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07.04.2023

Ferries to the Mentawais

If you want to go to the Mentawais you won’t really be able to get around taking a ferry to get to them. There are three main options, though only one advertises itself to western tourists.

This blog post will tell you about transportation to the Mentawais and touch a little on getting around on and in between the islands. If it leaves you wanting more, consider contacting Robi or Ade through the Guides page or by clicking their names, they’ll be able to supply you with all the up-to-date information, help you with ferries on location and provide transportation with small crafts when on the islands.

Mentawai Fast

The most common and fastest connection from Padang and in between islands. Mentawai Fast is the ferry connection you’ll most likely hear about as a westerner, as it is the only ferry that is easy to find on the internet.

Padang to the Mentawais

There are connections with Mentawai Fast every day, most of which connect Padang to the two most populous islands, Sipora and Siberut. As of writing this blog you’ll find a connection to each of the two islands on every second day, to Sipora every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday and to Siberut on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
When looking at the schedule, you’ll find the connections to Sipora under Padang to Tuapejat, on schedules past and maybe in the future also under Padang to Sioban. Siberut is named on the schedule, though that refers to the town Muara Siberut in the island’s south. Sikabaluan is also a stop on Siberut, it is located further north and the ferry will stop there for about 30 minutes before continuing to Muara Siberut. Every Friday you’ll find two ferries leaving Padang, besides the one to Tuapejat, the only Mentawai Fast ferry to North and South Pagai islands, going to the town of Sikakap. You can find the schedule here, on the Mentawai Fast Facebook page and their website.
If you’re traveling with surf equipment, they’ll most likely charge you extra on the way to the islands, going the other way they usually don’t care about it
Finding the harbor in Padang is very easy, as it’s located in the Center of the city, close to where most of the hotels are. Every driver will know how to get to it and prices will be low. That, the much shorter travel time, and the staff who are prepared for tourists are the reasons why Mentawai Fast should be the ferry of choice for foreigners.  

In between Islands

Mentawai Fast introduced services in between islands recently. On Monday and Thursday, you can travel between Sipora and Siberut and on Tuesday and Friday between Sipora and the Pagai islands. The ferry will leave for its destinations from Tuapejat in the morning and return there in the afternoon, in the case of Siberut it will turn around in Sikabaluan and stop in Muara Siberut each way before continuing. Current schedules are again available here and on their Facebook page. 

Ambu-Ambu, Gambolo and Perintis

The options more often chosen by locals, but rarely by tourists, are the larger, cheaper but also much slower sister ships Ambu-Ambu and Gambolo as well as the government ferry Perintis (Sabuk Nusantara 68). The cheapest of the bunch, due to being subsidized, is Perintis offering fares as low as the equivalent of one euro. Ambu-Ambu/ Gambolo fares generally fall right in between the fares of Perintis and Mentawai Fast, the exact amount depends on the level of ticket you chose.
As travel times are longer, usually about twice as long as on Mentawai Fast, crossings are usually undertaken at night and offered as sleeper services with the option to buy a ticket for a bed, though only in shared rooms. On Ambu-Ambu and Gambolo you’ll be able to buy these tickets as Business class or VIP, standard tickets are seats and not worth the little savings. In the unlikely case, you’re traveling around Sumatra with your own vehicle, you’ll of course have to pay an upcharge depending on its size. It is possible to take small motorbikes with Perintis anything larger must be brought over on Ambu-Ambu and Gambolo, as these are the only car ferries traveling to the Mentawais.
Lastly, you should note that the ferries discussed here are all more focused on serving locals, so the standard is Indonesian. Beds, on all the ships, are only about 1,8m (5′11”) in length and relatively narrow, toilets/ bathrooms especially on Ambu-Ambu/ Gambolo are more rudimentary being squatting toilets. The toilets on Perintis, like the ship in general, are more modern and have proper showers.

Personally, I would only recommend these options to western travelers who want to go to the Mentawais or return on days which don’t have Mentawai Fast service. If you choose to travel with one of these ferries, note that schedules usually change monthly. You can find current Ambu-Ambu/ Gambolo schedules and prices on their Instagram page or on the Dishub Mentawai Facebook page, where you’ll also find the schedules for Perintis (Sabuk Nusantara 68).    

Padang to the Mentawais

All three ferries leave from ports south of Padang, Perintis ships from Padang’s industrial port Teluk Bayur (about 20 min. from the city center) and Ambu-Ambu/ Gambolo from the port of Bungus (about 35 min. from the city center). When you read the schedules, you’ll find Teluk Bayur being named as the stop for Padang and Bungus simply being listed as Padang. The ports you’ll want to arrive at in the Mentawais are named on the Ambu-Ambu/ Gambolo schedule as Tuapejat on Sipora, Siberut and Sikabaluan on Siberut and Sikakap to get to North/ South Pagai. When looking at the Perintis schedule on Siberut, from north to south, Sikabaluan, Muara Saibi, Siberut and PeiPei, on Sipora Tuapejat and Sioban and on the Pagai’s Pasapuat and Sikakap. If you are wondering about the ports of Labuhan Bajau and Painan on the Perintis schedule, Labuhan Bajau is in South Nias and Painan is a town further south in West Sumatra which you’d have to go via on the voyages in which they are included.

In between Islands

When looking at the schedules, you’ll notice many of the ports do not have direct service from Padang on most voyages. This is due to the ferries usually operating on circular routes traveling from Padang to a port on the Mentawais, then to another before returning to Padang. Tickets are normally sold from port to port, but you can stay on the ship and skip a port if the intermediate one is not your destination. This makes these ferries a good option for going in between towns, especially since they service more than Mentawai Fast. The nature of the routes will, however, make them even more of a non-starter for a tourist who want to get to their destination quickly.    

Speedboats and Pompongs

Outside Sipora the most common way of getting around for most of the Mentawais inhabitants is by boat, as many of the villages and all the smaller islands can only be reached in this way. Whether you’re traveling to visit local tribes or to go surfing, it is almost guaranteed you’ll be taking either one of the local wooden speedboats, or a PomPong, which is the local name for the small homemade, “lawnmower motor” powered boats, you can find in many parts of South-East Asia. The boat rides will be organized for you by the hotel/ surf camp you booked at, or your local guide. You don’t usually have to worry about it, though it is not always included in the price of the booking. Some higher priced surf camps also include boat rides to the surf spots in the price, if the one you’re staying at does not, you’ll be able to book these separately. As a surfer, you won’t encounter PomPongs as a mode of transportation, as they are too small and don’t fare too well in open water. PomPongs are more commonly encountered on the rivers, such as the ones taking you to the interior of Siberut.
Generally, as a foreigner you’ll always need a local fixer if you want to take one of these smaller boats around the islands, to help you find the person who either owns the boat or who knows a person wanting to go in between towns. There are no schedules and very few fixed routes. One of your best options in Siberut would be contacting Ade (you can click his name or find him on the Guides page), he has the right connections, equipment and licenses to get you anywhere around the island and even to Padang.
Yes, it is possible to take a speedboat between the islands and Padang, it is however very expensive and commonly only done in emergencies, so it probably shouldn’t be your first or second choice. 

Boat tours

Though this option usually won’t have you stay on the islands, you have the option to book a surfing charter boat tour to get to the Mentawais. These tours normally depart from the Muara harbor in Padang, near to where the Mentawai Fast ships dock. I don’t have much experience with this option, to get specifics you’ll have to contact the charter tour operator. It is, however, most definitely not an option for single travelers.