Lighthouses of Indonesia: Northwestern Aceh, Sumatra

Indonesia is a huge country of Southeast Asia, stretching along both sides of the Equator for more than 46 degrees of longitude (roughly 5100 km or 3200 miles). It occupies 17,504 islands, by official count, including more than 6000 inhabited islands. It is the world's fourth most populous nation with a population currently estinated ay about 280 million. More than half of the population lives on the island of Java. Other major islands include Sumatra in the west, Borneo (shared with Malaysia and Brunei) in the northwest, Sulawesi in the northeast, and the eastern half of New Guinea in the far east. Other well known islands include Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, and Timor (shared with independent East Timor) along the south side of the country.

The unification of the country was accomplished over many years of struggle by Dutch colonial authorities. The Dutch East India Company was founded in 1602 to establish and extend Dutch administration, and after the company folded the Netherlands established the Dutch East Indies colony and gradually extended its boundaries to reach the present boundaries of Indonesia. During World War II Japan occupied the islands from March 1942 to the end of the war in 1945. The Republic of Indonesia proclaimed its independence immediately after the war ended and following some conflict the Netherlands accepted the country's independnece in 1949.

Sumatra (Sumatera in Indonesian) is the world's sixth largest island and the westernmost of the major islands of Indonesia. It is separated from Malaysia to the north by the Malacca Strait, from Kalimantan (Borneo) to the northeast by the broad Karimata Strait, and from Java to the southeast by the Sunda Strait. Its south coast faces the open Indian Ocean. The population of Sumatra is about 60 million.

Located at the northwestern end of Sumatra, Aceh (pronounced AH-chay in English) was a powerful independent sultanate for more than three centuries before bring brought, more or less, under Dutch control in the early 20th century. It has been the scene of a lengthy and sometimes violent separatist movement, first against Dutch control and then against Indonesian administration. Following the disastrous tsunami of 26 December 2004 a peace agreement was negotiated with the help of Finnish diplomats and signed in August 2005.

Indonesia is divided into 38 provinces (provinsi) and the provinces are subdivided into county units called regencies (kabupaten). Aceh is a province of Indonesia but under the 2005 peace agreement it is governed as a special territory (daerah istimewa) enjoying a considerable degree of autonomy. The capital is Banda Aceh and the territory has a population of roughly four million. This page includes lighthouses of the northwestern third of Aceh, the section at the extreme northwestern corner of Sumatra. There are also pages for Southwestern Aceh nad Northeastern Aceh.

More than 700 languages are spoken in Indonesia. The official national language, Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia), was standardized from a form of Malay that served as a lingua franca across the archipelago. In Indonesian a lighthouse is a mercusuar or a menara suar. Tanjung is a cape, ujung is a headland or point of land, bukit is a hill, sungai is a river, kuala or muara is an estuary or river mouth, pulau is an island, karang is a reef, batu is a rock, laut is a sea, selat is a strait, teluk is a bay, pelabuhan is a harbor, and labuhan is a port.

Aids to navigation in Indonesia are operated and maintained by the Directorate of Marine Navigation (Direktorat Navigasi Laut) within the Directorate General of Sea Transportation.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume F of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112.

General Sources
Lighthouses in Indonesia
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia; most of the photos are historic.
World of Lighthouses - Indonesia
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Online List of Lights - Indonesia
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas.
GPSNavigationCharts
Navigation chart information for Aceh.

Breueh Light, Aceh Besar, January 2020
Google Maps photo by Syahwal Fazillah
Aceh Barat (West Aceh) Regency Lighthouses
Kuala Pesisir
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 18 m (59 ft); white light, pattern unknown. Approx. 16 m (52 ft) tower. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located at a power plant about 8 km (5 mi) east of Muelaboh. Site and tower closed. Admiralty F1291.5.
* Teluk Muelaboh
2014. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); white flash every 3 s. 26 m (85 ft) square skeletal tower painted white. The lighthouse is on the left edge of Aulian Syah's photo, Sayid G. Al Farisi has the view from the harbor, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located at the base of a pier at Muelaboh, the capital of West Aceh Regency. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1291.7.
* Ujung Kareueng (2 or 3?)
2023. Active; focal plane 27 m (89 ft); white light, 2 s on, 6 s off. 25 m (82 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. Johan Nababan has the 2023 photo at right and Google has a satellite view. This area was devastated by the 2004 tsunami; a 2005 photo shows damage to the building beside the lighthouse. The light tower survived until replaced by the current lighthouse; it is seen in Zul Irfan Ivan Gondrong's 2016 view from the sea, a 2013 photo, and Google's distant 2017 street view. Located on a promontory at Muelaboh. Site status unknown but probably open, tower closed. ARLHS IDO-350; Admiralty F1292; NGA 23328.
* Kuala Bubon (Lhok Bubon)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 20 m (66 ft); white light, pattern unknown. Approx. 16 m (52 ft) square white skeletal tower. A photo is available and Google has a satellite view. Located at the Lhok Bubon ferry terminal about 12 km (7.5 mi) northwest of Muelaboh. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1292.1.

