The Mentawai Islands (or “Ments”) are the kind of place that sends a surfer’s frontal lobe flickering with excitement at the mere mention of them.
Dozens of surf breaks packed into a small stretch of the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Sumatra. Swell that shows up like clockwork through the season. Warm water. Reefs that run from forgiving to flat-out serious. Cold Bintangs and fresh coconuts.
If you surf, need we say more?
The real question isn't whether to go. It's how. Resort or charter?
Both put you on world-class waves, both have diehard fans, neither is better in any absolute sense. They just suit different surfers, different crews and different trips.
We run both types of Mentawai surf trips, so we've got no reason to push you one way.
Here's the honest breakdown of how surfing the Mentawais actually differs between the two and who each one is for.
The two trip styles (summed up quickly)
A surf resort: It's a fixed base on land. You unpack once, settle in and surf epic waves just offshore from your beautiful island. Simple, comfortable and friendlier for people travelling with non-surfing partners or kids.
A surf charter: You're on a charter boat. You live aboard for the trip, the captain and surf guide read the swell and forecast. The boat moves to wherever it's firing. You might wake up at one wave and fall asleep anchored off another. You go where it's best.
That difference, fixed base versus moving boat, drives almost everything else. So let's get into it.
Wave consistency vs. wave variety
This is the heart of the decision.
A resort gives you a known set of waves. You get acquainted with them quickly. By day three you know where to sit, how the tide changes the takeoff, which peak handles size, which one will blow you up. There's value in that. Safety too.
Take a spot like Kandui Villas. It sits right in the Playgrounds area, with Kandui out front, Rifles in the backyard and friendlier breaks like A-Frames and Malibus a short boat ride away. So there's an option working for pretty much any swell and any wind. But that's not a given everywhere.
It really comes down to where you book.
At some camps and resorts, if the wind turns wrong or the swell drops below what the local reefs need, you're limited to what's in reach.
For charters you needn’t worry so much about this. For chasing the best possible conditions across a full run of swell, nothing beats a boat.
Want certainty and a home-break feel? Resort. Want to follow the swell wherever it goes? Charter.
Your crew and how you like to travel
Take it from us… who you're going with matters more than people expect.
This isn’t a hard-and-fast rule, but charter boats work best with a tight crew you've locked in.
- Usually 6 to 11 surfers who get along
- Roughly match on ability and stoke
- Keep in mind you're sharing tight quarters, eating together and surfing the same sessions for ten days or longer
Having the right people is half the magic. With the wrong mix, well, a 25-metre boat can feel real, real small.
You can still book a charter solo or as a pair. You'll just be sharing the boat with whoever else is on it, so the vibe depends on the group. Plenty of our Indo surf charters run as shared trips for exactly this reason.
Resorts are easier on mixed groups:
- More space and more privacy, so people can do their own thing
- Not feeling the heavy stuff? Surf somewhere else or explore a nearby island
- An easier sell when not everyone in the group is equally obsessed
Which brings up the next point.
Non-surf days and the people who aren't surfing
Not every trip is all surfers and not every day is a surf day.
On a charter, the boat is built around surfing. But it also means downtime is whatever the boat offers: fishing, a snorkel, a book on deck, the company of the crew.
The bigger, better-equipped vessels handle this well. Something like the Kudanil Explorer has the space and toys to keep a non-surfer happy. But on a smaller boat, downtime can feel one-note.
Resorts handle this more naturally.
There's land to walk, a pool to lie by, often a gym, yoga, massage or kids' setup on site and the simple ability to step away from the water without going anywhere.
Honestly, for couples where one surfs and the other doesn't or for crews who don’t need surfing to be the main event, a resort adds more texture to the trip. You can score all morning and still have a proper afternoon that isn't solely about waves.
Budget (an honest account)
In our experience, this is where a lot of advice gets vague.
When we talk budget for a Mentawai surf trip, we're not talking about the bare-bones, basic surf camp version of the islands. That exists, but it's not the trip we run or recommend.
