At the very northwestern tip of Indonesia, past Banda Aceh, the road simply stops and the sea begins. That's Pulau Weh: a small volcanic island ringed by some of the clearest water in Sumatra, and about as far from jungle trekking as our tours get.
Diving and snorkelling
Pulau Weh sits inside a marine park, and it shows. Visibility regularly runs 20 to 30 metres, the reefs around Iboih and Rubiah Island are healthy and shallow enough for snorkelling straight off the beach, and the diving ranges from gentle coral gardens to currents that pull in reef sharks and the occasional whale shark passing through.
Dolphins and fishing
Boat trips out from Iboih or Gapang regularly cross paths with pods of dolphins in the early morning, and a half-day fishing trip with a local boatman is as much about the ride as the catch, past cliffs, coves, and the kind of water that makes you stop talking for a while.
Getting lost on a scooter
The whole island is small enough to circle in a day by scooter, with barely any traffic beyond the odd chicken crossing the road. There's no real itinerary to follow here, just a coastal road, a few viewpoints worth stopping for, and the freedom to turn down whichever track looks interesting.
This is the part of a Sumatra trip with nowhere to be. After a trek in Gunung Leuser, it's the natural place to slow all the way down.
Combining it with a trek
Pulau Weh works well tacked onto the end of a longer Sumatra itinerary rather than as a standalone trip, given the distance from Bukit Lawang. Tell us if you'd like to build it into your route.