Mentawai Surf Camp Review - Green Iguana Surf Camp

The Mentawai Surf Camp is a homely, paradisiacal resort, located on the Siberut island of Indonesia. It’s one of the region’s most popular destinations for tropical vacations and surfing adventures.

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With a 5-star rating on Tripadvisor, there are plenty of good reasons you’d want to visit a place like this.

Of course, there are so many options you can find online these days for similarly tropical adventures.

In this article, we’ll look at some of the features and benefits Mentawai Surf Camp offers that might make you consider it over some of the other options.

Accommodation

Your accommodation during a vacation can be the make or break factor to determine whether or not you enjoy your stay. It’s important to get the maximum amount of comfort available at your budget level.

There aren’t many choices over different types of accommodation, but the ones that are on offer have received great reviews from visitors online.

The Villa

The first option is the villa, which contains 4 rooms, with a few different configurations of single and double beds.

All have en-suite bathrooms and toilets so you won’t have to worry about sharing with other guests. The bathrooms are spacious and feature the same rustic aesthetic that comes with the bamboo, wood and stone materials.

You’ll be pleased to know that all the beds in the villa also come with a mosquito net. Previous travellers to Indonesia will know just how much of a pain those little critters can be, so having nets attached to each bed is a lifesaver.

There’s even a fan on the inside of the net for each bed, which is perfect for the hot, sweaty nights but can also be turned off.

These rooms also have all the basics you’d expect like clothes racks, bedside lamps and even a robe for you to wear around the room.

The Tower

The other option for accommodation is the tower. This is a two-storey structure that offers complete privacy for those staying in it.

Originally, it was designed to be a simple resting place for everyone to use. However, it quickly became a very popular spot and was converted into a proper accommodation with options for a double bed or two singles on each floor.

The best thing about the tower is the terrace and hammock you can find on both floors. Overlooking the beachfront, these terraces are the perfect place to take in the view.

Not to mention, with a hammock on both floors, you’ll be able to kick back and relax for hours and the time will simply fly away.

This accommodation is perfect for couples who want to get away from the stresses of everyday life and enjoy each other’s company in peace.

Surfing

As you’d expect, the Mentawai Surf Camp has some incredible facilities for surfing right on its doorstep. Located on a quiet beach, this is the perfect place for catching some waves without having to worry about getting in other people’s way.

The camp is in the perfect location for surfing, with promises of crystal clear oceans and a 10km radius of flawless waves surrounding the property.

The best part about it is the consistency of the climate. This means that you can wake up every morning and know there are going to be some great waves to surf.

Mentawai has surf school options for surfers of all abilities. Even if you’ve never touched a board before, the staff will help you through the learning process so you can quickly get to the point where you can enjoy riding the waves.

There’s even a section of the beach where waves are slightly smaller and calmer, providing the perfect way to transition from practicing on the beach to killing it in the ocean!

Of course, if you’re an experienced surfer, there are plenty of options for you too.

If you don’t think you’ll need any lessons and don’t want to travel all the way there with your own board, the camp offers more than 30 different types of board for you to rent during your stay.

Other Activities

Even if you don’t feel like surfing, there are still plenty of fun and interesting activities to take part in thanks to the camp.

If you fancy staying in the water, you can take part in free diving lessons, learn all the proper breathing techniques and be able to dive down to a depth of 10 metres without any SCUBA gear!

Similarly, why not give spearfishing a try? Take yourself back to your primitive roots and hunt for your own dinner using spearguns and learn some cool hunting techniques.

The fun doesn’t just stop at the camp, however. There are also plenty of options for exploring the island in a number of ways.

You can take a hike through the jungle as part of a guided tour (arranged at the camp or by a sister company dedicated to Mentawai tours).

Alternatively, you can rent a motorcycle from the camp and get a more high-octane tour of the island and race through the extraordinary scenery. With this option you can spend hours riding around the island and never run out of beautiful sights to behold.

As well as all the cool, adventurous activities, there’s plenty of other stuff to do at the camp itself that’s fun for the whole family.

The camp regularly hosts ping pong tournaments, karaoke nights and board games to make your time with the people you love even more fun!

Here’s a list of all the activities the camp provides:

Free diving
Spearfishing
Snorkeling
Hiking
Ping pong
Motorbike tours
Shaman traditional ceremonies
Cooking lessons
Golf
Shooting range
Massages
Board games
Karaoke
Sightseeing
Surf lessons
Surfboard hire

However, because the camp is run by locals who have a passion for providing fun for all their guests, you’d only have to ask and they could come up with plenty of other special activities for you to try!