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Sabang (Indonesia)

Sabang is a town of 34,00 people (2019) on an island north of Banda Aceh on the northern tip of Sumatra. The island's name is Weh Island (Pulau Weh) and Sabang is the main town on the north coast, but the names are often used interchangeably. Among locals the place is more often referred to as "Sabang" but among tourists it is well known as "Pulau Weh". The island is best known for its snorkeling and diving.

Understand
In Indonesia it is known as being the (north) westernmost point of the Indonesian archipelago, known as 'kilometre zero'. A well-known nationalist song is Dari Sabang Sampai Merauke, or from Sabang to Merauke (the southeasternmost point of the country in Papua). It is best known by tourists for its world class snorkeling and diving.

By plane
As on 2022, there are no commercial flights to Sabang's tiny Maimun Saleh Airport. The nearest airport is on the mainland at Banda Aceh.

By boat
Return tickets are cheaper. See the diving websites of Rubiah Divers and/or Lumba Lumba for up to date information in regards to getting to and from Medan to Banda Aceh and from Banda Aceh to Pulau Weh.
 * Fast Ferry named "Express Bahari" (~1 hour, Rp 100,000) leave at 10:00 and 16:00 from Banda Aceh (Ulee Lheue pier) and 08:30 and 16:00 from Sabang Pulau Weh. Motorcycles and cars are not allowed on the fast ferry but bicycles can be shipped for Rp 50,000 (as of May 2023).
 * Slow Ferry (~2½ hr, Rp 18,000 economy, Rp 26,000 business, Rp 32,000 executive) Leaves Banda Aceh at 14:00 and from Pulau Weh at 08:00. Sometimes there are two trips/day.

Get around
Travelling from Balohan port to Sabang costs roughly Rp 30,000. From Balohan port (harbour) to backpacker hangouts of Gapang and Iboih Rp 50,000 in shared transport (~1 hr drive) and to Sumur Tiga Rp 25,000 in shared transport (~20 min drive). From Iboih to Sumur Tiga in shared transport costs Rp 100,000 (~1 hr drive). Prices for minibuses (shared transport) from and to harbour are fixed (also if there is only one passenger in the car).

A possibly cheaper option is to arrange transport in becaks or on motorbikes. For this transport you need to bargain. You can also take the whole taxi for Rp 150,000. Bargain hard, since the prices are not set (although the drivers try to show you written notes with prices).

Alternatively you can rent motorbikes at Iboih and Gapang and Sumur Tiga (Rp 100,000 per day). Besides that bicycles are for rent in Iboih, Santai Sumur Tiga and several places like Kartika and Holiday Hotel. If you want to cycle from the port to your hotel it's best to rent a bicycle in Banda Aceh and take it with you on the boat.

One knowledgeable and friendly local becak driver in Banda Aceh is Little John. He speaks good English (and Japanese), asks for fair prices and can arrange motorbike rent for you beforehand if you're heading to Sabang island (asking price is Rp. 100000 / 24 hours). Contact him before your trip on Whatsapp - +6281360231339.

See
There's not much to see in the city of Sabang, but it is worth a day trip if you have a motorbike to explore. The "downtown" of Sabang is on the harbor side of town. It is a street with long rows of small shops, most of which are closed up. There are a few banks here that accept bank cards for when you need additional cash. Follow the road up the hill and you'll drive past a Japanese bunker that has been converted into a park. The road along the ridge is lined with giant trees that create a canopy of foliage overhead. On this street, you'll also find a number of historic Dutch colonial buildings. Watch out for the historic markers in front of the buildings and parks around the city.

While there are guest houses (losman) in Sabang, you should head straight to either Gapang or Iboih beaches (40-50 minutes from the ferry).

The main reason to go to Pulau Weh is for the beaches. Relaxing, swimming, snorkeling, diving. Don't worry about doing anything else.

Do
Swimming, whether above or below the surface, it the most popular activity around the island. Note that on Friday morning, the locals do not venture out in their boats. This makes it the most peaceful time of the week.

Snorkel
The shops in the village of Iboih have an abundance of snorkeling equipment available for rent. For as little as Rp 30,000, you can spend the day drifting around the shore and exploring off the beaches. There are numerous reef fish close to shore. Local Indonesian people come here by the busload to don wet-suits and bright orange flotation vests to drift in the current and observe the sea-life.

If you are a strong swimmer, you can make your way across the channel to Rubiah island (and avoid the exorbitant Rp 150,000 per person fee charged by the local pirates, um, boatmen). The island has some nice snorkeling and there are places to eat and sleep as well. The "Sea Garden" off of Rubiah is a particularly good dive spot and provides a chance to see moray eels and turtles. Your hotel may be able to provide a boat and captain for as little as Rp 150,000 for half a day.

If you are a strong swimmer and can catch the right tide, you can jump in the channel at the boat pier and drift all the way to the Yulia hotel pier on the outgoing tide. Note that this will take you into deep water were there are fewer fish visible, so try to keep closer to shore.

Dive
Pulau Weh offers some of the finest diving in Indonesia, yet it is still very much undeveloped. It's still considered a secret among the diving community and Pulau Weh's reefs are genuinely untouched and offer something for every level of experience.

Single dives start at €25, and become cheaper the more you do. The island has around 20 dive sites which are way less busy than elsewhere in Indonesia, with spectacular aquatic life. The bottom topography ranges from large boulders on sandy slopes and deep volcanic pinnacles to craggy wall sections and coral gardens.

The house reef at Gapang Beach boasts a wide range of macro life including rare critters like Frog Fish, Star Gazers and Gurnards. Large pelagics like Mantas, Whale Sharks and Mola Mola also come to feed when the season is right.

Fish
Your guest house can direct you to local fishermen and charter services. The fishing in the area is excellent, especially tuna. Some of the local restaurants will BBQ your catch if you give them enough notice.

Other

 * Nothing Weh island is an excellent place to do absolutely nothing. Find a hammock and while away the day listening to your audio player or reading a book.
 * Nothing Weh island is an excellent place to do absolutely nothing. Find a hammock and while away the day listening to your audio player or reading a book.

Learn
Learn Indonesian. Speak to Eva in Iboih beach

Work
Dive instructors are in short supply at the local dive centres, so you might be lucky to find work here. Divemasters are plentiful both among the staff and guests, so don't get your hopes up.

Buy
Beware: As of June 2022 there are no working ATMs for foreigners on the island. All branches of the banks are converted to BSI and Bank Aceh; these banks do NOT accept Visa and Mastercard. Get the necessary cash in Banda Aceh if you don't want to rely on Western Union money transfer with banks in Sabang.

Eat
Iboih

Make sure you have lots of bills in Rp 10,000 and 20,000 as restaurants, oddly enough, seldom have small bills. "You have small money?" is frequently heard when paying for a Rp 30,000 meal with a Rp 50,000 note.

In the village you find the ubiquitous, paper-wrapped take-away, Nasi Campur (Rp 7,000). Basically rice with some vegetables, maybe chicken (ayam) or egg (telur) depending on your request. The restaurants in the village are generally cheaper than those belonging to the bungalows. Few places have free WIFI.

Most restaurants have similar menus including fried noodle, fried rice (Rp 15,000) or curries (Rp 25,000). Banana pancakes, guacamole and avocado salads are excellent choices at most any of the bungalow restaurants. You can expect to wait as long as an hour for your food, even if the restaurant is nearly deserted. The best strategy is to arrive well before you plan to eat and place an order for a later time. Very few places serve alcohol. A few eating establishments that stand out include:

- Babah Dua has fresh fish and prawn every day, they make BBQ at night.