Aceh Jaya Regency Lighthouses
Krueng Teunom
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 34 m (111 ft); red flash every 7.5 s. 30 m (98 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located at the Teunom River entrance northwest of Suak Uleue and about 50 km (30 mi) northwest of Muelaboh. (The river entrance is blocked by a bar, so this must be a coastal light rather than a harbor light.) Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-149; Admiralty F1292.2; NGA 23328.5.
Ujung Baro
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 60 m (197 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 30 m (98 ft) square skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Udin Nandcungil has a photo taken atop the tower. Located on a tombolo (tied island) just off a promontory near Alue Titi. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-347; Admiralty F1292.35; NGA 23329.5.

Ujung Kareueng Light, Muelaboh, July 2023
Google Maps photo by Johan Nababan
Pulau Rangas
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 50 m (164 ft); white flash every 5 s. Approx. 30 m (98 ft) square white skeletal tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a small island about 3 km (1.75 mi) southwest of Ujung Baro. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-261; Admiralty F1292.3; NGA 23329.
Pulau Raya
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 72 m (236 ft); two quick white flashes every 5 s. Approx. 15 m (49 ft) round white skeletal tower with gallery. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located at the northwest corner of Pulau Raya, a triangular island just off the coast near Sampoiniet. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty F1292.5; NGA 23330.
Ujung Tangkura
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 45 m (148 ft); three quick white flashes every 5 s. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a prominent cape north of Jaya. Site status unknown. Admiralty F1292.7; NGA 23331.

Western Aceh Besar (North Aceh) Regency Lighthouses
Pulau Rusa
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 119 m (390 ft); white flash every 3 s. 10 m (33 ft) square skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available but Google has a satellite view and the light is barely visible near the left end of the island in Adi Sulay's view. Located on a small island off a promontory about 15 km (9 mi) south of Leupung on the west coast of Aceh Besar. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty F1293; NGA 22296.
Pulau Bunta (Ujung Mane)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 90 m (295 ft); four white flashes every 20 s. Approx. 40 m (131 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery, painted white, mounted atop a square 1-story equipment building. The lantern has been removed. Four 1-story coast guard station buildings. A 2020 closeup is at right, a short 2022 video is available, the Aceh Tourism Agency has a 2013 photo (third photo on the page), Aiyub Muchtar also has a 2013 photo (halfway down the page), and Google has a satellite view of the light station. This light marks the beginning of the approach to the city of Banda Aceh from the Indian Ocean. Pulau Bunta is an island off the extreme northwestern tip of Sumatra. Located at the western tip of the island, about 25 km (15 mi) west of Banda Aceh. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty F1295; NGA 22238.
Pulau Benggala
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 28 m (92 ft); white flash every 5 s. 15 m (49 ft) square skeletal tower mounted on a 1-story square structure. A 2022 photo is available and the tower is visible in Bing's satellite view of the island. Located on a rocky islet about 8 km (5 mi) northwest of Pulau Brueh. Accessible only boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty F1301; NGA 22234.
** Breueh (Pulau Brueh, Pulau Bras, Willemstoren)
1875. Active; focal plane 160 m (525 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 44 m (144 ft) round stone tower with lantern and gallery, painted red with one very broad white horizontal band. 5th order clamshell Fresnel lens. This is a staffed station with several station buildings. Syahwal Fazillah has the 2020 photo seen at the top of this page, Akhir Syahputra a the fine 2016 photo, Romi Permana has a 2022 photo, Irhamuddin Guna has a 2013 closeup, Wikimedia has three historic photos from the collection of the Amsterdam Tropenmuseum, and Google has a satellite view. This light marks the extreme northwestern corner of Indonesia, the island of Breueh off the northwestern end of Sumatra. Breueh was devastated by the tsunami of 26 December 2004 but this lighthouse was far above the waves. Some of its support buildings were destroyed by the earthquake, however. Located at the northern tip of Brueh, about 40 km (25 mi) northwest of Banda Aceh. There are ecotours to the island and the light station is accessible by road; it's a walk of 4 km (2.5 mi) from the nearest fishing village. Site open, tours by the lighthouse staff of the station and tower can be arranged. ARLHS IDO-051; Admiralty F1302; NGA 22236.

