Level 4, 66 Wyndham Street
Auckland, New Zealand
Weh Island or Pulau Weh or Pulo Weh (by the local population commonly referred to only as "Sabang", the name of the largest city) is a small active volcanic island 15 kilometres to the northwest of Sumatra. The largest city on the island, Sabang, is the northernmost outpost of Indonesia. The island is known for its ecosystem; the Indonesian government has declared 60 square kilometres (23 sq mi) of inland and sea around the island as a wildlife protection area.
Weh Island is also known for ecotourism. Underwater diving, hiking through the volcanic mountain and beach resorts are the main attractions. A small village, Iboih, is known as a location for scuba diving. A few meters from Iboih is the Rubiah islet that is known for its coral reefs. The house reef at Gapang Beach boasts a wide range of macro life including rare critters like Frog Fish, Star Gazers and Gunards. Large pelagics like Mantas, Whale Sharks and Mola Mola also come to feed when the seasons right. All in all Pulau Weh offers some of the finest diving in Indonesia, yet it is still very much undeveloped and untouched.
Things to See & Do
* Diving & Snorkeling
* Iboih village
* Hiking
* Beaches
* Gapang beach
General information
Cruise Season - Jan - Dec
Currency - Rupiah (IDR)
Language - Indonesian
Electricity - 2 round pins European style
Population - 30,000 approx.
Land Area - 156.3 km2
Time - GMT plus seven hours
International Country Telephone Code - +62
Port Location - The port is located at Balohan, approximately 1 hour drive from Sabang.
Travel Links - Weh Island is served by the Maimun Saleh Airport located in Sabang. Currently there is no airlines serving that airport. Thus, the nearest airport to get into Sabang is the Sultan Iskandarmuda Airport which is located at Banda Aceh. From the airport of Banda Aceh, it's about a half hour drive to Ulee Lheu, close to the center of Banda Aceh, from where the ferries to Balohan (Pulau Weh's ferry harbour) are leaving.
There is a fast ferry (~1 hour) which leaves at 9.30am and 4pm from Banda Aceh and 8.30am and 4pm from Sabang Pulau Weh. For the moment the fast ferry called "Pulo Rondo" only run once a day depart from Ulee Lheue pier (Banda Aceh) at 9.30 am to Balohan (Pulau Weh)and from Balohan (Pulau Weh) at 4.00 pm.
A slow ferry leaves Banda Aceh at 2pm and from Pulau Weh at 8.30am. Sometimes there are two trips/day.