- Mama's that makes a superb chicken kebab. Also you can join in a 'family dinner' (Rp 25,000, start at 19:30; Acehnese 'island time'). Let her know in time that you want to join in.

- Mamamia is a smallish guest house on the jungle path that has a restaurant out front. You can be excused for missing it as it's quite small and set up the hill. Everyone sits around a single table so you'll get to know your fellow travelers quite quickly. The pancakes are particularly good. WIFI available. Avocado shake to die for!

- Olala is probably the most popular restaurant, often filling up by 8pm. Try the taco (which is really a pastie) or the superb pizza on pizza-night. They also do a fish BBQ if you order in advance (if you know how to cook fish, it's best to arrive early and supervise as it can often be overcooked). Beer available. Wi-Fi available.

- Norma (at Oong's bungalows) makes home-cooked communal meals (Rp 25,000). Just swing by before noon to announce your attendance and you will be treated to a feast.

- DeeDees is right on the beach just past the Rubiah dive shop. Try the tempeh burger, guacamole or the refreshing Tuscan bread salad. Also recommended is the chicken, avocado, mustard mayonnaise and salad sandwich. DeeDee also has a good selection of ice-cream including Magnum bars. Wi-Fi available.

- Unnamed lime green restaurant in the village next to the motorbike parking area is one of the few places open as early as 07:00. It's a favorite for the local men and you will often see them lounging here with their colleagues.

Long Beach Just past Iboih is a beach referred to as "Long Beach." There is only one restaurant; Bixio Cafe is a bon fide Italian trattoria with very good food. Their tiramisu is exceptional! Worth the thirty minute walk from Iboih. Beer available.

Gapang Beach Gapang Beach has a few restaurants to choose from.

- Dang Dang Na is next to Lumba Lumba and serves a range of local and western food, prepare for a long wait though. Gado Gado is a peanut and salad based Indonesian dish well worth a try, also noodles and curry available. Best to order early as everything is on island time, and try to relax if your having to wait.

- Further down the beach there are Limbo Cafe, Zero Cafe and Mama Jungle (best to order in advance), all places can do fish and sometimes chicken BBQ's, give them a little notice first though.

- Barracuda is the newest around and also the last on the beach. Owners speak very good English, and serve a comprehensive menu with the tastiest food on Gapang.

Sumur Tiga For western tastes, visit the east coast of Pulau Weh. There are some accommodations at Sumur Tiga area.

- Freddies who, next to his normal restaurant, daily from 19:30 serves delicious four-course meals (let him know before 17:00 that you want to join) for Rp 65,000.

- Casa Nemo has a limited menu but the people are very friendly and the food is fresh and good.

- Further about 6 km the newest comfort accommodation on Pulau Weh on Anoi Itam Bay the Rasa Seni Hotel Resort.

Drink
There are no nightclubs or bars on Pulau Weh, if you like to party this is the wrong place to go. Alcohol is generally forbidden in the entire Aceh province, however some places may have it available. Beer (Rp 25,000) and banana brandy (Rp 80,000) makes up the selection of the local poison.

Popular places for a sundowner at Iboih includes Ozone Restaurant and Olala. Oong's, Iboih Inn and Yulia's all have beer in the fridge for sale, if you prefer drinking at home.

At Sumur Tiga, Freddies has a menu of drinks inside the four-course meal restaurant. You can even get wine here. Casa Nemo serves beer.

Iboih
Backpacker style beach huts with hammocks on the balconies from Rp 50,000 per night (long stay) up to Rp 150,000 (short stay) depending on the location and features of the bungalow (and your negotiating ability). Shared bathrooms (squat toilets) are the norm, but more and more bungalows with private western toilets are being built (~Rp 150,000), but many of these require a water bucket to flush.

Walk east along the road from the village and you'll find the newer, more expensive upmarket bungalows with air-conditioning (starting around Rp 300,000). Walk west past the village and up along the path into the jungle to find the budget accommodations. If you are hauling a lot of gear and traveling with a group (or have met some folks on the bus ride), a good strategy is to leave all the bags with one colleague while the rest check out the guest houses. From the village you find the following in this order:

. There are a few right along the shore, but Fatimah has quite a selection of bungalows from which to choose.

has accommodations that feel like you're living with an Aceh family; very home-like atmosphere.

Sabang
Although not much of a tourist destination in itself, there are a few guest houses (losman) on the harbor side of downtown and "resorts" on the seaward side of town. There are a few in the residential areas of town, too. If you want to splurge, you can stay at the sedate Sabang Hill Hotel (starting at Rp 400,000). Although dated and rather tired looking, it's quite possibly the quietest accommodations on the island. It's worth visiting if only for the beautiful view.

Gapang
There isn't much accommodation available right on Gapang beach. This means that the prices are higher, and it is somewhat more exclusive. There is a largish upscale resort close to the entrance to the beach, which offers some of the best accommodation on Gapang (glass windows, hot showers, A/C). Don't be scared away though, you can always haggle and the beach has more attractions for non-divers than Iboih.

Kincir Long Beach
Also known as Teupin Redeup. A secluded beach just before the forest reserve three km northeast from Iboih. Seulako View Cafe & Bungalows has three bungalows and 3 rooms above a friendly seafront restaurant. Divers at Steffen Sea Sports can book one of the dive centre's new, colourful rooms.

Sumur Tiga and Anoi Itam Bay
The newest accommodations with higher standard are to find on the east coast of Pulau Weh Island.

Fredies Santai Sumur Tiga with nice bungalows (with fan) in traditional Style and Restaurant with good food and drinks.

Casa Nemo also with nice bungalows (with fan) in traditional style, hot and cold water shower (and bath), drinking water tank in the room, good views from the hammock and seats on the veranda. Diving available.

Rasa Seni Hotel Resort Anoi Itam, the newest and most comfortable accommodation on Pulau Weh, with air conditioning, hot and cold water shower and studios also with bathtub and mini bar. Restaurant with international food and Asian specialties. Very good dive spots in front of the Resort in Anoi Itam Bay

Go next
Pulau Weh is at the end (or beginning, depending on your point of view) of Indonesia. From here you can only go back to Banda Aceh.

title: Sabang (Indonesia)


text:
Sabang (Mindoro)

Sabang is a small town located on the northeastern coast of Mindoro Island, Philippines, and administratively part of Puerto Galera.

Understand
Sabang is one of the barangays (small towns) in the municipality of Puerto Galera. Sabang is at the northern terminus of the road from the municipality proper of Puerto Galera, which is a ten minute jeepney drive away. Sabang also consists of the following beaches:
 * Sabang Beach
 * Small La Laguna Beach
 * Big La Laguna Beach

Walking between the three you might not even notice the difference but each has a separate feel and activity level, Sabang Beach being the liveliest. Big Lalaguna Beach is the best for swimming with its clean sand and coral reef with cordoned swimming area prohibited to boats.

Get in
Many travellers will reach Puerto Galera by plane or ferry (see Puerto_Galera for details), then take a jeepney or trike to Sabang. Sabang pier is still closed in 2019. The three available piers are Muelle, Balatero, and Calapan.

