Mentawai trip

At the start of the year I decided to go to a different place in Indonesia, surf paradise Mentawai islands, to the west of Sumatra. I went there to take surf photos of the guests of a resort called Driftwood Mentawai, run by the Belgian Ben and local Elsa.

Compared to Bali it’s a pretty long trip to get there, including a fast ferry from Padang in West Sumatra and a small boat going through the mangroves to the small island Nyang-Nyang. But what you get in return is a surf paradise with the best surf spots I’ve seen. Besides surfing there’s not much else to do: there’s no power (except for generators), running/hot water, road, cars and barely an Internet connection. Everything goes by boat, what makes the experience so much better than other touristic places.

Here’s a photo report of my 5 weeks in the Mentawai, starting in Padang in West Sumatra. Thanks to Driftwoord Mentawai for the opportunity.