Telos Surfing Village

Camp Size: Max 12
Accommodation:  4 Private bungalows
Daily Meals: Included
Daily Transport: Included (2 speedboats)
Located in front of surf break: Yes, 3 right handers
Destination: Telo Islands (aka Batu Islands)
Surfing Ability: Intermediate to advanced
Budget: 4/5
Surf School: No
Surfboard Rental: No
Yoga: No
Ideal for: Any size group 

Telos Surfing Village overlooks "Pasti" one of West Sumatra's best right hander's. The camps focus is on surfing quality surf in crowd free waters. With a limit of up to 12 surfers per trip combined with the remote location, guests visiting the area can take advantage of this unique wave rich destination. And with so many waves on offer; from heavy tubes to friendly walls, from point break style line-ups to beach break barrels; this is our choice for all levels of surfer wanting the "ultimate surf trip."

Located just to the North of the Mentawais and to the south of Nias, the Telos are also blessed with world class surf but without the crowds of its neighbouring islands. The region has somehow managed to discourage any low end, home stays, hostels or budget camps from developing, thus allowing a higher priced, crowd free surfing environment. 

Your room view with "Pasti" breaking in the distance

The camp caters for a total of 12 guests.

4 x private bungalows each with 3 private rooms and a king size bed

Surfing Village's accommodation sits just a stone’s throw from the palm fringed shoreline in perfect view of the waves of Pasti, Lobang & Nagas. The bungalows are spread throughout the impressive grounds and are exposed to catching the sea breeze and the additional shade of the jungle. Built with local hardwood and materials, their clever & distinctive style encourages airflow throughout as well as shielding the rooms from any passing storms.

Comprising of two levels, the first floor has board storage, sheltered seating, outside deck and two private bedrooms. The top floor is a loft style room with panoramic views of the surf and jungle. Each bungalow comes complete with king size bed, white cotton sheets, box style mosquito nets, individual fans and adjustable blinds for extra privacy and is ideal for singles or couples.

All four bungalows have a western style outside toilet with a flush system and a separate bathroom a hot and cold water shower.

Bungalow private deck area

Food is included in your package and you won’t be disappointed. Daily meals are always substantial and varied and include a mix of both Indonesian and Western flavours.

Daily breakfast is served from around 6.30am. Fresh fruit and cereal is available as well as toast with eggs, omelette or cheese and tomato. Tea and coffee is always on free flow.

Lunch is also flexible and is normally a local dish such as Mee Goreng, Nasi Goreng, fish or chicken “Gule” (local curry) and fresh grilled or bbq’d fish. Occasionally, burritos, fish burgers and chicken burgers will be served too.

Dinner is usually a buffet style affair with plenty of choice and always enough to refuel after a long days surfing. Beef rendang, various curries, fresh fish, sushi, chicken parmigiana, crumbed chicken and lasagna to name but a few.

Vegetarians and specific dietary requirements can be accommodated for with prior notice to your arrival.

Internet is available through the whole of the restaurant & bar and is available most the day even though the main power (generator) is turned off during the main part of the day (when guests are surfing). 

Included in the price:

- 3 large, healthy delicious meals are served each day
- Unlimited Tea, Coffee and Water.

Not included in the price:

- Alcoholic beverages
- Soft drinks
- Additional snack bar menu

Guests have unlimited "surf guided" speedboat boat access to the best surf available, thanks to "two" NZ built speed boats, both with 175 HP engines.

The boats are new, safe and extremely fast. Most breaks are accessed in under 15 minutes. Speedboat trips from Surfing Village are usually staggered including a super early departure before another boat heads out for the later risers in the group. That also means you're typically in the boat with no more than 4-5 other surfers, guaranteeing you'll always surf uncrowded waves. After lunch, a similar staggered system will mean there is plenty of time throughout the day to surf on your schedule. And of course, when "Pasti" is breaking out the front, guests wont have to go anywhere!

Despite being located in one of the most remote corners of Indonesia, guests can find a multitude of activities to keep them happy including:

Fishing 
Pool/billiards - with a pool championship each trip
Darts
Treks through the local villages & local beaches
Massage and Yoga
Movies in the TV room
Board games: War, Chess, Backgammon, Cards…
Reading from the comfort of your own hammock
Snorkelling at a beautiful “Caribbean Beach” just a 5 minute boat trip away
Natural rock-pool 5-10 minutes from the camp.

