20+ breaks, ~30 min apart
E-bay, Pitstops, Bank Vaults, Nipussi, Rifles, Hideaways, No-Kandui, Kandui Left, Beng Bengs, 4 Bobs, Burgerworld and more — all close together. You move to whatever's firing that day.
01°S · 099°E — MENTAWAI ISLANDS, INDONESIA
TWENTY-PLUS WORLD-CLASS WAVES, PACKED INTO ONE ZONE.
This is the crew's case for putting our Mentawai trip in the Playgrounds — the densest, most rippable corner of the islands — and how six of us score it for under $3,000 a head. Read up, poke around the options, and grill the AI at the bottom.
01
Why the Playgrounds
The Playgrounds sit in the northern Mentawais — a tight cluster of islands (Nyang Nyang, Karangmajat, Siberut and their neighbours) that holds the highest concentration of quality waves in the whole archipelago. Twenty-plus named breaks inside a thirty-minute boat ride, from mellow rippable walls to heavy slabs. It's why the pros post up here, and it's exactly what a crew wants when we care about variety, not a single wave.
Playful to heavy, one bay system
Fun, rippable walls and air sections (Pitstops, Beng Bengs, 4 Bobs) sit right next to serious barrels (No-Kandui, Bank Vaults, Hideaways). Something for every wind, swell and mood — with plenty of juice for a crew of chargers.
April–October is the engine room
Peak dry-season groundswell marches up out of the Indian Ocean. May and June are prime. In this zone something is almost always breaking somewhere.
Built for a 4–6 crew
Short hops between waves plus an option for every condition means we're never stuck on an off day. And it's the cheapest world-class zone to base a land camp.
THE BREAKSE-bayPitstopsBank VaultsNipussiRiflesHideawaysNo-KanduiKandui LeftBeng Bengs4 BobsBurgerworld
02
Land camp or boat?
This is the big fork. Both score waves; they trade off differently. Here's the honest version.
LAND CAMP
Best fit for our briefPROS
- Base right in the Playgrounds — the best zone, all trip.
- Surf the wave out front on your own schedule.
- Cheaper per night — most camps are well under budget.
- Book out a small camp with just our crew and the boats run on our call.
- A real home base, and flexible dates (weekly Tue/Sat check-ins).
- You're anchored to one zone (fine — it's the best one).
- Daily boats are shared with other guests unless we take the whole camp.
- Further-flung waves are a boat ride, not a paddle.
BOAT CHARTER
Great, but not Playgrounds-focusedPROS
- Roams all four Mentawai zones and chases the best conditions anywhere.
- Wake up already parked at the wave.
- Social, and some incredible boats come in under budget.
- The captain picks the spots — we can lobby, and on a private charter we direct it, but we're not Playgrounds-locked.
- Fixed set departure dates.
- Seasick-prone beware; less of a “home base” feel.
03
The options
Real, current pricing pulled from the operators and specialist booking sites. All figures are per person for the accommodation/charter portion (flights are separate) and are “from” high-season rates — we'll confirm the exact May 2027 number when we enquire.
SELF-DIRECTED — HIGH ●●● / MED ●●○ / LOW ●○○
HIGH = private boat/dinghy fleet on call, or a small camp we can book out entirely. MED = a wave out front we can surf anytime + shared daily boats. LOW = no wave out front; reliant on the shared daily boat.
All land camps include 3 meals/day + 2 shared daily boat trips + a surf guide.
The gold standard for self-direction — 3 speedboats + 4 dinghies, 'surf when you want'. Over budget, but the benchmark for the luxury tier.
INCLUDES
- 3 meals/day + 24-7 snacks
- Unlimited on-call boat/dinghy access to 30+ breaks
- Fast WiFi (Starlink/fibre)
- Airport-hotel-ferry transfers
- Mentawai surfer tax included in rate
EXTRA / NOT INCLUDED
- +21% tax (11% govt + 10% service) on rates
- Flights, Padang⇄resort transport
- Alcohol, massage, gift shop
- Photo/video (extra)
DEPOSIT
35–50% non-refundable; balance 60 days out
RUN BY / COMFORT / CAPACITY
US · A/C · up to ~24
NOTES
Founded 2007 by the original Kandui Resort founders. Pool, gourmet farm-to-table. Check-ins Tue/Sat. Live 2027 dates published & bookable online.
Jared's benchmark (stayed 9 yrs ago). Best boat fleet + on-site photographers of any camp; dinghy runs dawn-to-dusk. ~$2,700 for 10 nights / ~$2,970 for 11 — right at budget before extras.
INCLUDES
- 3 meals/day + all non-alcoholic drinks
- Daily surf transfers + dinghy shuttling to local waves
- Fast internet (Starlink + fibre)
- Free afternoon Bintangs on the dock & boats
- A/C umas, hot water
EXTRA / NOT INCLUDED
- Mentawai surf tax ~$150
- Mainland transfer ~$525 pp
- Photo/video $200–475
- Alcohol ($1 Bintang / $3.75 mixed)
- Padang hotel ~$65
- Flights
DEPOSIT
$520 pp
RUN BY / COMFORT / CAPACITY
US · A/C · 16–19 guests/date
NOTES
Set 10–11 day trips. Grom-friendly waves out front but heavy stuff minutes away. Confirm exact 2027 package rate (loads in their booking widget).
Great mid-budget crew pick: front of Pitstops, A/C, ~$1,925 for the stay. Book it out with 4–6 and the boats are ours.
