Evening on Panglima Road, one of the main drags in the city center.

Banda Aceh, at first this city of 210,000 people can seem like a place better off skipped. But if you get the chance, it is worth while to spend some time here. The first thing that makes this place unique is that it has the worlds largest foreign aid operations going on. Thousands of expatriates from around the world call this place home, at least for the time being. As an expat myself, life other than work, consists of mountain biking the interior valleys and hills, hiking the nearby volcanoes, swimming in the countless beaches, and of course, going to the many house parties. The second thing that makes this city unique is that there are little to no tourists.

The rebuilding of Lampu'uk Mosque seen from Lampu'uk Beach

There's more to the surrounding areas of Banda Aceh than the less-than-charming village upon village. Hidden beaches, waterfalls and ravines are to be found. It just takes a little homework to find them. Bare in mind; this is a post-disaster and post-conflict area and therefore it's not set up for tourism.

Regarding beaches, the rule of thumb, and I know this sounds stereotypical but it's true, is that any beach which is popular with Indonesians will be littered. It's really disturbing. The golden sand and clear teal water is beautiful, but then empty water bottles, cigarette butts, plastic bags all come along with it. Most of the expats here look for empty beaches and hence clean. For European and Western woman, it's more of a matter of being able to wear a swimsuit in peace, this is sharia land. For the most part, it's a matter of having to hike to the beach. Indonesians generally don't like get off of their motorbikes. It's only popular if you can drive your loud smoking motorbike right up and on it. And don't be surprised, they can even get these things a number of hiking trails you would think otherwise. Below are GPS coordinates to three good beaches in the area, arranged from the most accessible to the most remote. Not all are listed, and perhaps best kept that way.

Camping or jungle trekking are also possibilities in the area. Many times you will need a guide as marked trails are nonexistent. Also finding untouched rainforest presents another challenge as illegal logging and burning continues at an alarming rate. But if you are lucky enough to explore an old growth rainforet, it's memorable. Other options are hiking in the east hills beyond the Banda Aceh airport, its second growth forest, thinner and oddly, eucalyptus, but it's still peaceful and gives you views of the Aceh Valley. These hills are also strangely deserted. Most places you would find some village or be able to hear an unmufflered motorbike in the distance, but here there are none. It's just you, the hills and the quietness.

Swimmers in a billabong head for Sophia's Cave

River crossing near Lhoong

The areas around Banda Aceh offer many mountain biking opportunities. You're not going to find many single track trails, but the dirt roads offer many challenges. Navigation is perhaps the hardest part of exploring the countryside as maps are rare and very inaccurate! You might even think the person who drew the maps based them on a psychedelic dream! Stick to using satellite imagery by using Google Earth and plan your route ahead of time. While on the ride, use a GPS device to help you follow your planned route. Also, the locals are very bad at geography of their own area. They'll tell you left, when it's right. And worse, they'll look completely lost if you try sticking a map in front of them. Have a sturdy bike and bring a pump, the dirt roads can be very rough with water erosion everywhere.

Cruising down from Radio Tower Pass toward the west coast beaches.

Watch where you park your bike, otherwise you might be missing a seat!

A nice break on a bike ride or beach visit is dropping by Joel's Restaurant. Joel's serves up its famous wood fired pizzas only two hundred meters from the beach. Try the refreshing pineapple cocktail, a mixture of pineapple and lemon juice and ginger. And shh, they also serve sharia's 'forbidden drink'.

Laid back atmosphere of Joel's Restaurant

Joel's serves up wood fired pizzas

Joel's Restaurant:
Lampu'uk village
Drive or take a Lampu'uk/Lok Nga bound labi-labi for the west coast beaches. Head past the Lampu'uk Mosque along the dirt road.
5°29' 58.53" N, 95°13' 56.14"E

Getting There

There are a number of daily flights from Medan to Banda Aceh on board Garuda Indonesia, Adam Air or Lion Air.

Air Asia now has three weekly non-stop flights from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. But at this time you cannot get a Visa on Arrival at Banda Aceh airport. So either have one ahead of time or fly via Medan.

The clear waters of Weh Island, frequently referred to by the locals as just Sabang, the largest town. Weh host world class diving and snorkling and is only a 45 minute ferry ride from Banda Aceh.

