Hello Everyone, How’s Life Going?
Today I made a very long journey, which is a trip to banyak islands in Aceh Singkil, Indonesia.
Has anyone ever heard of the name Banyak Islands? Maybe the name of these islands is not very familiar to our ears. However, in this archipelago there are many beautiful islands and have not been too touched by tourists with exotic beaches. There are approximately 99 islands in the Banyak Islands. These islands include Palambak Besar and Palambak Kecil Island, Balai Island, Asok Island, Biawak Island, Lambisi Island, Gosong Island, Tuanku Island, Bangkaru Island, Tailana Island, Orongan Island, etc. Sooner or later, maybe these islands will soon be famous.
However, getting to this island is not easy. How to get to the Banyak Islands?
The Banyak Islands are included in the administrative area of Aceh Singkil Regency, Nangroe Aceh Darussalam Province. However, to get there, people usually prefer to depart from Medan rather than from Banda Aceh. Why is that? Its position, which is more on the lower side of Aceh, makes this place even easier and closer if accessed from Medan. Another consideration is that planes to Medan may have more options than those to Aceh.
For those of you who are planning to visit there, here are a few notes on my trip with some friends about how to get to the Banyak Islands, Aceh.
- Towards Medan.
First of all we go to Medan first. Depending on where you are from, there are many choices of modes of transportation to Medan. At that time my friends and I left Jakarta for Medan by air. Incidentally, at that time we got cheap tickets 🙂.
If using an airplane, the airport has now been diverted to Kualanamu Airport, Medan. The new airport felt completely different from the old airport; Polonia Airport, Medan. One of the differences is the location of the airport. If Polonia Airport is located in the middle of Medan City, Kualanamu Airport is quite far from Medan. It takes about one hour from Kualanamu Airport to Medan City by using a four-wheeled vehicle.
- Medan - Aceh Singkil
The crossing pier to the Banyak Islands is located in Aceh Singkil Regency, Aceh. For transportation there, we rented travel from Kualanamu Airport to Aceh Singkil. The shape of the car is like the following photo. At that time the ten of us headed there. Each person is subject to a tariff of Rp. 90 thousand to Aceh Singkil. Travel time from Medan to Aceh Singkil is approximately 10 hours.
The crossing pier to the Banyak Islands is located not far from the travel pool. At that time we were immediately escorted to the dock.
- Aceh Singkil - Many Islands
Well, this is what really needs to be considered. There are two ferry piers leading to the Banyak Islands. One is using a boat / ferry, while the other is using a people's boat. The two piers are not too far apart. Maybe only about 1 kilometer away.
Schedule of boats / ferries to the Banyak Islands is not every day. Based on information when we visited there, boats / ferries cross to the Banyak Islands every Tuesday and Friday. The route on Tuesday this ship will cross to the Banyak Islands. Then back again to the Banyak Islands on Wednesday morning. Departing back to the Banyak Islands on Friday afternoon and returning to Aceh Singkil on Sunday morning. And so on the cycle. These ships / ferries also cross to the Nias Islands. So the schedule will alternate between Nias and the Banyak Islands.
The second option is to use a people's boat. The people's boats are almost available every day. Local people also often use it as a transportation option. But ... It should be noted that this boat / ferry or people's boat may not leave at any time, depending on weather conditions and waves. It takes approximately 3-4 hours to cross from Aceh Singkil to Balai Island, Banyak Islands.
regarding trips to the island a lot today: See you again On my next trip.
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