Pulau Weh
The Island Off The Northern Tip Of Sumatra That Holds Kilometre Zero Of Indonesia; Volcanic Vents Bubble Gas Up Through The Seabed Close To Shore · Sabang, Aceh
Pulau Weh sits off the northern tip of Sumatra and holds KILOMETRE ZERO OF INDONESIA - a monument marking the country's western end, from which the archipelago runs five thousand kilometres east to Papua. It is a small volcanic island with steep forested hills, excellent diving and almost no development, and the diving is the reason most people come: clear water, walls, the wreck of the SOPHIE RICKMERS, and VOLCANIC VENTS THAT BUBBLE GAS UP THROUGH THE SEABED close enough to shore that snorkellers swim through the stream. THE CONTEXT MATTERS HERE MORE THAN ON MOST INDONESIAN ISLANDS. This is ACEH, which operates under sharia law - dress conservatively, alcohol is not openly available, and Friday prayers close things. AND ACEH WAS THE EPICENTRE OF THE 2004 TSUNAMI, in which around a hundred and seventy thousand people died in this province alone. Neither fact is background colour; both shape what a visit here actually looks like, from how you dress to which days things open.
Pulau Weh, Sabang, Aceh, Sabang, Aceh, Indonesia
REACHED BY FERRY FROM BANDA ACEH to SABANG - a fast ferry of about forty-five minutes or a slow one of around two hours, running a LIMITED DAILY SCHEDULE that thins at weekends and stops in the evening. BANDA ACEH HAS FLIGHTS from Medan, Jakarta and occasionally Kuala Lumpur. THERE IS NO GATE AND NO ADMISSION - Weh is an island, and the beaches at IBOIH and GAPANG are where visitors stay. DIVE SCHOOLS run their own schedules. ACEH OPERATES UNDER SHARIA LAW: dress modestly away from the beach, alcohol is not openly sold, and BUSINESSES CLOSE FOR FRIDAY PRAYERS. RAMADAN CHANGES EVERYTHING - eating and drinking in public during daylight is not acceptable and many places shut. Bring cash; ATMs are in Sabang town and not at the beaches.