INCLUDES
- 3 meals/day
- 2 daily boat trips
- Surf guide
EXTRA / NOT INCLUDED
- Surf tax
- Transfers
- Photo (extra)
- Alcohol
DEPOSIT
Confirm on enquiry
RUN BY / COMFORT / CAPACITY
Australia · A/C · small camp
NOTES
Rooms (A/C), some shared bath. Just up the hill from MSR — twin options, easy to combine for a group.
Top budget + self-direct pick. Three speedboats, front of E-bay, ~$1,650 for the stay. Guests surf out front whenever, or boat to the region's other 20 waves. Book it out with our crew and it's ours.
INCLUDES
- 3 meals/day
- 2 daily surfing boat trips
- Surf guide
- Direct access to E-bay (paddle out) + Pitstops (5-min walk)
- Fishing & snorkelling gear
- Padang airport ⇄ camp transfers
EXTRA / NOT INCLUDED
- Photo packages (price on request)
- Mentawai surf tax ~$80
- Padang hotel
- Board-bag ferry carriage
- Alcohol
DEPOSIT
Confirm on enquiry
RUN BY / COMFORT / CAPACITY
Italy · A/C · max 10–12
NOTES
Traditional 170 m² 4-bedroom guesthouse; A/C; shared bath; superb TripAdvisor record. 3 hand-built speedboats (carry 4 / 8 / 10).
The book-it-out play: with 5–6 of us we take the whole camp, so the boat runs on our schedule — self-direction at ~$1,210 for the stay.
INCLUDES
- 3 meals/day
- 2 daily boat trips
- Surf guide
- Private bathrooms
EXTRA / NOT INCLUDED
- Surf tax
- Transfers
- Photo (extra)
- Alcohol
DEPOSIT
Confirm on enquiry
RUN BY / COMFORT / CAPACITY
Indonesian · Fan-cooled · small (5–6 = whole camp)
NOTES
Fan-cooled, private baths. Explicitly great for groups of 5–6 who want the place to themselves.
Jared's contact (former marketing client). Beautiful boat, under budget, and photos/videos reviewed together each night. Book it privately and we direct the plan.
INCLUDES
- Airport ⇄ boat transfers
- 3 meals/day
- A/C throughout
- On-board photo/video review
EXTRA / NOT INCLUDED
- Mentawai surf tax
- Alcohol beyond what's provided
- Flights
DEPOSIT
Confirm (typically 25–50%)
PHOTOGRAPHER / CAPACITY
On board — nightly photo/video review · 7–11 guests
NOTES
Max 11 shared, up to 12 private charter. Surfs all zones incl. Playgrounds (Bank Vaults, Kanduis, Beng Bengs, E-bays, Nipussi). Crew picks spots but discusses with the group. Live booking calendar on their site — ask for the returning-client rate + 2027 dates.
Jared knows the owner. No fixed rates — every trip is a custom quote, and the whole model is building the itinerary around your wave wishlist. The relationship gets us a real number and date priority.
INCLUDES
- Airport & boat transfers
- 3 meals/day + snacks
- 3 beers + 3 juices + 3 soft drinks pp/day
- Photographer/videographer on board
EXTRA / NOT INCLUDED
- Photographer fee
- Mentawai/Macaronis fees (varies by quote)
- Alcohol beyond what's provided
- Flights
DEPOSIT
Confirm on quote
PHOTOGRAPHER / CAPACITY
On every charter (extra, 'very reasonable') · group / private
NOTES
Longest-running independent operator; longer trips by design (2 weeks typical). Customizes to skill + wave preferences — ideal for an expert crew chasing named waves. Contact the owner for a 4–6 person May 2027 quote.
Sized for exactly our crew — min 4, max 6 (7 on request). Charter it privately and it's the roam-option that fits 4–6 without joining strangers.
INCLUDES
- Transfers
- 3 meals/day
- Surf guide
EXTRA / NOT INCLUDED
- Surf tax
- Photographer
- Alcohol
DEPOSIT
Confirm (25–50%)
PHOTOGRAPHER / CAPACITY
Ask · 4–6 guests
NOTES
All about uncrowded surf where big charters can't compete. Perfect for a self-contained group of 4–6.
04
What we'd actually do
Cutting to it — here's the ranked call for a crew of 4–6 experts who want the Playgrounds, self-direction, and to stay under $3K.
- 01
Primary — book out a small Playgrounds camp for the crew.
Top candidates: Beng Beng (front of E-bay, three speedboats, ~$150/night), Pitstop Hill or Mentawai Surf Retreat (front of Pitstops, ~$175–185/night), or Matungou (whole camp to ourselves with 5–6, ~$110/night). That's roughly $1,200–2,000 pp for the stay — self-directed, Playgrounds-locked, and well under budget.
- 02
Benchmark — Kandui Resort (~$2,700–2,970 for the stay).
If we want the nicest boat fleet and on-site photographers and don't mind sitting near the top of budget before extras. It's the spot Jared already knows and rated.
- 03
Roam option — private small-boat charter.
Maki (Jared's contact, from ~$2,699 pp) or a Sumatran Surfariis boat (Jared knows the owner — custom quote) if the crew would rather chase conditions across all four zones instead of basing in one.
- 04
Splurge (over budget) — Kandui Villas or Wave Park.
The fully self-directed luxury tier (private speedboat + dinghy fleets, “surf when you want”) if the budget flexes past $3K.