How to Get There? Overview
Your final destination will be Minangkabau International Airport in Padang (PDG), West Sumatra, Indonesia.
At this airport, our crew will be waiting for you with a sign with your name and an air-conditioned van to take you to the boat.
The trip between the airport and the boat takes about 1h:30min.
The boat departs from the port of Muara, usually between 6 and 9 pm.
And the crossing from the port to Mentawai takes about 12 hours.
Arriving in Padang (PDG)
To get to Padang there are a few options
Fly to Jakarta (CKG)
You can fly directly from the US, Europe or Australia, to Jakarta.
If you are going to do the trip on the boat and go back straight home, this is definitely the best option.
Qatar, Qantas, American and Emirates usually offer daily flights to Jakarta, with a great cost-benefit ratio.
Once in Jakarta, you will go through immigration, pick up your luggage, proceed to the domestic flight terminal and board the next flight: Jakarta (CGK) > Padang (PDG).
When booking your flight to Padang, pay attention to two things: First, flight arrival time in Padang (PDG) cannot be later than 2 pm on the day the boat departs from the port. And the return flight time must not be earlier than 11 a.m. on the day the boat arrives at the port.
Example:
Trip 18 –11th Sep to7thOct
You should arrive in Padang no later than 2 pm on September 11.
And should depart Padang for Jakarta after 11 am on October 7.
Fly to Bali (DPS)
Many of our guests prefer to extend their trip and spend a few more days in Indonesia.
If this is your choice, the best destination without a doubt is Bali.
Flights to Bali are usually around the same price as flights to Jakarta
There are now direct flights to Bali without a layover in Jakarta. If possible, choose this option. You will save a lot of time.
The same rule for departure and arrival times of the flights we have described for Jakarta applies for Bali.
There are no direct flights from Bali to Padang yet. You will have a stopover in Jakarta, but there is no need to buy the flights separately.
Selecting the final and initial destinations your favorite flight search tool will already set up the stopover for you.
Buying Internal Flights
Some Internal flights (PDG > DPS or PDG > CGK) of Indonesian airlines do not appear on world famous applications like Skyscanner, Kayak, Decolar and others.
They appear only in the Traveloka application, which is perfectly secure and normally accepts all credit card cards.
Airline Tips – What to Avoid
For the international flights, usually all companies offer decent services.
But the same doesnt apply for domestic flights in Indonesia. Always chose Air Asia or Garuda.
Avoid flying with Lion Air. Besides old, poorly maintained aircraft, they charge giant fees to carry your boards.
If You Have No Time or Patience
Send us a WhatsApp and we can refer you to a travel agent who is already used to booking these flights.