Pulau Bunta Light, Aceh Besar, 2013
Aceh Tourism Agency photo
Pulau Dedap (Pulau Deudab, Ujung Umpee)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 40 m (131 ft); white flash every 4 s. 10 m (33 ft) barbell-shaped white fiberglass tower. Fathin Fadullah Azmi has a 2023 photo, Jhon Ekko has a 2024 closeup video, Akmal Riski has a similar 2021 video, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a small "island," really a peninsula, at the southeastern tip of Pulau Nasi, an island about 15 km (9 mi) west of Banda Aceh. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty F1296; NGA 22273.

Banda Aceh City Lighthouses
Banda Aceh, the capital of the Aceh region, is an ancient and historic port; Marco Polo visited the city in 1292. Under the Aceh Sultanate the city was called Kutaraja, the "city of the king." Built on low ground, the city was devastated by the 2004 tsunami, which destroyed 60% of the city's buildings and killed 167,000 of its residents. Largely rebuilt, the city now has a population of more than 250,000.

* Pelabuhan Ulee Lheue (Banda Aceh)
2019. Active; focal plane about 20 m (66 ft); white light, characteristic unknown. Approx. 18 m (59 ft) square skeletal tower. A 2023 closeup photo is at right, Agus Kitono has a distant 2022 view, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the ferry terminal in Banda Aceh. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1314.4.
Ulee Lheue (Banda Aceh) Range Front
Between 2005 and 2009. Active; focal plane about 15 m (49 ft); white light, characteristic unknown. Approx. 15 m (49 ft) squar skeletal tower painted white and mounted on a square concrete platform supported by piles. Adi Sulay has a 2013 photo, another photo is available, Yasir Grafis has a 2023 drone view, and Google has a satellite view. Ulee Lheue, the harbor district of Banda Aceh, has a new (post-tsunami) ferry port with frequent departures to Pulau Weh, Pulau Breueh, and Pulau Rondo. Located near the mainland shore south of the ferry terminal. Accessible only by boat but easy to view from a waterfront street. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1314.7.
Ulee Lheue (Banda Aceh) Range Rear
Between 2005 and 2009. Active; focal plane about 22 m (72 ft); white light, characteristic unknown. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) square skeletal tower painted white. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on land about 120 m (400 ft) south of the front light. Site status unknown. Admiralty F1314.6.

Ulee Lheue Light, Banda Aceh, March 2023
Google Maps photo by Moer

Sabang City (Pulau Weh) Lighthouses
Pulau Weh is the northwesternmost inhabited island of Indonesia, located about 40 km (25 mi) north of Banda Aceh. Also known as Sabang, the name of its largest town, the island has a population of about 45,000 and attracts tourists from Indonesia and elsewhere.

Pulau Rondo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 193 m (633 ft); two white flashes every 20 s. 40 m (131 ft) skeletal tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. Four red-roofed coast guard buildings. Busra Alfian has a 2022 photo is at right, a 2008 photo is available, Trabas has a distant view by Capt. Theo Hinrichs, Seftiawan Yuda Saputra has a distant view from the sea, and Google has a satellite view of the station. Pulau Rondo is the northwesternmost island of Indonesia, about 25 km (15 mi) northwest of Pulau Weh in the Andaman Sea. The island is uninhabited but is sometimes visited by scuba divers. There is also a small Indonesian military outpost on the island. Accessible only boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-369; Admiralty F1300; NGA 22232.
Pulau Klah (Pulau Weh, Sabang) (2)
Date unknown (station established 1896). Active; focal plane 31 m (102 ft); white light, 7 s on, 23 s off. 10 m (33 ft) skeletal tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. Active coast station with numerous buildings. A closeup photo and a 2020 photo are available and Google has a satellite view of the station. The lighthouse is high enough to have escaped damage from the tsunami of 26 December 2004 but it might have been damaged by the earthquake. Located on a small island in the entrance to the harbor of Sabang. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-208; Admiralty F1310; NGA 22244.
Ujung Lhok Me (Teluk Sabang, Sabang Harbor, Ujung Asam, Massam Point) (4)
2016 (station established 1905). Active; focal plane about 24 m (79 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 20 m (66 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. A closeup photo is at right, Tarwiani Aja has a closeup 2024 photo, Riana Nilasari has a 2021 closeup, another photo is available, Wahyu Noor Hidayat has a nice view of the lighthouse in context, and Google has a satellite view. Klaus Huelse has a historic postcard view of the original lighthouse, a skeletal tower. It was replaced by a concrete tower, which must have been destroyed by the tsunami, and then by another skeletal tower seen standing next to the new lighthouse in Dedy Saputra's December 2015 photo. Construction of the present tower began in March 2015. Located on the north side of the entrance to Sabang harbor. Site apparently open, tower closed. ARLHS IDO-340; Admiralty F1312; NGA 22240.
Sabang Signal Station
Date unknown. Active; focal plane unknown but at least 60 m (197 ft); continuous red light. Light mounted on a mast atop one of the station buildings. No photo available but Google has a satellite view of the station. Located atop Sabang Hill overlooking the harbor. Site status unknown. Admiralty F1313; NGA 22252.

