in an expensive resort, even if your goal is to surf everyday you can arrange it very well on your own. Frazha Homestay located in the small village of Alus Alus (southwest coast) half an hour by motorbike from the capitol city Sinabang owned an managed by Mr. Akil and his wife is a great place to stay, if you like to organize your day by yourself, if you like to be self-sufficient, if you don’t want to pay more for accommodation than 150.000 rupiah, if you like to live your own Indonesian life, if you like to have an own garden at the seafront and if you like to spend your time at a calm, peaceful cottage. Are you a surfer or not, you will be happy at Frazha with its palm trees directly at the seaside, close to everything what you can need and far away from everything what you maybe don’t need. Frazha homestay has four rooms with attached toilets on a cottage with two wooden houses. The kitchen is in the main house and even if you plan to be self-sufficient, Mr. Akil and his wife can help you for surearound
the kitchen if you ask them kindly. Mr. Akil’s wife is indeed a beautiful cook. For your daily needs you will find small shops around the villages, otherwise you should go to Sinabang (the road is good!). Mr. Akil and his wife are very hospitable. If you need something special from the town you can ask the family with certainty to help you as they commute everyday between Frazha and Sinabang.
Before your arrival you should contact Mr. Akil and it is better to book in advance.
Contact:
Akil’s Phone: 0062 (0)811 6811 772, email: akil.rozha@yahoo.com
Your phone will work very well in Alus Alus, you can even use internet, it won’t be very quick but it is alright.
I have to mention the water in the toilet and in the shower at the cottage because it is really clear and fresh. They use natural ground water and it has a really good quality. Yes, it is cold.
There is electricity everywhere around but due to weather conditions it is often off. Take your torch and candles with you but in the worst case there is a generator as well.
About the prices: I was just a guest in Frazha, I spent two months there (July and August, 2016), for that I just can give you an approximate idea about the costs. One night per person is for 150.000 rp. It is for your bed, the food is extra. One kg of a fresh fish can costs between 30.000 and 70.000rp, depends on the weather and sure on the species. To refill the big 10L bottle of drinking water costs 4.000rp, a sack of 10kg high quality rice costs around 120.000rp.
In most of the cases you will need a motorbike (60.000-100.000rp depends on the duration of your rental). If you are on Simeulue for surfing you have to catch your waves around the shore and the small islands, if you just plan to relax and to get to know the island it is also very nice to go around by motorbike. The roads are great and mostly safe (your biggest enemies will be the cows). But if you don’t feel comfortable about the idea of driving a motorbike Mr. Akil can organize beautiful trips for you without bikes as well.
Let me focus on the activities around Alus Alus and in general on Simeulue:
Mr. Akil knows his home island Simeulue very well. You can ask him about the tradition, folkway, rites and he can also show you hidden places for snorkeling and tracking.
He is a great host and you will see him always smiling next to his beautiful wife.
For more information use Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/akil.rozha/media_set?set=a.10206158200147972.1073741911.1652733731&type=3&pnref=story
It is a place to feel good, it is a paradise for everybody.
Haloban
Be part of the game
In a silent evening.
Ujung Salit
Pulau Pandan
The only visitors: we
Indeed small
Same same but different
Around Air Dingin
Wilderness
Great vegetation
Our fishing boat
Wedding ceremony in Balai
Wedding decoration in Haloban
Departure from Tailana
On the way to Pulau Ragu Ragu
…
On the way back to TailanaPulau Tailana is one of the stunningly beautiful islands of the remote Pulau Banyak situated about 30km west of Aceh Singkil at the east cost of Sumatra in the Indien Ocean. Pulau Banyak (lot of islands) is a cluster of many mostly uninhabited islands with ginclear waters, white beaches and vast quantities of palm trees.
Tailana’s crystal clear, calm water is home for corals, lobsters and small fishes -the big ones are already on the market. The small tropical island is indeed a great spot for snorkling and relaxing. It belongs for sure to the last Beauties of the world.
Single: 100.000Rp
Double: 125.000Rp
Triple: 150.000Rp
Facilities: 125.000Rp per person which includes breakfast, lunch and dinner, tee&coffee all the time, drinking water, fruits, electricity and laundry possibilities.
It means:
If you come alone: 225.000Rp per day/night
If you are two of you: 375.000Rp in total per day/night
If you are three of you: 525.000Rp in total per day/night
Bungalow on Tailana
Interior design
Canteen
Everywhere dill around the cottages
Also the kings visit this place on foot…
If reality makes you feel prepossessed
We are ready
It is not so far but far enough to the next island
Between the sun above and the corals under you is your skin…
The fishes are not akways willing but often
*wuhuuu*
Happy non-birthday
…and who ordered lobster today?
Wherever you are, Medan, Bukit Lawang, Banda Aceh, Pulau Weh, Ketambe, Padang, Bukittingi or Lake Toba we can help you to find transportation to Singkil, which is your stepping stone to get to Pulau Banyak:
You can call Mr. Darmawan in Singkil directly, he has shared and private cars around Sumatra:
Darmawan’s Phone: 0062 (0)821 66457040
Darmawan’s Email: dmawan_ skl76@yahoo.com
Or you just contact the island directly by calling Mr. Mali: 0062 (0)813 60991595.
From Singkil you have different possibilities to come to Tailana:
Harbour in Singkil
Manager: Mr. Mali
Mr. Mali’s Phone: 0062 (0) 813 6099 1595
Reka’s Phone: 0062 (0) 821 6569 9220
What’s app: 0043 676 64 90 31
Email: smile.theworldsmiles@gmail.com
On Facebook there is a group called Pulau Tailana, you are always welcome to join it.
Pulau Tailana
I see Sumatra 