Pulau Pandang, Medan Overview

Located off the coast of North Sumatra, Pandang Island is a little-known island paradise for those who love exploring the great outdoors. It is just 10 kilometres from neighbouring Salahnama Island and together, the island is known amongst locals as ‘The Brothers’. The appeals of visiting ‘The Brothers’ are the water sports opportunities and the beautiful trekking views that they offer.

Pandang Island is not too large – it is around 500 metres (1,600 feet) long and 250 metres (800 feet) wide. It’s almost entirely surrounded by a gorgeous coral reef and is only accessible by boat in certain parts due to the above-water rocks peppering its coasts. There are no inhabitants here or accommodation options to stay the night, just a navy post and a lighthouse. This makes Pandang Island a wonderful place to enjoy a day-trip from Medan and enjoy a little taste of isolation from busy city life.

Things to Do at Pandang Island

Trekking: Aside from the island’s rich coral reef, it is hilly and covered with lush green forests. The landscape is varied with beaches, open cliffs, and hilly terrain, making it a wonderful place for small treks. As the island is not too large, these treks are typically one or two hours long at most.

Water Sports: The real appeal of Pandang Island is its azure waters. The underwater scenery is captivating and the water is clear. This makes it ideal for snorkelling and diving. It’s also considered a wonderful place for fishing. However, arrangements need to be made beforehand in order to bring equipment. A typical diving agency would charge around IDR 30,000 for renting the equipment for a day with an additional charge of IDR 250,000 for lessons and guides.

Best Time to Visit

The warmest months to visit Pandang Island are the months of April, May, and June. It rains throughout the year here, but the heaviest rainfall is observed from September to December. Due to this, tourism is low in these months.

The busiest months are July to October when the weather begins to cool down before the monsoon months begin. Pandang Island sees many tourists during this time. It’s advisable to avoid visiting the island during the monsoon months due to safety reasons and open sea conditions.

Tips

1. As there are little to no facilities available on the island, carry drinking water and first aid.
2. There aren’t any public bathroom facilities here.
3. There aren’t restaurants or shacks on the island, so plan to pack food and snacks for the day.
4. Pandang Island does not have any inhabitants. There are no homestay, hotels, or other accommodation options to stay overnight. This means that one should plan to leave the island by around 5:00 PM to reach the mainland before nightfall.

How To Reach Pandang Island

Pandang Island is located off the coast of North Sumatra in the Strait of Malacca. It is around 47 kilometres from Tanjungbalai and 10 kilometres from Salahnama Island. To reach this island, one needs to organize private transport only.

This can be done with tour companies in Medan who usually organize transport to Tanjung Tiram by bus or taxi. This trip from Medan to Tanjung Tiram will take around 3 hours. From there, one needs to transfer by boat to Pandang Island which will take around 2 hours and 30 minutes.