By boat

Many foreign tourists arrive on pre-arranged transportation - via an expensive private banca boat arranged by their dive shop/hotel. This usually is at Berberabe port, about 10 minutes south of the Batangas ferry terminal. You also have the option of arriving via a public ferry (from Batangas or a number of other islands). At the Batangas pier, ignore all the porters and touts and walk past them to the ticket area where there are several windows where you can buy ferry tickets. You will also need to by a terminal ticket (PHP30) at a separate window. White Beach (closest to Balatero port) and Tamaraw Falls are other destinations nearby. Muelle port is closest to Sabang town proper. Buy a round trip ferry ticket to avoid a fully booked ferry on your return. Returning on a Sunday without reserving a ticket can leave you stranded with no options from Muelle or Balatero. You will have to go to Calapan to return to Batangas. To travel around, take a jeepney, trike, or motorcycle to Sabang from your alternative landing place. The ferry service is regular, departing every two hours (with reduced service during the monsoon season).

Roll-on, roll-off (RORO) ferries and fastcraft  ferries are the only available modes of public transportation by water. Public wooden-hulled boats were banned in 2018. Emergency equipment, such as life jackets, are on board but supplies may be scarce. The trip between Batangas Port and Mindoro Island (where Puerto Galera is) will take you around 55 minutes by fastcraft and 100 minutes by RORO. Many resorts and some independent companies offer pickup from Manila airport, a ride to Batangas, and a transfer over the water.

The earliest boat back to Batangas leaves Sabang at 5:45AM while the last boat leaves Puerto Galera at 6PM. Fare is including terminal fee. Upon arrival there is an Environmental Users Fee (EUF) of payable by anyone who looks like a foreigner.

From Manila
Public buses leave from various parts of Manila to the port of Batangas frequently. If you are leaving from the Malate/Ermita part of Manila, you'll want to take a taxi to the Buendia bus station and get the next bus to Batangas. JAM Liner is the company of choice for trips from Buendia, but there are other competing companies on this busy route, each having providing different levels of service. Regardless of what bus company you chose, they share a major stopover at the Batangas City Grand Terminal, about 10 minutes before the Batangas pier, and the fare costs on an AC bus. There are no bathrooms on JAM buses, but executive class buses by some bus companies (e.g. ALPS, Ceres Transport, Gold Star) do have one. From there, see above for simple arrangements to transfer to a ferry for the trip over.

JAM transit runs hourly buses from their Cubao bus terminal.

An only slightly more expensive and much more convenient alternative from Malate/Ermita is the Sikat bus/ferry, a private service run out of the City State Tower Hotel in Ermita. The bus leaves at 8AM and after arriving in Batangas you are lead to the connecting ferry by a Sikat agent. However this has only one service daily which leaves Manila at 8:30AM.

Whichever bus alternative you take, you'll usually be on the beach in Sabang for lunch.

There are regular vans to Calapan from where you can catch a bus to Roxas and ferry across to Caticlan, Pasay Island, Boracay.

From Angeles
Public buses leave from Dau bus station in Angeles City for Cubao bus station in Manila, where you can transfer to Batangas. For a hassle-free van and boat combination transfer, Angeles2Puerto offer an affordable service leaving 8AM every day (except Wednesday) from Angeles City to Sabang Beach with the return trip departing Sabang at 10AM.

From Puerto Galera downtown
Jeepneys leave Sabang every 20 minutes to Puerto Galera, 5.5k from Sabang, and the same back to Sabang. Fare is one way. The road is now all paved but there are certainly some broken areas.

The trikes parked by Tropicana Hotel are for the trike, whether it is one person or four. There are trikes who drop people off in front of VSB (Victory Sports Bar) who are not allowed to wait around for customers. Just look at them and ask 'Bayan' (means town) and for you are on your way, but you will have to share the ride if he has a chance to pick up more passengers.

A habal-habal motorbike taxi to Puerto Galera is. Remember there is no liability insurance here.

Motorbikes can be rented from at depending on the season and your bargaining skills. Boats can also be rented for daily trips. Price and destinations to be negotiated.

Get around
Its mostly walking in narrow streets. In 15min you are in Small Lalaguna and in 20min in Big Lalaguna (to the left side) If you want to go to Pt. Galera (to the ATM e.g.) take a Tricycle for one way. A motorcycle or scooter can be hired for around (Scooter) and  (dirtbike) per day, cheaper if longer.

Do

Most visitors to Sabang are attracted by the excellent SCUBA diving provided by the protected marine sanctuary. There are a number of dive shops in the area (estimated at around 35) that provide access to a micro (i.e. small life) heaven. The dive sites that feature a large variety of small sea life with the occasional shark or turtle. Several sites are drift dives and often turn into (strong) current dives with the best diving (for coral and small life) being at 18m or 60 feet. Almost all of the dive sites are within a 10-minute boat ride of Sabang which allows you to spend your surface interval on the shore and it also allows most shops to offer as many as four dive trips (single tank) each day. Prices for a single dive are around US$18-32 for a single tank dive, including equipment rental, boat and dive guide, with discounts for more dives and if you have your own equipment.

