Asked every season

Fly into Minangkabau International Airport (PDG), just outside Padang in West Sumatra. Most guests connect through Jakarta, which has frequent daily flights to Padang, or through Kuala Lumpur, which has short direct flights most days of the week. Both connections are straightforward. Our driver meets you at arrivals, and return airport transfers are included in your trip. We suggest allowing a buffer day on the way in — boards occasionally arrive a day behind their owners, and it is easier to absorb that in Padang than at sea.

Most nationalities can obtain an Indonesian visa on arrival, currently valid for 30 days and extendable once, and many can apply online for an e-VOA before flying, which saves queuing at the airport. Requirements do change, so check the current rules for your passport with an official Indonesian government source before you book flights. Make sure your passport has at least six months' validity from your arrival date. If anything about entry is unclear, ask us — we see guests through this every season.

The Mentawais catch swell all year, but the prime season runs roughly from April to October, when Indian Ocean groundswells arrive most consistently. The middle of the season brings the biggest surf; the shoulder months are generally a touch smaller, cleaner and quieter. There is no single perfect fortnight — what matters more is that the boat can move. We plan the route day by day, chasing conditions across the whole chain, so whichever dates you choose, we go looking for the best waves on offer.

Most of our guests are confident intermediate surfers and upwards. The Mentawais are famous for hollow reef waves like Macaronis, Lance's Right and Green Bush, but the chain also holds softer walls and forgiving corners, and because we set the route day by day we can match the surf to the people on board. Being comfortable surfing over reef helps you get the most from the trip — but you do not need to be a professional to get very good waves here. Unsure? Tell us your level when you enquire and we will give you an honest answer.

Yes. Solo travellers join our shared trips, and it works well. The boat carries a maximum of ten guests, everyone has their own single bed, and eleven nights on a working surf boat is a fast way to make friends. Tell us your dates and your level when you enquire and we will find you a trip that fits.

Yes. Groups can take Ombak Kabau as a private charter. She sleeps ten guests in single beds, two of which convert to doubles, so the boat suits a crew of mates, a family trip or a mix of couples and friends. On a private charter the route is planned around your group alone — the captain and surf guide still chase the best conditions, but the priorities in the line-up are yours. Enquire with your dates and group size and we will take it from there.

Eleven nights aboard with ten full surf days, return airport transfers in Padang, surf guiding, and everything the boat carries: air-conditioned sleeping quarters, all meals cooked by our chef, unlimited snacks and drinks, a case of beer per guest, paddle boards, and snorkelling and fishing gear. Starlink internet runs throughout the trip, and scuba equipment is available on request. Not included: the Mentawai surf tax of 2,000,000 IDR, photo and video packages, your flights, and travel insurance.

A local government levy of 2,000,000 IDR per surfer, charged by the Mentawai regency to everyone who comes to surf these islands. It is separate from your charter and is not included in the trip. We do not set it and we do not keep it — every visiting surfer pays it, whichever boat they are on. We will explain exactly how and when to pay it once you book; bringing the amount in cash rupiah is the simplest way to handle it.

Our chef cooks three meals a day, and snacks and drinks are unlimited in between — you will not go hungry after a long session. One case of beer per guest is included for the trip. Tell us about allergies and dietary requirements when you book and the chef will provision accordingly; with notice we can cater for most needs. If there is anything particular you would like on board, raise it with us before departure.

Yes. Ombak Kabau carries Starlink, which works right across the Mentawai chain. It is comfortably good enough for messages, swell forecasts, video calls and keeping an eye on work if you must. Conditions at sea can occasionally interrupt any connection, so do not build the trip around a mission-critical deadline — but for somewhere this remote, you will be well connected.

Travel insurance is not included, and you should not travel without it. Make sure your policy explicitly covers travel by boat and surfing — some standard policies exclude one or both. Given how remote the islands are, cover for medical treatment and evacuation is worth confirming too. Arrange it when you book your flights rather than the week before departure, so your cancellation cover starts early.

Two or three boards suited to reef waves, plenty of wax, spare leashes and fins, reef boots, high-factor sunscreen and zinc, any personal medication, and cash in rupiah for the surf tax and extras such as photo packages. Add light clothes, a hat and something for the evening breeze. Everything else — food, drinks, snorkelling gear, paddle boards — is already on board.

Ombak Kabau was built for this coast by Pak Eddy, one of the pioneers of the Mentawai charter business, and she is skippered by his son, Pak Iwan, who has more than twenty years of experience in these islands with a trusted, long-serving crew of six. The hull was renewed in 2019 and the boat fully refurbished in 2022. She runs twin engines and twin generators, carries two tenders, and Starlink keeps us in contact with the mainland at all times. You are in careful, experienced hands.

Message us on WhatsApp at +62 823 3999 5686, email odysseymentawai@gmail.com, or use the enquiry form, and tell us your preferred dates, group size and surfing level. We usually reply within a day. Once we have found you a trip, we confirm the details and next steps with you directly. From there we can advise on flights into Padang, visas and the rest of the logistics.