Pulau Weh Ecotourism

What is Pulau Weh Ecotourism?

Pulau Weh (Weh Island), an island off the northern point of Sumatra in Indonesia’s Aceh region, is also a hidden gem in the Andaman Sea. This little island, located at the intersection of the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, is only a short boat journey from Banda Aceh, making it a one-of-a-kind and scenic destination. Pulau Weh is called Sabang by the local community because it is part of the Sabang City administration. Pulau Weh is one of the outermost islands of Indonesia and is the 0 kilometer point of the Republic of Indonesia, which is directly adjacent to Malaysia, Thailand, and India. This island is an atoll or coral island.

Pulau Weh’s breathtaking underwater environment is one of its primary draws. Divers and snorkelers will find paradise in the nearby coral reefs, which are home to a wide variety of fish species. Visitors may explore the vibrant coral gardens and see the marine life in its native home thanks to the clean waters and good visibility. The new worth activities to be taken in the island, apart from its beauty underwater discovered by diving and snorkeling, are herping and bird watching.

Pulau Weh Ecotourism is established to develop all potentialities of nature tourism that are found all over the island. The efforts to raise awareness toward wildlife and coral preservation are central focuses of SUMECO in Pulau Weh. Pulau Weh Ecotourism is a strong initiative of SUMECO after several times visiting this island, but we found bird shooting and poaching activities are still going on.

Conservation Strategic in Pulau Weh.

SUMECO’s conservation strategy on Weh Island will be the same as SUMECO’s conservation strategy on Bukit Lawang. Hundreds of animals have been rescued, especially those with important conservation status and those with protected legal status, and the rescue of those animals was carried out effectively and efficiently. SUMECO has never carried out animal rescue with wasteful costs or arbitrary actions because SUMECO is funded from personal funds obtained from ecotourism profits.

It is very important to understand that SUMECO utilizes a portion of its ecotourism income to fund its conservation activities, as seen in the Instagram posts below. We keep going how we might to carry on and keep encouraging the community to care about conservation through ecotourism.

SUMECO’s Conservation Background in Pulau Weh.

Pulau Weh’s reptiles and amphibians will be generally identical to those found on Sumatra’s main island, as will the vegetation. The last known eruption is thought to have happened in the Pleistocene period. As a result of this eruption, the mountain partially collapsed and was filled with seawater, becoming a distinct island. The Pleistocene era is a geological period that began around 2.6 million years ago and concluded roughly 11,700 years ago. It’s known to be the era when Weh Island was initially formed.

Beginning in October 2024, Weh Island’s new ecotourism offerings will include herping, birding, and jungle trekking. According to the findings of SUMECO’s four time visits, we believe that ecotourism should be used to promote conservation efforts and raise locals’ knowledge of the value of preserving Weh Island’s habitat. With the help of a number of locals who are similarly conscious about environmental protection and possess the human resources deemed necessary to launch it, SUMECO established the first ecotourism line.

Since hunting and illegal possession of rare and protected species have decreased as a result of conservation efforts at Bukit Lawang Ecotourism through jungle tour/trekking activities, herping, and birding, similar methods will be used at Pulau Weh Ecotourism in order to preserve the animals on Pulau Weh. The diversity of plant species and bird species inhabiting a place with good habitat conditions is greatly influenced by the good natural climate conditions. In the Kilometer Zero area of ​​Pulau Weh, the types of birds that are often found are Pycnonotus goiavier, Treron olax, Treron capellei, Nectarinia jugularis, Aplonis minor, Ducula aenea, and Dicrurus remifer. The diversity of these species is because the area is a suitable habitat for these types of birds.

Pulau Weh has the status of an island that requires maintenance. It serves as a significant stopover or resting area for migrating birds. Given how the beauty of the underwater environment of a tiny active volcanic island definitely offers a pretty high diversity of marine life, especially the incredibly uncommon Megamouth shark species that is found in Pulau Weh. Apart from its underwater ecology, the endangered and endemic species of toad, Duttaphrynus valhallae (formerly Bufo valhallae), is inhabiting this island, but this species’ existence is extremely threatened because of the island’s severe deforestation.

Pulau Weh was chosen to continue and expand SUMECO’s conservation work because Pulau Weh is one of the favorite tourist destinations in Sumatra. SUMECO is not funded by donations or grants; SUMECO is funded by personal finances obtained from the profits of its small businesses in the ecotourism sector.