 * Tech Asia is the technical branch of Asia divers. Run by an extremely experienced and dedicated team, they've been around for pretty much as long as Asia divers have. They can provide trimix and advanced nitrox diving and courses, and also supply essentials for rebreather diving such as sofnalime. They are reasonably priced, with a trimix dive (including gas) coming in under US$100 They offer IANTD and GUE courses. The instructors also appreciate supplies of English tea bags, curry powder and Fray Bentos pies.
 * Tech Asia is the technical branch of Asia divers. Run by an extremely experienced and dedicated team, they've been around for pretty much as long as Asia divers have. They can provide trimix and advanced nitrox diving and courses, and also supply essentials for rebreather diving such as sofnalime. They are reasonably priced, with a trimix dive (including gas) coming in under US$100 They offer IANTD and GUE courses. The instructors also appreciate supplies of English tea bags, curry powder and Fray Bentos pies.
 * Tech Asia is the technical branch of Asia divers. Run by an extremely experienced and dedicated team, they've been around for pretty much as long as Asia divers have. They can provide trimix and advanced nitrox diving and courses, and also supply essentials for rebreather diving such as sofnalime. They are reasonably priced, with a trimix dive (including gas) coming in under US$100 They offer IANTD and GUE courses. The instructors also appreciate supplies of English tea bags, curry powder and Fray Bentos pies.
 * Tech Asia is the technical branch of Asia divers. Run by an extremely experienced and dedicated team, they've been around for pretty much as long as Asia divers have. They can provide trimix and advanced nitrox diving and courses, and also supply essentials for rebreather diving such as sofnalime. They are reasonably priced, with a trimix dive (including gas) coming in under US$100 They offer IANTD and GUE courses. The instructors also appreciate supplies of English tea bags, curry powder and Fray Bentos pies.
 * Tech Asia is the technical branch of Asia divers. Run by an extremely experienced and dedicated team, they've been around for pretty much as long as Asia divers have. They can provide trimix and advanced nitrox diving and courses, and also supply essentials for rebreather diving such as sofnalime. They are reasonably priced, with a trimix dive (including gas) coming in under US$100 They offer IANTD and GUE courses. The instructors also appreciate supplies of English tea bags, curry powder and Fray Bentos pies.
 * Tech Asia is the technical branch of Asia divers. Run by an extremely experienced and dedicated team, they've been around for pretty much as long as Asia divers have. They can provide trimix and advanced nitrox diving and courses, and also supply essentials for rebreather diving such as sofnalime. They are reasonably priced, with a trimix dive (including gas) coming in under US$100 They offer IANTD and GUE courses. The instructors also appreciate supplies of English tea bags, curry powder and Fray Bentos pies.
 * Tech Asia is the technical branch of Asia divers. Run by an extremely experienced and dedicated team, they've been around for pretty much as long as Asia divers have. They can provide trimix and advanced nitrox diving and courses, and also supply essentials for rebreather diving such as sofnalime. They are reasonably priced, with a trimix dive (including gas) coming in under US$100 They offer IANTD and GUE courses. The instructors also appreciate supplies of English tea bags, curry powder and Fray Bentos pies.
 * Tech Asia is the technical branch of Asia divers. Run by an extremely experienced and dedicated team, they've been around for pretty much as long as Asia divers have. They can provide trimix and advanced nitrox diving and courses, and also supply essentials for rebreather diving such as sofnalime. They are reasonably priced, with a trimix dive (including gas) coming in under US$100 They offer IANTD and GUE courses. The instructors also appreciate supplies of English tea bags, curry powder and Fray Bentos pies.
 * Tech Asia is the technical branch of Asia divers. Run by an extremely experienced and dedicated team, they've been around for pretty much as long as Asia divers have. They can provide trimix and advanced nitrox diving and courses, and also supply essentials for rebreather diving such as sofnalime. They are reasonably priced, with a trimix dive (including gas) coming in under US$100 They offer IANTD and GUE courses. The instructors also appreciate supplies of English tea bags, curry powder and Fray Bentos pies.
 * Tech Asia is the technical branch of Asia divers. Run by an extremely experienced and dedicated team, they've been around for pretty much as long as Asia divers have. They can provide trimix and advanced nitrox diving and courses, and also supply essentials for rebreather diving such as sofnalime. They are reasonably priced, with a trimix dive (including gas) coming in under US$100 They offer IANTD and GUE courses. The instructors also appreciate supplies of English tea bags, curry powder and Fray Bentos pies.
 * Tech Asia is the technical branch of Asia divers. Run by an extremely experienced and dedicated team, they've been around for pretty much as long as Asia divers have. They can provide trimix and advanced nitrox diving and courses, and also supply essentials for rebreather diving such as sofnalime. They are reasonably priced, with a trimix dive (including gas) coming in under US$100 They offer IANTD and GUE courses. The instructors also appreciate supplies of English tea bags, curry powder and Fray Bentos pies.

Buy

The tourist center and the Tropicana restaurant do exchange money and traveler cheques as well as doing cash advances on credit cards. The exchange rates are not as good as in Manila, though. Western Union offices are located at the tourist center and at Tuping's Store (eastern end of the beach). Credit cards are not widely accepted in Sabang except at some of the larger dive shops and resorts, so it's best to stock up on cash beforehand.

Eat
The majority of restaurants are clustered in central Sabang. You'll also find restaurants along Big and Small La Laguna attached to the hotels and resorts. Prices are reflect Sabang's standing as a tourist destination, ranging from around for breakfast and  for lunch/dinner. Cheap eats can be found at a few local establishments

 * Full Moon Restaurant - on Small La Laguna Beach, Full Moon serves a wide variety of Asian and International dishes and is popular with visiting divers as well as local expats. Daily specials are on offer as well as an a la carte menu, bar snacks and an extensive wine list. Head chef Manny has worked overseas for many years and can share some of his more colorful anecdotes as well as some great cooking tips!
 * Full Moon Restaurant - on Small La Laguna Beach, Full Moon serves a wide variety of Asian and International dishes and is popular with visiting divers as well as local expats. Daily specials are on offer as well as an a la carte menu, bar snacks and an extensive wine list. Head chef Manny has worked overseas for many years and can share some of his more colorful anecdotes as well as some great cooking tips!
 * Full Moon Restaurant - on Small La Laguna Beach, Full Moon serves a wide variety of Asian and International dishes and is popular with visiting divers as well as local expats. Daily specials are on offer as well as an a la carte menu, bar snacks and an extensive wine list. Head chef Manny has worked overseas for many years and can share some of his more colorful anecdotes as well as some great cooking tips!
 * Full Moon Restaurant - on Small La Laguna Beach, Full Moon serves a wide variety of Asian and International dishes and is popular with visiting divers as well as local expats. Daily specials are on offer as well as an a la carte menu, bar snacks and an extensive wine list. Head chef Manny has worked overseas for many years and can share some of his more colorful anecdotes as well as some great cooking tips!
 * Full Moon Restaurant - on Small La Laguna Beach, Full Moon serves a wide variety of Asian and International dishes and is popular with visiting divers as well as local expats. Daily specials are on offer as well as an a la carte menu, bar snacks and an extensive wine list. Head chef Manny has worked overseas for many years and can share some of his more colorful anecdotes as well as some great cooking tips!

Drink
There are many bars, cafes and street-side food stalls to ensure that you don't have to search far for something to drink. Cold drinks ranging from fruit milkshakes to soft drinks/soda to alcohol are inexpensive and widely available.

 * 50 Bar - Located at beach front of Atlantis Dive Resort. Relax to the view of Sabang sunset at the 50 Bar down on the beach where you can enjoy a selection of tasty snacks and pizza. The friendly bar staff will serve drinks until kate and entertain you with upbeat atmosphere and your choice of music.
 * "Eddies" - opened 24/7, try their burgers only.
 * Marti's Bar - Located in central Sabang, Marti's Bar is proof positive that it's the owner that makes the bar. Popular and inviting, Marti quit after 23 years as an Australian police officer to become the host of one of the friendliest bars in Sabang. For bookworms, an extensive collection of books makes this joint the unofficial book exchange of Sabang.
 * Floating Bars - Sabang has two floating bars open in the high season to which you can either swim (divers often end their day by ascending to one of them) or stand on the beach and have the bar's boat ferry you across.
 * Octoclub - Located at the diveshop from Octopus Divers. From 4:00 pm divers and friends come together and have a cold drink and some snacks, talking about diving and listen to fantastic music of the 1970s and 80s. Good place to meet new friends.
 * OK bar - Newly opened karaoke bar.
 * Rafael's Rare Chords Bar  - at the western end of Sabang Beach (on the way to Small La Laguna). Small family-run bar popular with resident expats and tourists, open all day but most popular around sunset. Extensive music collection with menu that you can search and make requests. Good views, pool table, chess, TV, newspapers and free WiFi internet connection. Wide range of drinks at happy hour prices all day (SMB bottle ) and cheap home-cooked snack menu.
 * The Point Bar - above the Asia Divers dive shop, has a tropical, open-air design that offers 200 degree views of the Sabang and Big La Laguna Bay. It opens in the early afternoon but does not see much action until after the afternoon divers are done. It also gets quiet fairly early as the diver patrons retire to dinner and then return later for more fun. There are drink specials during Happy Hour which runs from 5:30 to 6:30PM. Food can be ordered from the El Galleon Resort restaurant menu. Famous for their range of devastating shots, the tradition for anyone who has completed a course with Asia divers or tech Asia is to wait until their instructors and course members are in the bar and then ring the large ships bell hung at the end of the bar. Ringing the bell means buying a round of shots for the whole bar, (Although this isn't as expensive as it sounds). You can also win T shirts by drinking a range of different shots. The point bar also has a fantastic BBQ night once a week which is well worth attending.
 * Girly Bars - November 2015 Sabang has 7 Girly Bars, Coco Lips, Broadway, Hammerhead is upstairs, Venus, Sabang Disco, Philippino Disco Midnight. Sabang has six "girly bars." You can enjoy a drink while you watch the talent, including featured dancers. The drinks there are substantially more expensive than at regular bars. If you buy one of the girls a "lady's drink," you'll be paying extra again for the privilege of a chat with her. All girls are licensed by the municipality as "maids" but are prostitutes and can be barfined. Local licensing requirements aren't very strict. Some of the girls there may be underage!
 * Victory Sports Bar VSB, owned by Neil from England. It is a good place to sit and watch life go by. Right across the entrance to Tropicana is this cozy bar run by Canadian expat Geno. Beer prices are competitive and the owner entertains customers every night as well as saying hi to passers-by. Breakfast and food are also available.

