ACEH SINGKIL

Singkil is a small town which has been developed to become the capital of Aceh Singkil. Previously this area was part of South Aceh. The houses in the villages are of an old style, built in wood with intricate carvings. The former residence of the King, located next to the mosque, is still in very good condition but it is not open to the public.
There is a market on Mondays and Thursdays.

PLACES OF INTEREST

Village Life

Walk down to the bridge and enjoy a coffee in the coffee shop Al Hidayah. From the verandah you have a nice view over the river life with many canoes going back and forth. On market days, Singkil is very colourful.

Traditional Cigarettes

Traditional cigarettes; hand rolled in a thin paper from the Nipa palm, are still popular in the remote villages of Aceh. Cigarette paper comes from Singkil where production is still carried out by hand in the traditional way.

Branches from the nipa palm, cut into long sticks, are used. The sticks are split and the “paper” is taken out. Canoes take back the sticks to Singkil and women sitting on the river banks in town do the cutting. The paper is then dried in the sun along the roads. If you walk down any of the back roads along the river you will see the process.

A Controversial Grave

The grave of the most famous son of Singkil, Syech Abdurrauf Singkili, is according to most scholars, located in Banda Aceh. In Singkil, it is claimed that there is a misunderstanding and there were two people named Abdurrauf during the time of Sultan Iskandar Muda. Students of Abdurrauf Singkil became important in the development of Islam in Sumatra Barat (Padang) and this grave is often visited by pilgrims from Padang.

The caretaker will be happy to tell you more but he only speaks Indonesian. The grave is in a building and can be seen through the windows. To enter the building you need to have permission and must take off your shoes and clean yourself according to the Muslim rules. Please give a donation for the upkeep of the grave. The grave can be found in Kilangan.

Fishing

You can join the locals catching fish by dragging huge nets along the beach or go along in a boat for sea fishing.

Beach Trekking

Try beach trekking as an alternative to Jungle trekking! You can walk from Kuala Baru to Trumon, 70 km of endless beach.

The River Delta

The Alas River spreads itself out into a huge delta, an amazing maze of small rivers and channels. Excursions into the delta can easily be made. Ask at your guest house or at the bridge in Singkil for a motorized canoe to take you around the remote Dairi Villages and along the undisturbed river arms further away. Bargain for a good price if you can – very few people in Singkil can speak English.

Banyak Island

A group of 99 islands off Singkil is known as the Banyak Islands. They offer spectacular beaches, fine coral reefs, a rich variety of fish, virgin jungles with wildlife etc. The water around these islands abounds with colourful tropical fish. The population living on these islands is not more than 4,200. The main village is Balai on Balai Island; other villages are Haloban, Ujung Sialit and Teluk Nibung. Only Balai has electricity, a post office and a telegram office. Telecommunication can only be made by radio and there is not money changer on the island. The population on the islands is a mix of Minangkabau, Nias and Acehnese.

Pulau Palambak

Visitors to these islands have said that it is one of the best they have ever seen in Asia. It takes about 3 – 4 hours to walk around and it has white sandy beaches almost all the way round. In the middle there is a jungle swamp forest, interesting for short treks. On the south side there is a hut that has a stock of basic foodstuffs and cigarettes. Nearby are the islands of Palambak Kecil to the east and Gosong Sianji to the west. Both are good for day trips, snorkeling and diving. There is beach accommodation on Palambak with small shops.

Pulau Bangkaru

A trip to Pulau Bangkaru and the sea turtles is a must if you want an experience to remember. Bangkaru isa magical island where every night, all year round you can see green turtles lay their eggs. They are over 1m long and weigh around 250kg. Sometimes early in the year there are also leatherback turtles which weigh over 500kg. Other things to enjoy on the island are the beaches, snorkeling and trekking. Accommodation and a café have been built on the island.

Pulau Unjun Batu

This is rather a big island and has a different type of coral fro the other islands. The coastline is very nice with small coves and beaches and strange rock formations. There is also a bit of jungle for tourists to trek through. The only beach accommodation is located 500m east of the village.

Pulau Panjang

Pulau Panjang (long island) stretches from Pulau Balai in the north and ends near Pulau Rangit in the south. This island offers nice beaches and breathtaking sunsets and sunrises. Several bungalows have been built on the island too.

Pulau Rangit Besar

This island is located between Pulau Balai and Pulau Palambak. There is a beautiful beach with accommodation on the island. To the north is the southern end of long island Pulau Panjang and in between the tiny twin island of Melelu. A good swimmer can swim to this pretty islet