Pulau Weh has an emotional relationship with SUMECO, gives ecotourism opportunities for SUMECO, and will be used in a collaborative conservation effort with the community to provide assurance for animals in need. SUMECO was not founded as an NGO that seeks enormous sums of money to be spent on potential manipulations, and SUMECO does not operate in a covert manner. SUMECO will collaborate with the community and friends to provide tourist services such as herping, birdwatching, jungle trekking, and diving activities, while also assisting the community in animal conservation to the greatest extent possible by using a portion of the company’s income for its operations.

Legal Basis: Creative Economy, Ecotourism and Conservation.

The right to a good and healthy environment is part of Human Rights which is included in the Right to Life group as regulated in Article 28H paragraph (1) of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia and Article 9 paragraph (3) of Law Number 39 of 1999 concerning Human Rights. In addition, every citizen is obliged to respect the rights of others to a good and healthy environment as stipulated in Article 28J of the 1945 Constitution.

As part of Human Rights, the state must respect, fulfill, and protect the rights of every citizen to a good and healthy environment. The community also has a role in efforts to fulfill the right to a good and healthy environment, including receiving environmental education, access to information, access to participation, and access to justice.

Authorities and law enforcement officers are obliged to process the actions of a person and/or group of people who commit alleged criminal acts in the field of natural resource and ecosystem conservation in order to fulfill the community’s right to a good and healthy environment. This aims to ensure that the utilization of natural resources is carried out in a sustainable manner so that it can fulfill the needs of many people and prevent natural resource utilization activities that cause environmental damage.

In modern times like today, economic development is the most important part in increasing economic growth in a country, especially Indonesia, through the creative economy, new breakthroughs are needed, especially in the field of ecotourism based on conservation, art, and culture.

Law Number 24 of 2019 concerning the Creative Economy was formed to provide a basis for legal certainty to the Government and/or Regional Governments in creating and developing a creative economic ecosystem, it is necessary to regulate the creative economy. Indonesia has a wealth of cultural heritage that needs to be utilized as a product that creates added value through the development of the creative economy to advance public welfare. In this case, the Government and/or Regional Governments are responsible for creating and developing a creative economic ecosystem so that it can contribute to the national economy and increase global competitiveness in order to achieve sustainable development goals.

Herping, birdwatching, and jungle trekking in Weh Island are relatively new. The adjustment, development, and strengthening of human resources in the management of natural potential on Weh Island are still in process. As we have explained previously, new and feasible activities such as herping, birdwatching, and jungle trekking are held to increase awareness of preserving biodiversity on Weh Island.

It is important to reiterate that SUMECO (Sumatra Ecoproject) is a conservation institution located in Bukit Lawang that is dedicated to the preservation of biodiversity in Sumatra. Since 2014, SUMECO has collaborated with the Gunung Leuser National Park authorities to rescue animals. The herping and birdwatching activities that have been conducted in Bukit Lawang since 2014 have been successful in raising public awareness and concern for the preservation of a variety of endangered species, including snakes, turtles, and birds, as well as other species protected by Indonesian conservation law.

The ecotourism program we intend to implement on Weh Island is expected to develop in a manner akin to that of Bukit Lawang, and it will be seen as an ecotour that greatly enhances and engages with conservation initiatives related to the island’s biodiversity. We are optimistic that this can come to fruition, and it ultimately hinges on the level of interest from tourists in this ecotourism initiative.

1. Herping.

Herping on Pulau Weh will take place at the boundary of the protected forest zone or in other regions featuring intricate vegetation. The complexity of vegetation, reflecting the range of gradients within a specific plant community, will support a greater number of insects. These insects, in turn, will draw in more prey, serving as a food source for snakes and lizards classified as reptiles, as well as frogs and toads categorized as amphibians. It is also expected to be an ecotourism income for communities that truly care about preserving the ecosystem and biodiversity on Weh Island.

2. Birdwatching.

Observing and enjoying seeing birds is a basic step in developing bird conservation. This activity is expected to increase public awareness of the preservation of birds found on Pulau Weh. The lack of public awareness of the importance of preserving the bird population on Weh Island is the main problem that causes bird hunting to continue to be rampant. Pulau Weh is a resting place for birds migrating from outside Indonesia to Sumatra Island. Birdwatching activities must be able to present conservation values ​​in order to create a safe and comfortable zone for birds on this island.

There are three ways to travel from Bukit Lawang to Banda Aceh and Pulau Weh: by plane, by bus, and by private car. If you are in Bukit Lawang, you should start to think that Bukit Lawang and Banda Aceh or Pulau Weh are in two different neighboring provinces. Bukit Lawang is in the province of North Sumatra, and Banda Aceh, or Pulau Weh, is in the province of Aceh. Please remember, to get to Pulau Weh from Bukit Lawang, Lake Toba, Berastagi, Medan, or anyplace outside the province of Aceh, you must first arrive in Banda Aceh.