Sabang Beach

 * Red Coral - This is a small motel that has cheap rooms with kitchen and a view of the water. per night in low season. Right next to the Big Apple Dive Resort.
 * Red Coral - This is a small motel that has cheap rooms with kitchen and a view of the water. per night in low season. Right next to the Big Apple Dive Resort.
 * Red Coral - This is a small motel that has cheap rooms with kitchen and a view of the water. per night in low season. Right next to the Big Apple Dive Resort.
 * Red Coral - This is a small motel that has cheap rooms with kitchen and a view of the water. per night in low season. Right next to the Big Apple Dive Resort.
 * Red Coral - This is a small motel that has cheap rooms with kitchen and a view of the water. per night in low season. Right next to the Big Apple Dive Resort.
 * Red Coral - This is a small motel that has cheap rooms with kitchen and a view of the water. per night in low season. Right next to the Big Apple Dive Resort.
 * Red Coral - This is a small motel that has cheap rooms with kitchen and a view of the water. per night in low season. Right next to the Big Apple Dive Resort.
 * Red Coral - This is a small motel that has cheap rooms with kitchen and a view of the water. per night in low season. Right next to the Big Apple Dive Resort.

Big Lalaguna Beach

Longer term stays

There are several houses and apartments for rent in and around Sabang including many with beach front locations. Listings for these properties are hard to come by before you arrive; unfortunately, for rent signs and listings are most easily found by walking around.

Go next
Returning to Luzon The average visitor to Sabang goes back the opposite way he or she came.

To go by public transport, travel to Batangas by passenger banca from the station on the beach near Eddies Bar. Other departures are from Puerto Galera (Muelle Pier), Balatero and White Beach. An alternative route to Batangas is via Calapan (one and a half-hour jeep ride from Puerto Galera) where there are regular Roro and fast passenger ferry departures for Batangas. This is especially useful in stormy weather or typhoon warnings when ferry service in the Sabang/Puerto Galera area is suspended.

If you came over on the Sikat, you just have to take the ferry/bus trip back to Manila in reverse. The ferry leaves for Batangas at 9AM or 9:15AM. Just check in 15 minutes before departure at the Sikat booth near Eddies.

Other options include hiring a private banca to take you to Batangas.

Beyond Sabang Calapan is also the place to head to pick up a bus bound for Roxas (4 hours) where there are regular ferries to Caticlan (Boracay)., or if you want to visit Mindoro Occidental and Apo Reef, Abra de Ilog, accessed through the pier at Wawa.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Sabang (Mindoro)


text:
Sabang (Palawan)

Sabang is a small village in Palawan, Philippines. It is used as an entry point to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River. There's not much in the village except services for those going to visit the river, but there is a beach and a chilled out atmosphere.

By bus/Jeepney
From Puerto Princesa, take a trike or jump in a Jeepney going to the "New Market" Jeepney Terminal in San Jose. It takes about 10 minutes. Trike fare is about and the Jeepney is. Four trips from the San Jose Terminal to Sabang run daily between 7AM and 2PM. The bus/jeepneys costs roughly and takes about 3 hours.

Tourist agencies in Puerto Princesa run day trips in minivans which include a tour to the Underground River and a lunch buffet at a beach resort.

Boat
All boats out of Sabang are subject to weather conditions.

There are about 45 Park Ferry Service boats registered for transporting tourist on a 5-km (20-minute) voyage from the Sabang Pier to the Underground River and back. These boats carry up to 6 passengers. They are all about the same, so it doesn't matter which one you go on. They are the perfect size for getting in and out of the rocky Sabang Pier. The cost for a round-trip boat ride to the Underground River, including the park entrance fee is. These boats may also take tourist out in St. Paul Bay for: sightseeing, snorkeling and fishing, and they charge a minimum of for 2-4 hours.

Only a few charter boats in Sabang are fully registered and insured to transport passengers for tourism from Sabang to Port Barton and El Nido. Some of the boats making these voyages are in poor condition, have small engines, bamboo balancers, and are not properly registered. These voyages are for the young and adventurous, and are not recommended for children.

Boats from Sabang to Port Barton are about and take about 4 hours. Boats from Sabang to El Nido are about and take 7-9 hours. These fares include a non-refundable 10% booking fee for the local commissioners. So, if your voyage is canceled due to weather, you can either re-schedule or lose 10%.

The voyage from Sabang to El Nido is very long and remote. The weather often changes quickly in the afternoon, so consider a stopover for a night or two in Port Barton.

The voyage into El Nido is like nothing else. It's an indescribable "once in a lifetime experience."

By car
Ask in the village or at the Tourist Information & Assistance Centre (8AM-5PM) to hire a driver.

Get around
Sabang is very small so everything in the village is within walking distance.

To get to the underground river you need to hire a boat from the pier, or walk along the jungle trail/monkey trail (about 5 km and 1-2 hours). Don't forget to pick up your permit to the underground river from Puerto Princessa before arriving in Sabang.

See and do
Underground river: this World Heritage Site is the main attraction in Sabang. There is a entry fee which buys you a trip down the river. Or, you can buy a tour from any travel agency in the area.

If you decide to go solo, you can only buy tickets for the Underground River tour in their office in Puerto Princessa as that is the only place to get a permit. There is a limited number of people allowed each day and booking office is more interested in selling tickets to tour agencies, so make your reservation at least 2-3 days in advance but it can be booked out a month in advanced during holiday seasons. Permits are no longer available in Sabang. Go Palawan Travel allows you to book online -  per adult,  per child under 6 (April 2018).

There are two ways to get to the entrance of the river from Sabang. The first is a boat (banka) and this costs per boat (banka) from Sabang pier and is subject to weather conditions, and the second is a 1-2 hour walk through the jungle. The latter is very nice and worth the effort.

When you get to the cave entrance, you have to wait for another boat to take you down the underground river (included in the ticket price). Be sure to register and obtain your "boat number" the moment you arrive there. The whole process is much tailored to groups arriving on package tours, i.e. nobody will call you when your boat number is about to depart, so be active and ask local staff about the current number every 10 minutes or so.

Jungle trail/monkey trail: an alternative way to get to the start of the underground river. Approximately 5-km walk through the jungle which takes 1-2 hours. You can walk up to Central station without a permit, but no further.

Mangrove river cruise: a cruise along a nearby river surrounded by mangroves.

Enjoy the scenery from a bike: There are beautiful mountains around Sabang. Rent a bike and wander around! There is a big "Ugung" rock that you can climb from inside with a guide: good value the money!

