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9 Days Jungle tribe and beach stay Mentawai

It is a wonderful combination trip! we offer an interesting experience during your travel visiting Siberut island, Mentawai. An adventure trip for those who are passionate about cultural differences and wilderness, this trip will take you deep into the jungle Mentawai travels across the dense jungle of Siberut to meet the native Mentawai tribe. Combining staying on a Sipora island surrounded by white sand beaches, beautiful coral reefs, and lush tropical vegetation. The idea of this trip is to give a real cultural experience of living with the Mentawai tribe and relaxing after adventurous jungle trekking on secluded adorable Mentawais island.

A. What to expect during this trip

  • Meet the Mentawai shaman (“Sikerei”) learning about their unique culture and way of life in the forest.

  • Having real cultural experiences by living with the Mentawai tribe family

  • Engage in activity with the tribe family daily, and immerse yourself in different culture and lifestyle

  • Explore the jungle of Siberut

  • Island trip Sipora islands


Trip Summary
Reminder: This experience will stretch your comfort zone, it does not always feature the itinerary or the tourist highlights, there is no fixed itinerary in this trip, but deep dive deeper into local life and culture. Sometimes if we are lucky we can attend/witness some Shamanic rituals ( we will keep you updated the information about rituals).

Day 1 Padang – Siberut island – Tribe stay (Saturday)

  • 06:00 a.m      : Hotel pick up in Padang

  • 07:00 a.m     :  Departing to Siberut Island with the Fast Ferry 

  • 11:00 a.m     :  Arrive in North Siberut ( Pokkai ) and transit for 1 h ( Arrival in South Siberut ( our destination ), procced lunch at a local restaurant.

  • 12:20 p.m: Travel straight to local village/transit village by Minivan or pick up 

  • 13:00: Arriving at our transit village, loading our stuff , and take the motor canoe

  • 14:30: Crossing the Siberut jungle river heading to the Rereiket Jungle area (about 1.5 h)

  • 16:00: Arrival at our trek point and trek to the Mentawai tribe family ( 2,5 km)

  • 17:00: Arrive in Mentawai traditional house and meet and greet with the Mentawai family

  • Dinner and Evening

Day 2  Staying with the Mentawai tribe family (Sunday)

  • Join or participate with the family for food preparation, and any other activities on our presence

  • During our stay, we will experience living traditionally like the Mentawai community

  • During our stay with the family, you can ask them anything you would like to know about their way of living, culture, and traditions that they open want to talk it and answer your question

  • During our stay with the Mentawai family, you will learn jungle life skills/survival as the Mentawai do such as:

  • Learn how to weave a basket, tray, or bag from Ratan or leaves that the Mentawai people usually use to support their daily life in the jungle.

  • Making poison for bow and arrow

  • experience jungle survival with the Mentawai tribe

Day 3 Leaving the remote village – Siberut port and ferry to Sipora island (Monday)

  • After breakfast, trekking back to the bank river and the motor canoe will ride us back to our transit village

  • Arrival in the village, transit at the local house take a brief rest ( possibly cleaning or washing our stuff )

  • Transfer to Mailepet port in Siberut, and ferry to Sipora,

  • Arrival in Sipora island, transfer to our Bungalow/eco house

  • Night in Jati beach Sipora

Note: The ferry from Siberut to Sipora only goes 2 times a week every Monday and Thursday.
 

Day 6 Sipora island –Island hopping and SUP (Tuesday)

  • Island Hopping to Manggo bay Panjang beach, Sipora island

  • Visiting Pototoga Beach and explore Mangrove + SUP ( lunch provided )

  • Back to our accommodation at Jati beach

  • Dinner and evening

Day 7 Simakakang beach and picnic  (Wednesday)

  • Breakfast,

  • visiting Simakakang Beach, snorkeling, SUP, and swimming (lunch provided)

  • Back to our accommodation at Jati beach

  • Dinner and evening

Day 8 Explore Sipora Island with Tuk a tuk or Scooter on Thursday

  • Explore Sipora Island visiting waterfalls

  • Mapadeggat beach

  • In the afternoon free activities, or relax on the beach

 Day 9 Sipora Island – Padang Friday

  • Leaving Sipora to Padang at 13:30

  • Arrive in Padang at 18:00  and transfer to your hotel in Padang. Tour End

Practical Information

Terms and Conditions 

  • You have to accept living in the same conditions as the local community in the remote village, sleeping in a very rudimentary comfort style on the floor with a mat (floor mat) with mosquito net this applies nights in the Mentawai jungle. 

  • Given the conditions of poverty and isolated areas, families that accept us to live and spend time with them, conditions of comfort and cleanliness are more than basic but far from being guaranteed for "Western standards". In this case, it's very important and necessary to be able to tolerate this short inconvenience, to be able to enjoy your full stay and overall experience.

  • Because Mentawai traditional communities live in remote areas in the jungle forest, access to these communities isn't simple and easy, so the conditions of a trek include quite a lot of muddy terrain, slippery and uneven ground (sometimes you have to walk on the log on the muddy ground that Mentawai make and use it as a bridge to access further route). 

  • Please bear in mind there is no electricity in the Mentawai jungle, charge your camera and phone, and bring an extra battery.

  • The conditions in this trip, during which these stays are carried out sometimes felt like “pain” and to be required for each participant to have: 

  • Good mental preparation 

  • Great adaptability

  • To be well informed before departure about the culture and ways of life in Mentawai and the jungle. ( the guide will give a little briefing and explain about this before we start our trip 

  • Because the Sumatra area is covered with rainforest and located right on the equator, it has a tropical climate, the weather is hot and humid all year round. The driest season normally starts from May to early September, although there are sporadic rains that may occur during this period. Rains are abundant between November and January. The average temperature is 27 - 33 °C degree in Siberut Island. Be ready for hot, humid, and hasty conditions. 

 Good things to know during our immersion stay

  • Be mentally prepared to rough it out, as many tribes do not have the basic comforts of what Western standards used to.

  • Give yourself and themselves time to connect with each other during our stay

  • Be your true self while visiting, show your interest in them, and learn from them.

  • Be present throughout the experience, they expect you to enjoy your time with them.

  • Please avoid wearing expensive stuff or accessories like watches, necklaces,    bracelets, or earrings, so as not to attract the attention of the tribe, they may be tempting and ask you to give to them, so this could be counterproductive and may even harm your relationships with the community.

  • Ask for their permission before taking pictures.

⮚ Our Commitment 

  • Promoting good practice to spread the idea of responsibility for traveling ∙ Working with expert local guides and partners to achieve sustainable goals and practices. 

  • Bringing benefits to local communities when it comes to boosting their economic and social standard, teaching them about the tourism industry, as well as helping local children with ongoing education

  • Preserving culture and nature through eco-tourism responsible travel

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