Trips are 12 days (start/end in Padang) with 10.5 days surfing and 10 nights at the camp (2 nights on the charter boat).

Includes:

* Maximum 12 surfers
* Transfers from Padang airport to river port and overnight charter boat crossing to the camp (and back)
* Guide/translator in Padang
* Private double room in original bungalow with view of the waves and surrounding nature
* Hot and cold showers, western sink and toilet.
* 3 substantial and delicious meals a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner
* Mineral water, coffee and tea
* Daily boat trips to surf the best waves in the region (2 x private speed boats on call all day every day)
* Use of all facilities, TV, DVD, movie collection, billiard table, darts, free diving equipment (masks, snorkels, fins and spear gun), fishing equipment
* Laundry
* Central safe

Not included:

* Wi-Fi Internet - US$ 10 an hour, we have a program that adds up the time down to the seconds, so you can use only a few minutes a day and only pay an hour in the end for example.
* Professional Photography - US$ 300 p/p "per trip" (2 photographers, 1 per boat)
* Massage - US$ 30 an hour
* Large beer - US$ 6
* Juices - US$ 3
* Local development Tax - US$ 3 pp / day

Surfing Village is a truly special place to visit. Expect nothing less than a life changing experience. For starters, there are genuinely very few crowds at any of the spots. If a boat passes through, the etiquette is to wait around 1 hour before jumping into the line-up, or simply coming back later. Everyone just takes their turn and there are always plenty of waves to go around. Its also a surf camp suited for just about any surfer of any age with the majority of visitors being over 40 & mostly Australian. The vibe, as expected, is always super chilled with the whole SV crew being extremely warm and welcoming, it's truly a home away from home.

With around 12 waves on offer at SV, there's a really good mix of left, rights, soft waves and heavy tubes. All genuinely uncrowded.

All the videos will give you a pretty good incite into what you can expect during your stay (all filmed on location at Surfing Village). But it's not just a tube fest with shallow waves, there are plenty of easier waves in the region too. Waves like Baga's (left) and Tantra's (right) are very consistent, close by to SV and very user friendly too. There's a wave for everyone at SV...

"Pasti" is a world class right hander that breaks directly out the front but there are also around 12 waves in this amazing surf region all with varying power, length and ferocity. If you're of an intermediate level (or better!) then you'll have a blast.

"Blue Horizon" Indo boat trip section from 2004 (above). Although the quality of the video is somewhat questionable, you cant argue with the quality of the wave (Pasti)! RIP Andy Irons.

Detailed information for all the surf breaks can be found in the destination's section of the site within the Telo Islands pages.

Check out: Telo Surf Breaks

Guests need to fly into Padang Airport (PDG), West Sumatra 

We recommend using https://www.skyscanner.net/ and flying into either Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - or Jakarta, Indonesia.  From KL, there is usually one morning flight (1hr) with Air Asia as well as a lunchtime flight to Padang.  From Jakarta, there are over a dozen flights each day that fly into Padang, from airlines such as Garuda Airlines, Srwijaya, Citilink  & Lion Air. We recommend https://www.traveloka.com/

Note: Visa On Arrival: A FREE 30 day Visa On Arrival is now available for a number of countries including: Australia, USA, Brazil, South Africa, New Zealand, Canada, Peru, Costa Rica, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, England, France, Switzerland, Sweden and Germany. 

Trips are 12 days (start/end in Padang) with 11 days surfing and 10 nights at the camp (2 nights on the charter boat).

Guests need to arrive into Padang by 2pm on day 1.

On the last day of your trip, guests can fly out of Padang anytime after 2pm.

Transfers include:

* Meet and greet at Padang Airport (PDG)
* All taxis in Padang
* Overnight crossing on SV’s private charter boat
* A/C accommodation and bed aboard the boat
* Evening meal aboard the charter boat

Your transfers in detail:

Upon arrival at Padang’s Minangkabau International Airport (PDG), you'll be met by our SV representative and swiftly taken to either a restaurant or a hotel, where you can relax for a few hours, have a cold beer, eat some delicious Padang food and get acclimatised to your surroundings.

The boats estimated time of departure from Padang is 18:00 with arrival into Surfing Village approx 7am the next day, just in time for breakfast and some morning barrels.

For the overnight journey from Padang to the camp guests will have private use of a 24 meter charter boat. The vessel has ample space for relaxing, enjoying your evening meal as well as a few sunset beers. Guests will each have a bed in the extensive a/c cabin to get a good night’s sleep before arriving into SV the next morning. It’s the perfect way to start your surf trip.

