Randomly we met a few people on our boat returning from Lake Toba and they told us about their next destination - beautiful untouched islands off the west coast of Sumatra. After a few minutes of them telling us about it we decided to scrap our plans entirely and join them! It took a total of 2 days of travelling but it was beyond worth it. The Banyak archipelago consists of around 99 islands lying over 50 km off the west coast. Not many people live out there so many of the islands are uninhabited, covered in jungle and outlined with powdery white beaches and coconut palms.

We took the local boat to the islands which was crowded with locals and a handful of tourists. The strict sharia law was enforced from the minute we stepped onboard, women and children sitting on the lower deck and men above board. Although long (8 hours by the time we got to our bungalow) it was a very meditative journey with the gentle rocking of the boat.

We reached Balai, a charmingly ramshackled little village, the main transportation hub for the rest of the Banyak Islands. There we drank black Acehnese coffee and ate some particularly spicy nasi goreng (fried rice) with a local we had met on the boat and within an hour were boarding one of the fisherman boats en route to Pulau Sikandang (Sikandang Island).

We arrived just as the sun was beginning to set, blues, pinks and purples exploded in the sky. It was like landing in a postcard perfect tropical paradise! They brought us to our wooden hut on the far side of the island, an entire half kilometer of beach to ourselves. It was heaven.

Our next stop was Tailana. Pulau Tailana is probably the liveliest of the Banyak Islands tourist wise, a total of 1km in diameter. We slept in an unused diving hut on the beach greeted each day with a swim and closed each day with a sunset. There are eight bungalows on the island, and some days there were as few as five guests — including us! The food, though routine, was delicious. Each morning we enjoyed coconut pancakes, and each night there was some sort of seafood, veggies, and, of course, rice.

Around the island, patches of shallow, pale blue water alternate with deeper, darker turquoise. Coral reefs sprawl in all directions.

We spent our days walking the island perimeter, reading, and snorkeling. The reef surrounding the island was in good shape and home to dazzling numbers of fish. Innumerable hermit crabs cover the beaches and paths and scutter away as you draw close to them.

One evening while walking the beach we noticed flecks of blue light dazzle in the sand .. After a closer look we realised the sand was full of phospheresence! It glowed under our fingers as we touched it; it was surreal. A pitch dark night & yet we could draw glowing shapes in the sand. It was incredible!

Our last night with the guys, Stephie, Claudia and Sinan, we made a bonfire on the beach and BBQ'd some potatoes. We lay on the beach till late staring into the galaxies and counting shooting stars.

The next morning they headed back to the mainland and we moved onto our last stop. The second-largest of the Banyak Islands, Pulau Bangkaru. It is home to a turtle conservation project, so visits are strictly controlled and we were lucky to be there with only the Rangers for company.

It boasts one of the world’s leading nesting sites for the endangered green and leatherback turtles. Every night, all year round, Green Turtles lay eggs, mainly on the Amandangan beach and we were lucky enough to observe the entire process two nights in a row.

I don't think we'll ever forget watching the nesting process. Mamma turtles waddling up the beach, then digging their hole to lay the eggs, followed by a full camouflage process which takes over two hours. It was mesmorising to lie within reaching distance of the turtles with our night vision goggles, watching them lay over 100 eggs and carefully cover it in sand before dragging themselves back to sea.