Sikuai Island, West Sumatera, Indonesia

Some friends were a bit skeptical when I told about our plan to Sikuai Island. What worried them was logical since many earthquakes hit West Sumatera and tsunami warnings were announced for the past weeks. However, Fransiska and I were hard-headed and kept our plan going. At the last minutes, 2 others friends, Era and Fajar joined our trip to Sikuai Island which located in Padang, West Sumatera.

A 7 hour car ride from Pekanbaru to Padang was enjoyable. Some “dangdut” songs from the radio accompanied our journey. The most memorable song was AKU BUKAN PENGEMIS CINTA (I’m not a love beggar) by Joni Iskandar!! A lot of stories, jokes, laugh and snores entertained our trip and it was whole lot of fun!

At 2:30 in the morning we stopped in Lubuk Bangko and had our very early breakfast at Terang Bulan Restaurant (it screwed my diet :D) I tried the famous spicy PADANGNESE food and drank TEH TALUA (Egg tea). The taste was really yummy!

We arrived in Padang at 4:30 in the morning and crashed at our friend’s house for awhile and then at 9:30 we headed to Muaro bay (Dermaga Wisata Bahari). It took only 15 minutes by speedboat from Padang to Sikuai Island.

Enjoyment of this trip continues as soon as we arrived on this island. We saw a white and soft sandy beach and gentle waves with crystal clear water decorating the whole island. When we entered the resort, we were welcomed by friendly resort staffs and fresh coconut drinks. We stayed at the only resort on the island named SIKUAI ISLAND RESORT. Two nice bungalows right on the beach with sea view already prepared for us.

Can’t resist of the beautiful nature surround us, we decided to explore the whole island by foot. Every minute we stopped to take pictures. This photo session was full of joy and laughter. Besides taking pictures, we also saw monkey, an eel that was trapped on the reef, a sea snake and different kind of tropical fishes.

After photo session we headed to snorkeling point and had a really good time there. Different kind of tropical fishes such as blue trigger fish, Picasso trigger fish, angel fish, dog puffer fish and trumpet fish are easily found. Surprisingly, I saw a beautiful spotted eagle ray! Amazing, isn’t it?
I don’t know how many gallons of water that Ffransiska and Era drank because the snorkel seemed so big for their mouths. However, they were still had fun to see starfish and sea urchins down there!

Tired and hungry, we went to the restaurant for our dinner. The food wasn’t that great, but the fact that we were starving made the food tasted delicious. Then, we went outside to enjoy the beautiful full moon and watched people fishing. We headed back to our bungalow, turned off the light and zonked like a baby. We were very fortunate to sleep accompanied by the sound of the waves for our lullabies.

The sound of alarm clock awakens us at 5:00 in the morning. We hiked up to the top of the island, a place named Plaza Sunset. Breathtaking scenery accompanied our hiking activities. When we reached this place, we were a bit disappointed to find out that this place is not good for taking sunrise pictures but we still had more pleasure to see Teluk Bayur Bay and small islands nearby like Snake Island and Cubadak Island.

We spent the rest of the day by playing in the water, taking more pictures, snorkeling and packing! More jokes, more laughs and more fun happened and filled our hearts with excitement and joy. We hoped that the fun wouldn’t end. However, we still have to leave this beautiful island. This time we took a big boat instead of speedboat. It was raining so hard when we were leaving, but when the rain stopped we took pictures and just chilled out at the deck of the boat. It was so neat!

It was already dark when we arrived in Padang, so we went to Simpang Kinol right away to taste the best PADANGESE SATAY. Besides we also ordered friend rice, gado-gado, sate jawa (we were starving..). Afterwards, we stopped by at Silungkang, a souvenir place for a bit then headed back home to Pekanbaru. Thought the fun ended, but the car had a mini TV for us to karaoke with choices of Oldies Indonesian Songs.

Heavy-eyed, worn-out when we arrived in Pekanbaru around 4:00 in the morning, however we were happy to make this trip!!

*More information about Sikuai Island can be read below....

Sikuai Island, is a small secluded island located in Padang, West Sumatera. An enjoyable 15 minute speedboat ride from Muara Bay (Dermaga Wisata Bahari) would take you to this beautiful island. As soon as you arrive on this island, you will see a white and soft sandy beach and gentle waves with crystal clear water decorating the whole island.

Get in touch with the nature by exploring the whole island on foot or by beach bike. A nice connecting bridge as well as a cement pedestrian walk is provided for you to make the exploration more fun. A combination of views like white sand, light blue ocean water, green coconut trees, big rocks, colorful wild flowers, all different kinds of wild trees and curious monkeys will certainly entertain your eyes and fill your heart with amusement.

Snorkeling is a must activity to do here. Many different kinds of tropical fishes such as blue trigger fish, Picasso trigger fish, angel fish, dog puffer fish and trumpet fish are easily found. When you are lucky (like me) you would even see a spotted eagle ray!! Amazing, isn’t it?

Enjoy sunset and sunrise at Sunset Plaza which is located on the top of the island. Breathtaking scenery will accompany your hiking activity to reach Sunset Plaza. Take pleasure in the swimming pool while you enjoy the sunset and sunrise views. Beside that, from this point you would be able to see Teluk Bayur Bay and small, beautiful islands nearby like Snake Island and Cubadak Island.

Indulge yourself on this private island. Sleeping in a comfortable bungalow and listening to the soft, soothing sound of the surf for your lullaby will complete your stay on this beautiful island.

Information:
Sikuai Island Resort
Sea view : Rp. 1,500,000
Garden view : Rp. 1,300,000
Include 21% government tax, breakfast for 2 and transportation from Muaro Bay-Sikuai Island-Muaro Bay

Activities:
Snorkeling : Rp. 50,000 per 2 hours for rental equipment
Diving : Rp. 1,250,000 – include diving equipment, snack box, dive instructor and boat transfer to diving areas.
Beach Bike : Rp. 100,000 per hour
ATV : Rp. 500,000 per hour

Once you arrive in Padang, head to Muaro Bay (Dermaga Wisata Bahari) where the boat to Sikuai Island is normally stand-by. You could also take a day trip to this island which will cost Rp. 250,000 per person.

Boat Schedule:
Muaro Bay - Sikuai Island : 10.00 AM and 2.00 PM
Sikuai Island - Muaro Bay : 11.00 AM and 4.00 PM