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This program offers our most complete experience of Siberut Island. It begins like our 12-day program, with the discovery of the life of a Mentawai clan and the sharing of their everyday tasks. Then the participants will venture deeper into the forest where they will share with the tribe a deep and genuine experience of the lives of the Mentawai hunters.
This trip is suitable for nature lovers with a former trekking experience, who are able to adapt to the life conditions of the tropical forest and have a strong taste for adventure (and a good sense of humor).
Day
1 Welcoming of the group at the airport.
Transfer to Padang. Possibility to buy gifts for the Mentawai
people. Transfer to the harbor. Departure of the ferry between
8 and 11 pm. In case there is no ferry, or the ferry is
delayed for several days, we will organize a transfer by
speedboat. According to the weather conditions, you may
spend one night at the hotel and depart on Day 2, arriving
at Muara Siberut on Day 2. In this case, the cost of the
hotel is included in our prices.
Day
2 Visit of Muara Siberut.
Visit of the small coastal village of Muara Siberut. We
may go to the beach, visit a mangrove, take the time to
adapt to the slow paced tropical life style
Day
3 Departure for Atabai.
The third day, departure by speedboat (light motor pirogues)
to Atabai. We venture through a mangrove until reaching
a river. The river's water draught is quite limited. When
the water level is very low, we may ask our guests to get
off and walk up the riverbed. About noon, we arrive at the
departure point of the trek, where we meet our porters.
According the time of arrival, we may take a rather easy
path, but usually very muddy, for a 4 to 6 -hour walk or
sleep in Madobag. There is only one difficult passage: about
300 meters of a slippery uphill path. Arrival at the end
of the day. Setting up camp. To not disturb the Mentawaians
and for the comfort of our guests, we have built a camp
about 200 meters away from the uma, the main house of the
Mentawai clan that welcomes us. This camp is made of platforms
sheltered by palm leaf roofs, where we set up large Coleman
"dome" tents. We provide each hiker with a comfortable camping
mattress. There are two people per tent. Individual tents
are available for an extra cost.
Day
4 to day 8 Stay at Atabai.
Wake up for a bath in the river. Breakfast: Indonesian tea
and coffee, bread, sago, jam, eggs.
Daily activities: fishing with the women;
sago processing, manufacturing a rattan basket, manufacturing
a basket for transporting the sago (the staple food of the
Mentawaians), making the sago, and baking it; manufacturing
a bow and arrows, and making the poison for the arrows;
bark cloth processing. And if we are lucky, we will witness
a shaman ceremony. We can explore at leisure the surroundings
and visit other clans. At dusk, dinner at our camp, the
food is a mixture of Indonesian classics and Western favorites.
Day
9 Trek to Forest Camp
A 4 to 6 hour trek through the equatorial forest among superb
trees. The path narrows down to a light hunter's track that
goes through sloping passes on frayed crests and you will
discover beautiful landscapes. Arrival at the camp in the
afternoon. Our camp in the forest looks just like a real
Mentawai hunting camp. The tents will be set up on simple
platforms protected by palm leaf roofs. Life conditions
are more precarious and the food simpler than in Atabai.
Day
10 to Day 13 Stay in the forest.
Learn how to approach and observe monkeys and collect wild
honey; participate in the construction of a canoe, gather
rattan or get a closer look at the mussang; go fishing in
a creek…and much more: you will learn how to live in the
equatorial forest!
Day
14 Trek Back to Atabai.
A 4 to 6 hour trek through the equatorial forest among superb
trees. The path narrows down to a light hunter's track that
goes through sloping passes on frayed crests and you will
discover beautiful landscapes. Arrival at Atabai in the
afternoon.
Day 15 Trek Back to Muara
Siberut .
Hike back to the river and the pirogues (4 to 6 hours).
Then a pirogue ride back to Muara Siberut in 4 to 6 hours.
Arrival at the end of the day. Dinner and night in a simple
guest house, with shared bathroom, at Muara Siberut.
Day 16 Transfer to Padang.
After
breakfast or lunch, according the ferry time, we will depart
to Padang. In case there is no ferry, transfer by speed
boat. Day 10 Bungus Beach Arrival early morning at Padang.
Transfer by minibus to a small beach, 20 km. south of Padang.
We will discover Bungus area during a 4 to 6 hours stroll:
rice fields, visit to farmers, bath at a cascade, and share
a nice evening with good music in a cool restaurant on the
beach. Night in a simple hotel (double or single rooms with
attached bathroom).
Day 17 Bungus Beach.
Arrival early morning at Padang. Transfer by minibus to a small beach, 20 km. south of Padang. We will discover Bungus area during a 4 to 6 hours stroll: rice fields, visit to farmers, bath at a cascade, and share a nice evening with good music in a cool restaurant on the beach. Night in a simple hotel (double or single rooms with attached bathroom).
Day 18 Bungus Beach.
We visit some small islands by canoe: snorkeling, lunch on the beach, nap under the coconut trees, and in the evening, we will go fishing onboard a large wooden traditional boat. Night in a simple hotel (double or single rooms with attached bathroom)
Day 19 End of the trip.
Breakfast and transfer to the airport for the travellers departing the same day. Transfer to Padang town centre for the others.
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