Ujung Lhok Me Light, Sabang, March 2016
Google Maps photo by Cekmint Flotilla
Le Meule (Ujung Tapagaya, Ujung Baratlaut) (2)
Date unknown (station established 1905). Active; focal plane 29 m (95 ft); white flash every 5 s. 25 m (82 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. A 2010 photo is at right and Google has a satellite view and a distant street view. Located at the northern point of Pulau Weh. Site apparently open, and Sandy Luthfi has a photo of visitors atop the tower. ARLHS IDO-153; Admiralty F1308; NGA 22260.
Ujung Seuke
Date unknown (1980s?). Active; focal plane 85 m (279 ft); white flash every 2.5 s. Approx. 40 m (131 ft) tapered square skeletal tower with gallery painted white. Duda Geblek has a 2018 photo, Hantu Pulau has a 2020 photo taken atop the tower, and Google has a satellite view of the station. Located on the southeastern tip of Pulau Weh about 10 km (6 mi) southeast of Sabang. Site status unknown. Admiralty F1314; NGA 22258.
* Balohan (Pelabuhan Sabang)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); yellow flash every 3 s. 9 m (30 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery painted white. Fajri Ayi has a photo, Wardi Sagala has a more distant view, and Google has a satellite view. Balohan is the terminal for ferries arriving at Pulau Weh from Banda Aceh. Located at the ferry terminal on the south coast of the island. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1313.5; NGA 22256.
Ujung Teupinpineung
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); yellow flash every 5 s. 8 m (26 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery painted white. Aida Khairunnisa has a photo, Chairul Rijal has a view from atop the tower, and Google has a satellite view. Located at Pasi Jaboi, near the southern tip of Pulau Weh. Site status unknown. Admiralty F1313.8.

Le Meule Light, Sabang, March 2010
Aceh Department of Marine and Fisheries photo

Eastern Aceh Besar Regency (North Aceh) Lighthouses
Pulau Buru (Buro) (3)
Date unknown (station established 1889). Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); one long white flash every 8 s. 15 m (49 ft) square white skelettal tower. Zulfikar Coet has a 2020 drone view in his Google Maps video, a 2019 photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. This tower replaced a barbell-shaped white fiberglass tower, centered on a square base. The original lighthouse was a hexagonal skeletal tower with lantern. This lighthouse escaped serious damage by the 2004 tsunami because it is built on an isolated island too small (only 50 m (160 ft) in diameter) to trigger the great waves to rise up to destructive size. The light guides vessels around Ujung Baka (Cape Baka), the northernmost point of the island of Sumatra. Located about 15 km (9 mi) north of Banda Aceh and a similar distance south of Pulau Weh. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty F1315; NGA 22268.
#Teluk Krueng Raya (Krueng Raja) (1)
Date unknown. Inactive since about 2016 and removed in 2020. 15 m (49 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower, painted white. Phermana Rendy has a 2016 photo showing the new (taller) tower next to the original tower but Google's satellite view shows only the new tower. Located on the waterfront of Krueng Raya, an industrial harbor about 25 km (15 mi) east of Banda Aceh. Site status unknown.
Teluk Krueng Raya (Krueng Raja) (2)
Around 2016. Active; focal plane about 30 m (98 ft); white flash every 3 s. Approx. 28 m (92 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower, painted white. Phermana Rendy has a 2016 photo showing the new, taller tower next to the original tower. Site status unknown. Admiralty F1317; NGA 22272.
Krueng Raya (Bukit Soeharto, Ujung Batukapal)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 35 m (115 ft); white light, 2 s on, 6 s off. 12.5 m (41 ft) white concrete tower. Bill Berry has a 2023 photo of the station entrance showing part of the tower, a similar 2025 photo is available, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a promontory sheltering the east side of Krueng Raya bay. Site status unknown. Admiralty F1316; NGA 22276.

Pulau Buru Light, Cape Baka, June 2020
Frame 0:13 of a Google Maps video by Anomancester

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: East: Notheastern Aceh | South: Southwestern Aceh

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Posted April 13, 2006. Checked and revised February 25, 2025. Lighthouses: 29. Site copyright 2025 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.