Buy
Local handicrafts.

Best to go shopping in Puerto Princesa before you come to Sabang. Bring all you need with you.

Eat
There are a number of restaurants around the village serving a mix of Asian and western dishes.

Except for Daluyon Resort, food needs to be ordered a few hours in advance as restaurants do not stock up on food but only shop when they are sure the food will be sold. Restaurant prices are much higher than in Puerto Princesa.

Drink
There are a number of bars including a few with pool tables. Be sure to check the temperature of the beer when buying from local shops as electricity is only available in the evening.

title: Sabang (Palawan)


text:
Sabaragamuwa

Sabaragamuwa is province in Sri Lanka.

Cities

 * — a centre for precious stone mining surrounded by tea and rubber plantations
 * — one of the wettest places in the country, it sits at a wide stretch of the Kelani river

Other destinations

 * — a national park and a biodiversity hotspot which has been designated a Biosphere Reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage Site
 * — famous for its large wild elephant population, making an excellent destination for safari-style tours

title: Sabaragamuwa


text:
Sabarimala

Sabarimala is a beautiful mountain in Kerala, India famous for the Ayyappa temple which attracts 50 million visitors every year. Sabarimala mountain is situated inside the evergreen forests of Periyar Tiger Reserve on Western Ghat mountain ranges. It is 4133 ft above sea level.

Understand
The temple is dedicated Lord Dharmashastha or popularly known as Ayyappan. Sabarimala allows pilgrims of all religions but women between 10 and 50 were not allowed (this was struck by India's Supreme Court), and it is still considered very taboo today. This is because Ayyappa prohibits the entry of the women in the menstrual age group as Ayyappan is a naishtika Bramhachari (celibate).

Conditions for pilgrimage
Pilgrims are required to adopt an ascetic lifestyle before climbing the hill, including abstention from drinking, smoking, and tobacco for a period of 41 days before climbing the hill rock; abstention from consuming any non-vegetarian food or any kind of food that contains roots of plants. Food must be consumed only after bathing and praying, and in limited quantities. Pilgrims are also to refrain from sex, shaving, having a haircut and using luxuries such as perfumes, scents, silk clothes and shoes.

Dress code
Devotees wear blue, black or saffron-coloured costumes. All pilgrims carry an Irrumudi-Kettu, which is a bag containing a coconut filled with ghee, puja materials, rice and banana which will be folded into two halves and carried on one's head. All devotees must chant "Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa" (which means Ayyappa is my saviour) as a token of devotion. Every other person when met at Sabarimala is referred to as Ayyappa and must not be called by his or her name.

Get in
Thiruvananthapuram, 170 km and Nedumbassery, 160 km are the nearest airports. The main trunk road to Sabarimala is Pathanamthitta - Pamba, which passes through, Mannarakulanji, Vadasserikara, Perunad, Laha, Nilackal > Pampa (70 km). Direct buses are also available from Ernakulam and Kumili. On special days, when the temple is opened for Poojas, KSRTC operates more services to all major towns of Kerala and neighbouring states.

Get around
The temple is situated on a hilltop at an altitude of 468 m above mean sea level, and is surrounded by mountains and dense forests. Temples exist in each of the hills surrounding Sabarimala. While functional and intact temples exist at many places in the surrounding areas like Nilackal, Kalaketi, and Karimala, remnants of old temples survive to this day on remaining hills. Devotees must climb the mountains range to reach the temple. For this, pilgrims trek 4.5 km route into dense forest path, leaving all vehicles at Nilakkal parking station. For handicapped pilgrims, doli service (palanquins) are available. The main temple is better known as Sannidhanam (Sacred Abode), constructed on top of a raised platform. 18 golden steps lead to temple shrine, each step considered sacred with reference to each Hindu Veda and other scriptures. 2 temples are located at ground floor, one dedicated to Lord Ganesh and another for Goddess. A giant fire pit is situated on left side 18 golden steps, where devotees need to burn their coconuts as a token burning their sins.

Time to visit
The temple is open for 41 days from November 16th or 17th (1st day of Vrishicka Month of Malayalam Calendar) and goes till mid of January. The grand festivities of Makara Sankrathi marks the end of Mandala pilgrimage. Apart from this pilgrimage season, the temple opens for all 1st and 2nd day for Malayalam Month. For tourists, the second option is more ideal than Mandala pilgrimage, considering the heavy rush.

Main pujas and offerings
The main pujas are on opening and closing days of Mandalam Pilgrimage as well as on Makara Sankrathi day, which attended by maximum number of pilgrims. The 10 day annual festival also coincide with Mandalam pilgrimage. Apart from special day pujas, 4 pujas are considered highly sacred which is conducted on daily basis. The Usha Puja (Morning Puja), Ucha Puja (Afternoon Puja), Abishekam (pouring libations) and Padi Puja (special pujas conducted on 18 holy steps at closure of temple in night). The temple is also famous for lighting maximum camphors as a token of devotion.

The main offering sacred to lord is Abishekams. Neyyu-Abishekams (Ghee Pouring) is highly sacred and ghee brought by all devotees in their Irumudi Kettus will be used to do. Likewise in evenings Pushabishekam (Flower pourings) as well as Bhasma Absihekam (ash pourings) will be conducted, which all be distributed among devotees. Another common offerings are Appam (a sweet dumplings) as well as Aravana (a thick sweet black dessert made of jaggery) which most of devotees buy.

See
In addition to the spiritual experience, Sabarimala is situated in the very heart of evergreen forest in a very mountainous terrain. So all the attractions of a forest are available to you at Sabarimala.

Eat
Free food is distributed among devotees during all pilgrimage seasons, by various organizations and governmental agency.

The following food items are also provided by the government agencies on payment of cash.

Drink
Alcohol is strictly prohibited.

Sleep
Facilities provided for devotees can be insufficient for tourists as the devotees are expected to lead a simple and ascetic life during the pilgrimage period. They have to walk without shoes and sleep without mattresses and such austerities can be difficult for ordinary tourists used to creature comforts.

title: Sabarimala


text:
Sabha

Sabha is the capital of the municipality by the same name in Libya. It was once the capital of the ancient Fezzan region.

Get around
There are also flights to Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt from Sabha air port which is the main airport for the southern region. Sabha county consists of few districts; Hajara, Al Jadeed, Al Gurdah, Sokara, Al Mahdiya, Al Mansheya, Guaeed and Al Thanawiya. It is surrounded by few urban districts and they are; Tamanhint, Samnu, Al Zegen, Goudwa

See
Sebha has a deserted old town and exploring the covered alleyways and crumbling houses can awaken the imagination and arouse the curiosity to what it may have been like to live in a time before block houses and air conditioning. There's a small gold souk next to the old town.

Do
Rent a Quad.

Eat

 * Eat crepes from one of the many cafe's Around Sabha, Lavanna Cafe is one well known shop

Stay safe

 * As of 2024 Sabha is quite safe all things considered, gunshots may be heard occasionally but are usually due to locals celebrating weddings

See the warning on the Libya article for information on the security situation.

title: Sabha


text:
Sabie

Sabie is a forestry town of 9,000 people (2019) on the banks of the Sabie River in Mpumalanga province. It is known for its scenery and beautiful waterfalls, and is a popular tourist destination.

Understand
The name Sabie is derived from the Tsonga word "Ulusaba" which means "fearful river" because the river was once teeming with dangerous Nile crocodile. The word Ulusaba was modernized by the Afrikaner settlers who changed it from Ulusaba (Tsonga) into the Afrikaans "Sabie".