For us, a sensible Ments trip starts somewhere around 200 to 300 USD per person per night once you factor in quality, comfort, food, guiding and getting reliably good waves. It can go up to 400 to 600 USD a night in rare cases, but in our opinion 200 to 300 USD is a good starting point.
Within that range, charters and resorts price differently depending on the boat, the season and the standard:
- A more solid boat with a great crew and a long history of scoring can run more than a mid-range resort
- A premium resort will run more than a no-frills boat
- So there's no clean rule either way. A premium resort and a solid boat often land around the same price for a similar standard
What's fair to say is that a charter bundles everything into one price: boat, food, guiding and transport between waves. The cost is what it is and there are not many decisions (other than whether to buy photos or have another beer) to make once you're aboard.
A resort can flex a little, since we package nearly everything in. The only extras are alcohol and the odd activity or spa session, and that's never a big spend on site. Neither is the budget option by default. Both are worth it.
Skill level and comfort in the water
The Mentawais have waves for everyone, but resorts and charters expose you to them differently.
A good resort usually runs two boat trips. One for the user-friendly breaks, one for those chasing barrels. So you're never stuck on a heavy wave just because that's where the boat's headed.
A decent speedboat can split the group by level too or by who wants lefts versus rights. You pick your level day-to-day. Step up when you're ready, back off when you're not. For surfers still building reef confidence, that control is reassuring.
A charter goes where it's best for the group, and where it's best isn't always beginner-friendly. So matching goals with the rest of the guests matters.
Don't book a shared charter in July, prime big-swell season, if you're a less confident intermediate. But when the crew lines up on ability, a good surf guide finds the right waves and fewer crowds with them.
Our two cents? Be honest about your level when you book, so the trip gets set up right.
The Mentawais are really an intermediate-and-up destination (especially on shared charters). There are mellower waves around, but the region is really all about performance waves.
So… which one is for you?
Here's the short version.
Pick a resort if you... want a home base and a few quality waves you can learn inside out, you're travelling with a mixed crew or a non-surfing partner, you like the idea of real downtime on land or you want more control over your level in the water.
Pick a charter if you... want to chase the best conditions across the whole island chain, you've got a tight crew of six to ten who match on ability and stoke, you're an intermediate or advanced surfer hungry for variety and you're happy to let the ocean set the schedule.
FAQ
Q. How many people do you need for a charter?
Most charter boats work best with six to 12 surfers. You can also join a shared charter solo or as a pair and fill the boat with other guests. We'll match you to a trip that fits you or your group.
Q. When is the Mentawai surf season?
The prime swell window is the middle of the year… roughly April to October. We see the biggest and most consistent swells from June to September. But don't sleep on the "off season". There are heaps of swell magnets in the Ments. And the Indian Ocean's rarely flat. You’ll have boatloads (see what we did there?) of fun during these months so long as you’re not expecting stand-tall tubes.
Q. Can a non-surfer enjoy a Mentawai trip?
Yes, generally more so at a resort or on a larger, well-equipped boat. There's fishing, snorkelling, card playing, diving and downtime on land or deck. Smaller boats are more surf-focused, so think about that if half your crew doesn't surf.
Q. Is a resort or a charter better for beginners/early intermediates?
A resort, usually. You get to choose your wave and your level day-to-day and you can miss a session without holding the group up. Charters tend to chase heavier, more advanced waves, though a good crew can still find mellow waves if you flag your level early.
Still weighing it up?
Plenty of people do both over the years and love them for different reasons. There's no wrong answer here, just the one that fits the trip you actually want.
If you want a straight take on which suits your crew, your dates and your level, that's exactly the kind of thing we're happy to talk through. We've been on both, plenty of times, and we'll tell you what we'd book if we were you.
FIND YOUR PERFECT MENTAWAI SURF TRIP
Written BY
Ignacio Echandi
Glide Surf Travel Co-Founder