On return, guests will depart SV just before dark and arrive back in Padang early morning the next day. Guests are welcome to book flights departing 2pm onwards.

The boat has a very experienced local crew, and is decked out with all the necessary safety equipment including; Radio, GPS, life jackets, flares etc.

Hotels in Padang

For those needing to overnight in Padang, there are plenty of decent and affordable options to choose from.

We suggest staying at either of the following options:

Mercure Hotel - www.mercurepadang.com
HW Hotel - www.hwhotelpadang.com

 

All guests travelling to any surf camp or charter boat in Sumatra will require Travel Insurance. Surf Camp Sumatra recommends using World Nomads for any trip to Sumatra. Simply use the below form to get a quote.

Make sure you to pack light & within the baggage restrictions of your airline. 

Don’t leave for your trip without any of the following:

Passport valid for at least 6 months from date of departure and must have at least 1 completely blank page (no stamps, nothing)

Tickets & itinerary

Travel insurance policy

Cash – change $500 minimum per two weeks stay into Indonesian Rupiah (IDR).

Valid Visa (for Australian, British & USA passport holders, visas can be issued on arrival (30 days max). Please check prior to purchasing your tickets.

Important: Make sure to check our "know before you go" section which is a handy page of what to expect as well as a detailed inventory of what to bring.

Surf Report: May 2018 Weather: Clear skies, light variable winds with a few afternoon showers Swell: Excellent conditions week to week. Not too many small days but then we've been surfing the beach break when its been small although only a handful of days under shoulder high. Mainly around head high & even up to double overhead on the peak of each swell. Waves: 2 to 6 ft and period between 12 to 17 sec. Winds: Mostly light winds. Some westerly winds for the rights, some east winds for the lefts. Best sessions: All the waves have had their days including Bagas, Rahasia, Pasti, Tantan, Tanggu and Tantras. Crowd: Zero as always.

Surf Report: August 2018 Weather: A little more unsettled weather. Not so much rain, but more cloudy days than sunny days. Still, its nice to escape the brutal tropical sun! Swell: August slowed down compared to May, June & July with small to medium sized swells running each day. Waves: Shoulder to just over head high for most the month. There were also a handful of bigger days. Winds: Light and variable winds. Best sessions: Bagas still delivering overhead surfing with some consistency. Small Pasti, fun Lobang and good Nagas. Crowd: No crowds as usual! Considering August was "smaller" compared to recent months, it just goes to show just how much of a swell magnet Bagas is! The beach break lighting up in August (left pic) and Nagas looking tasty (right pic), August 2018 "Pasti" (left & right) sits out the front of Surfing Village. It still had its moments! Plenty of small rippable days although nothing nearly as challenging as July. "Lobang" (out the front of SV) is often over looked by its more mesmerising brother "Pasti". Fun sessions were plentiful in August. Surfing Village August 2018 SV Guests, August 2018 After thoughts: August was still a very fun month, full of great surf. There were quality waves every day. Zero crowds. But with such relentlessness of the previous 3 months, it somehow seemed small. But it wasnt small, it was just less instense. For sure less days out the front at Pasti, but still the guests had a blast. Still plenty of swell on the way for September (see below). Check back soon for our next report!

Surf Report: September 2018 Weather: Varied weather, with sunny, overcast and some rainy days thrown into the mix. Not many storms but the odd squall. Swell: The relentless cycle of the Indian ocean swell train has eased back, and so we saw mainly medium and small pulses for much of the month. Waves: Head high most the time with bigger days at bagas, the regions swell magnet that is rarely less than head high all season. Winds: Variable winds. Best sessions: Bagas still delivering overhead surfing with some consistency. Also some head high waves at some of the other secret spots the guests surfed. Crowd: Even less crowds than usual which is hard to believe. But this is because the camp was not full for part of September! Photos from September (below): September was more like April this year in terms of swell size, but there were still head high and really fun conditions almost every day Secret spot (left) and Pasti (right) Bagas was the go to for much of September as it was always the biggest spot - and as always very uncrowded September 2018 Bagas (left) and Pasti (right) September 2018 After thoughts: September saw a dip in swell size but non the less delivered plenty of really fun waves for the whole month. Crowds were non existent. Guests were super stoked. We had a half full camp for part of the month so the guests we had really scored it to themselves. It starts to feel like the season is winding down. Check back soon for the final report!