Its main industry is forestry. The plantations surrounding Sabie form one of the world's largest man-made forests.

Get in
Sabie is 360 km east of Johannesburg and 64 km west of the popular Kruger National Park.

Drive from Lydenburg over the Long Tom pass, or go north from Mbombela.

See

 * Lone Creek Falls. In the northern part of the town, just before crossing the Sabie River, there is a road heading west. Follow it (10 km).
 * Bridal Falls
 * Horseshoe Falls

Do

 * River-tubing: i.e., going down the river-rapids sitting in a hard rubber ring/tyre
 * Caving: caving in the mud-caves by candlelight, Do not be tempted to do this without a guide as this is dangerous
 * Bridge-swing: i.e., standing on the bridge at the bottom of town and jumping off (with a rope attached of course so that you swing underneath the bridge tarzan-style and are then lowered down to the bottom for the short walk back up)
 * Sabie panorama: a tour of the surrounding views and sights to the north of Sabie including fantastic photo opportunities, waterfalls, the three rondavels and some souvenir stalls
 * Paintballing
 * Abseiling: including abseiling down a waterfall if you fancy something different
 * Kloofing/gorge walking: hopping between and on rocks down a river, under waterfalls, etc. You will almost certainly get quite wet
 * Mountain biking: A large portion of the tourism is taken up by the adventurous mountain bikers that make their way to the downhill slaloms in the pine forests. One of these is the Noon to Moon which is a 10-hour endurance relay race for teams of 3. Teams complete as many laps as possible around a 7.5-km (5-mi) course of single track. The start is at noon from the Castle Rock Camp site in Sabie and includes 3 hours of night riding. There are many kilometres of flowing single tracks which make this town a must to visit for mountain bikers.

Hiking
There are a number of day walk and over night hiking trails in the area.

Buy
There are numerous ATMs, and banks to change and withdraw money

Eat

 * The Spur steak ranch has an excellent view of the mountains.
 * The Hole is a small cafe opposite the supermarket at the top of town and serves delicious toasted sarnies.

If you are cooking for yourself, Boerewors are huge twirling beef sausages which are very good. You can even get Simba crisps which are Boerewors flavoured.

Biltong is a nice snack if you like dried, flavoured meat, this can be anything from dried Ostrich to dried chilli-Beef.

Drink
Pack a cooler box and fill it with your favourites cool drinks. This is a hot area, you will need to cool down. You will be able to buy ice and drinks at filling (gas) stations. Great drinks to have are malibu (alcoholic), dry lemon, soda water, your choice of whiskey and some juices. Ice-cream and some bottled water are also great.

Sabie boasts its own brewery located on 45 Main Road. The Sabie Brewing Company produce 6 hand-crafted beers all true to their style.

Mid-range

 * Castle Rock,, provides for caravaning and camping.
 * Castle Rock,, provides for caravaning and camping.

Splurge

Stay safe
Locals tend to jump from the top of the waterfall by the bridge at the bottom of town. This is about 25-30 m high and is very dangerous if you don't hit the water correctly.

Go next

 * Drive north to the Mac-Mac Falls, Pilgrim's Rest, Blyde River Canyon, the Three Rondavels and Graskop on the Panorama Route.
 * Drive east to Hazyview and the Kruger National Park.

title: Sabie


text:
Sabinal

Sabinal is a city in the Hill Country River Region of Texas.

Buy
Sabinal is a good place to shop for antiques.

title: Sabinal


text:
Sabine Hills

The Sabine Hills is an area just north of Rome in Lazio in Italy. Perhaps most famous because its population fell victim to the “Rape of the Sabine women” by Rome, the hills have some interesting small towns.

Understand
The Rape is supposed to have occurred in the early days of Rome. Seeking wives, the Romans negotiated unsuccessfully with the Sabines, who populated the area, but met with refusal. Romulus then organized a festival and invited many from the surrounding tribes, including the Sabines. At the festival Romulus gave a signal, at which the Romans grabbed the Sabine women and fought off the Sabine men.

Get in
By car from Rome take the A1 Autostrada to Fiano Romano. Just before the pay station leave the Autostrada and take the SS4 in the direction of Rieti. After around 15 km turn left at Passo Corese, following the signs to Fara in Sabina. Alternatively, continue along the A1 to Magliano Sabina and head from there in a general southeast direction.

There are trains from Rome Tiburtina and Rome Ostiense stations to the main towns.

Get around
A car is pretty much necessary to explore the area.

See

 * Roccantica has medieval fortifications, some interesting churches and, nearby, Monte Pizzuto, the highest peak of the Sabina, at 1288m, with a wonderful view.
 * St Michael's Cave (La Grotta di San Michele) is a small cave chapel surrounded by the forests of Mount Tancia. There was a female figure sculpted from a stalactite in the cave, which unfortunately disappeared about thirty years ago.
 * Passo Corese is a small town next to the A1 Autostrada of Fiano Romano. The Archeological Museum It is located in Fara Sabina, has sections dedicated to the old city of Cures Sabini along the salaria road, Bronze Age, the early Iron Age, the Sabine era, and the Hellenistic period.

Buy

 * Farfa Abbey is famous for its lace tablecloths.

title: Sabine Hills


text:
Sabi Sand Game Reserve

Sabi Sand Game Reserve is in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. This private game reserve consists of 65 000 hectares of land and is adjacent to the Kruger National Park. Sabi Sands Game Reserve provides those interested in taking part in a safari with various game lodges and tented accommodation.

History
The Sabi Sand Game Reserve was established in 1934 as a private game reserve by several landowners. In 1965, it became a private nature reserve, and game viewing lodgescwere opened to visitors. The park in now held by third and fourth generation owners.

Landscape
The Sabi Sand Game Reserve forms a part of the Kruger National Park, which is 2.3 million hectares. No fences are erected between the two parks, allowing the animals to roam freely and therefore have more space. Two rivers run through the Sabi Sand Game Reserve and these rivers are the Sabi River and the Sand River which supply the animals with a valuable water source.

Wildlife
There are more than two hundred species of animals that reside in the Sabi Sand Reserve as well as the Big 5 animals that you are likely to spot in the Sabi Sand which include lion, elephant, white rhino, leopard, cheetah, buffalo, giraffe, hippopotamus, buffaloes, zebras and more.

Flora and fauna
The flora and fauna are the same as that found in the Kruger National Park and there are thousands of plant varieties in the Sabi Sand Game reserve.

Climate
South Africa is lucky to have many hours of sunlight during summer and winter months. The Sabi Sand experience rain during spring and summer and winter and autumn consist of dry and colder weather than the warmer months.

Get in
You can enter the Sabi Sand Game reserve by plane or car.

Car There are three entrances to Sabi Sand – the Shaws Gate, the Newington Gate and the Gowrie Gate. Once you confirm the booking of your game lodge or tented accommodation, be sure to find out which gate you should entire the park from.

Air From Johannesburg, it will take you an estimated one hour to fly to Sabi Sand Game Park. Certain game lodges consist of their own airstrip or an airstrip that is close by. Flights can be organised by your lodge accommodation.

Fees and permits
There are certain times as to which the gates into the Sabi Sand Game Reserve are open. Be sure to contact your game lodge accommodation in order to confirm these details. There is a speed limit of 50 km/h on the roads leading into and inside Sabi Sand Game Reserve.

