WEH ISLAND

Weh island is located at the north part of Sumatra. Being separated to the mainland, it is consisting of several islands which have lots of beautiful tourism resorts. Pulau Weh is one of the best destinations to enjoy all the beauty of a tropical island. This Island which is part of the province of Aceh has panoramic beaches, plateaus, forests, and even underwater scenery.

< Weh Island

    

The Island with an area of ​​more than 156 square kilometers stretching across the west and north region at the tip of Sumatra. Pulau Weh is included as a very important location in the history of the archipelago. In the past, Pulau Weh was used as a gateway to the Strait of Malacca. It was a strategic area for international trade route. Around the year 1883, the Dutch set up a small dock and openned a port as a military base as well as a port for a spice international trade. In nowdays, Pulau Weh still has lots of warehouses and Art-Deco buildings from the history.  

Pulau weh provide interesting places packed in tourism sites in Gapang and Iboih Beach with exciting underwater scenery.

 

  


Iboih and Gapang

The views of the island look fantastic from the top of the hills which is on the way to Iboih and Gapang. They are well known as tourist areas which have been recognized by many foreign tourists. At the beach of  Gapang, there is vast expanse of white sand with amazing blue sea. It is often visited by lots of foreign tourists who often come for scuba-diving. In Gapang, tourist can get many facilities for it such as boat and snorkeling or diving equipment at rental kiosks. The boat rentals to go around and snorkeling in Iboih is about Rp 200 thousand per hour, with extra cash for one set of snorkeling equipment (live jacket / vest, mask, snorkel, and fins) for Rp 30 thousand. Along the shore line, there are many restaurants that mostly sell western food. 

< Scenery from on the way to Gapang

 

Heading to west, Iboih is located about 5 km from Gapang, There is also a tour that offers services around the sea for snorkeling on the island of Rubiah, one of the small islands that are near Iboih. Colorful fish and coral reefs are usually people come to see when they do snorkeling. The coral-reef life is so amazing with a beautiful underwater panorama of this exotic island.

Other Spots

Beside Gapang and Iboih, At several locations on the island of Weh, there are also a number of caves and natural hot springs very interesting to see. Pulau Weh has more than what people can imagine to the portrait of heaven on earth. Tourists are pleased with adventurous and exploring paradise. For accommodation, Sabang is a city where the people of Pulau Weh mostly dwell. It is the capital city of pulau Weh which is often referred to as the most northern point of Indonesia, precisely on the island of Rondo.This city also provide some Hotels and restaurants as a free economic zone city of Indonesia. with prices starting from Rp. 50 thousand to Rp. 250 thousand per room.

Sabang serves a lot of seafood. That's why, It is easy to find seafood at roadside stalls for fresh fish and octopus, they are inexpensive, and definitely delicious with  typical spice recipe of Aceh.

The view from Sabang

There are many places that can be visited in Sabang, including:

A. Iboh beach

2. Rubiah Island Marine Park

3. Coast cave

4. Lake of Aneuk Laot

5. Sumur tiga beach

6. Gapang beach

7. Kasih beach

8. Zero Kilometer monument

FOOD AND DRINK

Do not miss to taste typical dishes of Aceh coffee with a plate of various kinds of traditional cakes. A cup of coffee costs Rp. 2000-3000.  

Aceh is also famous for its wide range of noodle dishes, most notably in Sabang which is called "Mie Jalak" served at Pulau Baru restaurant on Perdagangan street Number 29 B. The price for one portion of it is Rp 8,000. Typical food of Minangkabau (West Sumatra) can be found in Lumbung Sari on the same street Number 7 (Phone: 0658-22678) or at Perkasa Utama at 157 (Phone: 21 185).  

A typical Chinese food can be found at Dynasty Restaurant. They serve various delicious sandwiches, chicken and octopus barbeque. A same kind restaurant is in the opposite, Granary Sari. There are many shops and restaurants along Perdagangan street and around. In the outside of the Hospital area, near the sea, there are many stalls provide juices and snacks in the afternoon.

How to get to Weh Island

To get to Pulau Weh, there are two types of ferries in the port of Ulee Lheue, Banda Aceh, They are a fast ferry (45 minutes duration) and a slow  ferry with 1 and a half hour. The fast ferry boat departs twice in a day (approximately at 9.30 am and 4 pm), divided into three classes: the economy class (Rp. 60.000), the business class (Rp. 70.000), and VIP class (Rp. 80.000). The  ticket for the slow boat is Rp 15.000 at 8:30  with one-time departure only.

MOTEL AND HOME STAY IN SABANG

1.   Sabang Hill
The classical hotel with the grand view over Sabang town is still under a major renovation.

2.   Nagoya Inn
Jl. Cut Meutia 34. Tel: 0652-22311, 0812 699 6068 (Mr. Parlan). 9 rooms. Aircon, bathroom, hot water, satellite TV: Rp. 250-325.000, incl. breakfast.

3.   Sabang Guesthouse
Jl. T. Umar 23-25. Tel: 0652-21186. 8 rooms. With bathroom, aircon: Rp. 250-350.000.

4.   Hotel Putra Salju
Jl. T. Umar 16. Tel: 0652-22747. 9 rooms. With aircon and bathroom: Rp. 180-330.000.

5.   Pulau Jaya
Jl. Pulau Jaya 17. Tel: 0652-21344. 23 rooms. With fan: 35.000-112.500. With fan and bathroom: 110.000. With aircon, bathroom, TV: 180.000.

6.   Kartika (former Sabang Jaya)
Jl. T. Umar 17-19. Tel: 0652-22168. 14 rooms. With fan: from 30.000. Fan and bathroom: 85.000. With Aircon: 150.000.

7.   Losmen PUM (former Irma)
Jl. T. Umar 3. Tel: 0652-21148. 13 rooms: With fan: Rp. 50.000-75.000. With aircon, bathroom, TV: 130.000.

8.   Losmen Sabang-Merauke
Off Jl. T. Umar. Tel: 0652-21928 12 rooms. With fan: Rp. 30.000-60.000 for one, two or three beds.

9.   Losmen Calok
Jl. Malahayati. Tel/fax: 0852-22535. calok@gmail.com 9 rooms. Aircon and bathroom. Rp. 150-225.000.

10. Hotel Holiday
Off Jl. Perdagangan. Tel: 0652-21131. 24 rooms. With fan and bathroom: 50.000-140.000. With aircon: 175.000-350.000.

11. Mess Pamen

Jl. Perdagangan 60. Ph: 0852 7766 1249. 5 rooms. With bath and aircon: Rp. 125.000-175.000. Owned by the Water Police. Strategic location.