Making the most of Sabang
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
The vessel is due to berth at Sabang port, within walking distance of town. Taxis may wait outside the terminal building; agree the price before setting off.
Take along a printable map.
Sabang Island, or Pulau Weh, sits off Sumatra's northern tip at the north entrance to the Strait of Malacca. For ships arriving from the west, it is the Malay Archipelago's first cruise port. From the harbour, built in 1887, visitors can reach glorious beaches almost untouched by tourism. Sabang itself is a cosy town with a sleepy but appealing old colonial atmosphere.
Getting around
Taxis operate in many towns, but settle the fare before travelling.
Nearby places
The reefs beside nearby Sabang Fair are especially good for snorkelling. Gapang and Iboih are the most popular beaches and provide swimming, snorkelling and diving. Reaching them requires a 40-50-minute ferry trip, and local ferries can be inconsistent.
Food and shopping
Try the local restaurants and coffee shops, and do not miss traditional Acehnese coffee.
Eating with the hand instead of forks or spoons is very common in Indonesia. Use four fingers to shape a small rice ball, dip it into sauces, then push it into your mouth with the thumb. One essential etiquette rule is to eat only with the right hand, since the left is used for bathroom cleaning. Neither hand should enter shared serving dishes: use utensils in the left hand to serve your portion, then eat. Wash both hands thoroughly before and after the meal. Eating by hand is frowned upon in some…
Money
Sabang has few ATMs.
Exercise care with credit cards because cloning and fraud are major Indonesian problems. Visa and Mastercard enjoy broad acceptance, but American Express may cause difficulty. Smaller businesses commonly add surcharges of 2-5% compared with cash.
Staying connected
Indonesian, also called Bahasa Indonesia, is the only official language in Sabang.
Internet prices differ considerably and, as usual, quality tends to reflect the price, but you can usually expect about Rp 5,000 per hour. Large cities have free hotspots in certain shopping centres, McDonald restaurants and Starbucks cafés, while some hotels offer free connections in their lobbies.
The emergency number for mobile phones is 112.