Weh Island (Pulau Weh, a.k.a. Sabang) is truly a gem. This island sits just beyond the tip of Sumatra and is the northwestern most point of the Indonesian Archipelago. Weh is a diving and snorkeling paradise and a great weekend escape from dusty Banda Aceh. Weh is also the only part of Aceh set up for tourism.

Divers and snorkelers head for Weh Island.

Dolphin sightings

There are more or less three areas on the island most people stay at, Gapang, Ibioh and Freddie's. Ibioh being the most remote and rustic while Freddie's the most posh (the food here is great!) . Both Iboih and Gapang are situated on calm waters on the eastern side of the northwest peninsula and have great diving and snorkeling. Freddie's is on the eastern side of the island facing the Andaman Sea.

Iboih has very rustic accommodations; most places consist of an elevated wooden shack with a mattress on the floor covered by a mosquito net and no running water. Expect to pay from US$3 to US$5 a night (inflated by the high use of expats from Banda Aceh). Food mostly consists entirely of rice and noodles and is about US$0.50 to US$1.00 a meal. If you're lucky you might even find a sandwich. Gapang has a little better accommodations and eating establishments, but you will be paying more. The waters of Iboih and Gapang are very clear and calm, however the channel between Iboih and Rubiah Island can have a very strong current as the tide pulls out or in. Strong enough to feel like a fast flowing river!

Warm waters of Gapang Beach

Fishing boat at Ibioh

Gapang Bay

Freddie's sits on Sumur Tiga beach on the island's eastern end, next to the town of Sabang. It's not a snorkeling beach like Gapang or Iboih, but the sound of the crashing surf is relaxing as you lay in your hammock on the back deck of your bungalow. The accommodations here are the best on the island. Bungalows sit on a cliff overlooking the turquoise sea. There are attached bathrooms with running hot water. There's even a well stocked mini fridge! The best part about staying at Freddie's is the food. The friendly owner, Freddie, a western expatriate, is also the cook where he serves up three scrumptious western meals a day.

Enjoying the view over Sumur Tiga Beach

Bungalows at Freddie's

Santai Sumur Tiga (Freddie's):
Lemeulee, Sabang
santaisumurtiga@yahoo.com
http://santaisumurtiga.com/
+62 (0) 813 6025 5001

Diving

Lumba Lumba Diving Centre:
Gapang Beach, Pulau Weh
info@lumbalumba.com
http://lumbalumba.com/
+62 (0) 652 331 133

Pulau Weh Dive:
Pulau Weh
udive40@hotmail.com
+62 (0) 815 3427 2910

Rubiah Tirta Divers:
Iboih Beach, Pulau Weh
info@rubiahdivers.com
http://rubiahdivers.com/
+62 (0) 815 3402 0050

Getting There

There are two 'fast' fully a/c'ed ferries from Banda Aceh's Ulhee Lheu port, one in the morning the one in the afternoon. The crossing takes about 45 minutes (US$9 oneway). Shared taxis wait at the ferry terminal on Weh and will take you to all three places. Iboih, being the farthest away, takes over an hour!

Warning: Due to Weh Island's location just off the tip of an enormous island, Sumatra, it sits right in the confluence of two oceanic currents. If swimming in unprotected waters (i.e. the west side of the northwest peninsula) and you're not careful, you could be well on your way to India.

Kreureusik Island, Pulau Aceh Archipelago
5º 38' 03"N, 95º 03' 58"E

Kreureusik (Pulau Kreureusik) is one of the smaller and uninhabited islands of the Pulau Aceh archipelago, a chain of islands spreading north from the northern tip of Sumatra. The two large islands in the group are Pulau Bereuh and Pulau Nasi, both having a number of small villages on them. Kreureusik is completley undevloped and uninhabited, there are no structures of any kind on the island. Camping is the only option for staying on the island, however for this reason makes it an attractive location. Kreureusik Island has a wonderful beach on its eastern end and also makes the best camping location.

Approaching the island from the east.

Kreureusik's eastern beach has safe swimming

Enjoying a fire on the beach.

Cooking dinner.

Getting There

Access to Kreureusik Island is only by charter boat from Banda Aceh. As there are no piers, boats must be able to land directly on the beach. Travel time is between one and a half to two hours. Rough seas could restrict your access.

Transport Contact:
Mendel Pols (speaks Indonesian, Dutch and English)
acehexplorer@gmail.com
+62 (0) 812 698 4216