Beng Bengs Surf Camp
A surfing wonderland
The surf
This place is not only surrounded by tropical jungle, but it's also strategically located right in front of E-bay, one of the best lefthanders of the area. Pitstop, a righthander, is 10 minutes walking from the camp, while Beng Bengs, lefthander, is a 20-minute walk. If you're up for a 40-minute walk, you can reach two more waves, Nipussi and Bank Vaults.
Due to their position in the Indian Ocean, the Mentawais islands are exposed to SSW swells, so from March to April, the waves are smaller but consistent as well. Then they will become stronger in May. The same happens at the end of October and the beginning of November: smaller but consistent waves again.
From April to October strong swells from South Africa and Antarctica reach our coral reefs carrying amazing waves that roll into clean and perfect barrels. We recommend that you plan your trip with this in mind: if your choice is no crowds and easier surfing we suggest you book in March, April, October, and November. If you like to play rough you should plan to visit from May to September! Surfline suggests Mentawai in August is the 'Best Bet' in the world.
A perfect day
The perfect surfing day starts with a healthy breakfast, then heading out to the best spot of the day for surfing until lunchtime. A big meal is followed by a deserved nap, then we head out again for the afternoon session before tasting a cold beer in our beachfront bar while enjoying the sunset.
Breaks
The lodge
Our resort is right in front of a world-class wave named E-bay and is a beautiful, private, 4-bedrooms guesthouse catering for a maximum of 12 people. It is a traditional Mentawaian house built by local handcraftsmen. There is a garden, the main terrace, a bar, a rest area with hammocks, and a common living room area where all guests can enjoy their meals. We have two shared rooms and two double rooms.
Food
All our guests have access to three delicious healthy and homemade meals. Our chef will spoil you with the most delightful Italian (where we are from) and Indonesian dishes, giving you the best of both worlds. Our menu will also include fish, pizza, and homemade pasta - all in our grandmothers' style, as they taught us.
Boat
We have a total of 3 speedboats, two bigs and a small one. These boats are hand-made Mentawaian canoes designed and made by locals in Siberut. The local construction ensures that they have been created to work and be effective in any Mentawaian sea under our weather conditions. They are also equipped with surfboard racks, seatings, and a roof to protect us from the strong tropical sun. The smaller boat can carry 4 people and runs with one engine of 40 horsepower. One of the big boats can carry 8 people and the other one up to 10 and both run with two engines of 40 horsepower each. Trust our experienced surf guides to take you to the best waves.
Packages
Our schedule is correlated with the schedules of the two available ferries that make the route between Padang and Siberut: Gambolo and Mentawai fast. If you wish to arrive or depart on different dates we can also organize a speedboat transfer service for you, please send us a message for the schedule, prices and conditions. We work with full packages only available for a group of minimum 3 people. Our maximum guests' capacity is 12 people. We can run the trip for 2 guests, but with some restrictions on the included services. If you plan to travel alone or you are a group of 2, please contact us so we can try to organize your trip or to set you up into a group.
For bookings: please, send us a message with your preferred dates and we will work on your reservation for a maximum of 10 days.
Rooms
Location
Getting there
Beng Bengs Surf Camp
Cristian Lovaglio
This place was a dream of mine and my friend Massimo and it came to reality just like we imagined. We both used to live in Europe - Massimo in Tenerife while I was living in Rome. In 2013, after a lot of study and planning, we started with the camp. Massimo had already several years of experience here in Mentawai, he used to come every year since his first visit.
For me, it was different, though...I had never come here. I had in my heart an experience I had in Bali when I was 18 years old - surfing in an amazing place, with a boat to take me to all the breaks I wanted. That was the business I wanted to build; one that would allow me to surf every day so we could be well prepared to deliver the best surfing experience for each one of our guests. My dream came together with Massimo's dream and since 2013 we have the best partnership that could have ever been made in the best place in the world.
Sustainability/responsibility
Our main effort is always trying to use less plastic as possible, to use refills for most of the supplies we order. We minimize waste whenever we can. We're also trying to teach the locals and the youngest generations, the high value that the environment has for our health and the quality of our livelihoods.