1. By Plane.

If you decide to take the air route by plane, then what you have to think about is leaving for Kualanamu International Airport in North Sumatra province. This trip you can certainly imagine when you come to Bukit Lawang from Kualanamu International Airport. The flight between the two provinces takes one hour. The airport in Banda Aceh is called Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport, located in Blang Bintang sub-district.

When you arrive at Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport, you may request a becak or tuktuk, which is also an SUMECO team in Banda Aceh named Little John Tuktuk, to transport you from the airport to the Ulee Lheue seaport in Banda Aceh city. If you have additional time, and if you and John agree, John would gladly show you around Banda Aceh, including the Aceh Tsunami Museum and the Floating Ship, a historical ship memorial honoring the Aceh Tsunami that occurred on December 26, 2004. The trip from Sultan Iskandar Muda airport to the seaport is about 60 minutes (20 km).

2. By Bus.

If you decide to take the land route by bus, you have to start to imagine that the distance from Bukit Lawang to Banda Aceh is 670 km, and the distance from Banda Aceh to Weh Island is 30 km via Ulee Lheue seaport located in Banda Aceh city to Balohan seaport located on Weh Island. Don’t worry, this land route by bus is actually very easy and cheap.

If you plan to reduce your travel expenses to Pulau Weh from Bukit Lawang, it is recommended that you embark from Bukit Lawang and travel to Binjai city via public bus. The journey takes two and a half hours. There are two kinds of public buses: the orange-colored PS (Pembangunan Semesta) bus and the red-colored Almasar bus. It is estimated to cost approximately 30,000 IDR.

It’s crucial to shout “saya turun di tugu!” to your bus driver when you come to Binjai city to let them know you wish to get off at the Binjai city monument. To be sure you stop at the right place, please click this [Google Map link]. I suggest you are standing at this point to head to the ‘Medan-Banda Aceh’ bus ticket counter on the side of the road. You don’t need to go to Medan to get a bus ticket to Banda Aceh, unless you really want to go to Medan city for shopping or stay over night there.

After you get off the bus, you should be on the left side of the road and facing the Binjai city monument. You should walk along the main road towards Aceh for 100-150 meters from where you get off the bus to find the bus ticket counter for the Medan-Banda Aceh route. Please note that the express bus to Aceh only operates at night; you will arrive in Banda Aceh no later than 8 am. It will be an 11-hour drive from Binjai to Banda Aceh.

When you buy a ticket, make sure you receive a ticket with a seat number, and please take a photo of your belongings that will be placed in the lower luggage compartment of the bus. Make sure your valuables are close to you or located in the overhead storage cabin.

Once you arrive at the bus station in Banda Aceh city, you may request a becak or tuktuk, which is also an SUMECO team in Banda Aceh named Little John Tuktuk, to transport you from the bus station to the Ulee Lheue seaport in Banda Aceh city. If you have additional time, and if you and John agree, John would gladly show you around Banda Aceh, including the Aceh Tsunami Museum and the Floating Ship, a historical ship memorial honoring the Aceh Tsunami that occurred on December 26, 2004. The trip from the bus station to the Ulee Lheue seaport is about 30 minutes.

At Ulee Lheue, you will get information about the departure of slow boats (Ferry) and fast boats from Ulee Lheue seaport in Banda Aceh to Balohan seaport on Weh Island. Below is the departure schedule for fast and slow boats from Ulee Lheue in Banda Aceh to Balohan on Weh Island.

Slow boats:

First departure at 08:00

Second departure at 12:00

Third departure at 16:30

Fast boats:

First departure at 08:00

Second departure at 10:00

Third departure at 16:30

Once you arrive at Balohan seaport in Pulau Weh, you can contact the SUMECO team in Banda Aceh named Dodi. You can contact my WhatsApp number at +6282166316641 or our online chat at the bottom right corner of the website, to request your tuktuk in Banda Aceh and Pulau Weh.

3. By Private Car.

Your trip will not be inexpensive if you use a private car from SUMECO because we will make several stops, including one where you can see wild elephants (at an additional cost), one where you can see crocodiles, SUMECO conservation-based ecotourism areas, and several other locations where you might see wild animals or historic structures. But you can also travel directly to the Balohan seaport. For this option, please contact us directly via WhatsApp or the online chat feature located in the lower right corner of this website. We will choose the type of car based on the agreement; if you desire a trip that includes a forest to view wild animals, we will use a 4-wheel-drive vehicle. It is crucial to communicate your preferences for your trip.