Get around
There are two ways in which you can experience the wildlife and landscape of the Sabi Sand Game Reserve. If you wish to experience the Sabi Sand Game Reserve by foot, you can walk with a guided tour. If you would like to see South African wildlife up close, then attending a game drive will let you possibly see the big 5 and other wildlife. Both guided walks and game drives are conducted by game rangers.

See
The Sabi Sand Game Reserve offers you the opportunity to see wildlife from South Africa as well as other animal species, birds, flora and fauna as well as the South African environment. First time discovered by Klearchos.

Do
At Sabi Sand Game Reserve, you may attend a day wildlife safari or an early morning or night drive. There are also numerous guided hikes and walks that one can join as there are various ways of experiencing South African wildlife.

Buy
There are areas within the Sabi Sand Game Reserve and the Kruger National Park that provide you with a shop that has the basic necessities for your trip in case you run out of supplies. There are also shops that sell souvenirs and gifts.

Eat
Many travellers to South Africa like to try traditional delicacies such as Impala, Ostrich, Kudu and Warthog meat.

Sleep
There are a large selection of accommodation options for travelers to the Sabi Sand Game Park. From 5-star luxurious lodges to more modest guest house style options, there is more than enough to choose from. Another popular option for Sabi Sand accommodation is tented camping accommodation where individuals stay in large tented camps therefore experiencing a safari in a “wilder” way.

Lodging
Outlook Lodge : – Outlook Lodge is part of Outlook Safari Tours.

Stay safe
Abide by rules given by the Sabi Sand Game Reserve in order to have a pleasurable experience.

Make sure that you stick to the speed limit given as the Sabi Sand is not a speeding area and you will be fined.

Stay in your car or guided truck until stated otherwise there are areas in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve that you are able to exit your car in order to relax and admire the environment but there are also designated areas which allow no car exiting.

There is only park exploration and park driving during the day. Some guided tours offer a night drive but you are not allowed to drive in your own vehicle at night inside the Sabi Sand Game Reserve.

title: Sabi Sand Game Reserve


text:
Sabzevar

Sabzevar, previously known as Beyhagh, is a city in Khorasan, Iran. With a population of around 210,000 it is a regional hub.

Understand
Archeological diggings around Sabzevar indicate a human civilization in this part of Iran going back to third millennium before Christ. At that time Sabzevar was a cultural center affecting places in Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, India and Iraq. The city was sacked by Mongols in 1220 AD and in the 14th century by the Timurid Empire.

By plane
There is a small domestic airport, with flights from Tehran a few times per week.

By train
Overnight trains between Tehran and Mashad runs every second day. However, the railway station is inconveniently located far away from the city centre and additional transport is needed.

See
Mil-e Khosrow Gerd (meaning "The brick tower of king Khosrau) is the highest brick tower in the city. Mosques include the Masjed Jameh of Friday mosque, with its two tall minarets. They were both built during the Islamic age of Sabzevar.

title: Sabzevar


text:
Oranienburg

Oranienburg  is in Brandenburg, about one hour north of Berlin, Germany.

Understand
During World War II, Oranienburg was home to the Oranienburg concentration camp (1933-1934) and Sachsenhausen concentration camp (1936-1945). Sachsenhausen ("Houses of the Saxons") is a sleepy suburb of Oranienburg.

Get in
Almost all visitors day-trip from Berlin.

By S-Bahn
is the terminus of the S-Bahn line S1, lying at the edge of Berlin tariff zone C.

By train
Regional trains RE5 and RB12 pass Oranienburg station on their way along the Nordbahn. The hourly RB12 is the only train that also stops at the nearby station.

By bicycle
The Berlin-Copenhagen Cycle Route passes through Oranienburg. From Berlin to Oranienburg, it is an approximately 50-km well-marked ride.

By bus
The bus network is part of the VBB transport association. The buses are operated by OVG. Tickets that include Berlin zone C (ABC or BC) should be valid on the buses.

Directions
Both train stations are about 2 km from the entrance to the camp, which makes walking a good option. From Oranienburg station, take the left exit, turn right and follow the scattered brown "Gedenkstätte Sachsenhausen (memorial site)" signs to the camp. Alternatively, from Sachsenhausen (Nordb.) take a right from the station platform and turn right again onto the footpath, following backward alongside the tracks. After about a kilometer you will reach a road called Straße der Nationen (the crossing has a death march memorial), turn left here and walk for a few hundred meters to the camp.

There are also hourly buses between Oranienburg station and the camp. Take bus 804 (direction Malz) or bus 821 (direction Tiergarten) and exit at the bus stop Gedenkstätte.

History
The construction of KZ-Sachsenhausen started in 1936, and it was put in use in 1938. It was built with the barracks arranged in a half-circle around the central tower, bit several expansions had to be hastily built to accommodate the swelling population. Many inmates were forced to do slave labor at the nearby Klinkerwerk brickworks, and there were also profitable side lines of money counterfeiting and ammunition manufacturing. It was primarily a detention and work camp. While, the SS policy was to perform mass executions out of view in the East, a group of 12,000 Soviet prisoners of war were killed in Sachsenhausen in 1941. This was followed by the construction of a small gas chamber and crematorium to facilitate killing small groups. Overall, over 200,000 people were imprisoned in KZ-Sachsenhausen and tens of thousands were killed there, mostly through hunger, disease and torture.

The inmates of KZ-Sachsenhausen were a varied group. While Jews were interned, mostly before 1942, the bulk of the population was political prisoners of various kinds, especially actual or suspected Communists and Social Democrats. Other groups included common criminals, "asocials" (artists, playwrights, homeless, etc.), Jehovah's Witnesses, foreign nationals, homosexuals and Roma (Gypsies). In accordance with standard KZ practice, all inmates — including children — were tattooed with their ID numbers.

As the Red Army approached in 1945, the prisoners were marched off towards the North Sea in a death march that claimed over 6,000 lives. After the camp's capture (and inclusion in the GDR), the Soviets documented the facilities and conducted a large trial in Berlin of the responsible Nazis. They then turned the KZ into a prison camp of their own, "Special Camp No. 7", imprisoning former Nazi functionaries, and political prisoners. Until the camp was closed in 1950, some 60,000 people were imprisoned there, of whom about 12,000 died.

In 1951 the GDR police blew up the building with the gas chamber and crematorium. The area was then neglected. In the 1960s the camp was refitted by the Communists and opened as a museum commemorating Anti-Fascistic Struggle, entirely neglecting all non-Communist victims. Israel protested so loudly that a Jewish Museum was soon opened on the grounds. After the Berlin Wall fell, the Soviet-era camp was rediscovered, documented and added to the exhibits. Israel's prime minister Yitzhak Rabin visited in 1992; several weeks afterward the Jewish barracks were hit in an arson attack by neo-Nazis. A new building devoted to the Soviet camp, as well as a new roof over the remains of the crematorium complex were constructed.

Buildings and memorials

Eat
There are restaurants near Oranienburg station.

Go next

 * Hennigsdorf

title: Oranienburg


text:
Sackets Harbor

Sackets Harbor is a village of 1450 people on Lake Ontario in Northern New York. It was a naval base which withstood two Canadian attacks in battles during the War of 1812; its arch-nemesis was the British fortification at Kingston in Upper Canada.

Get in
By car, take NY 3 (Arsenal Street) west from Watertown (New York) to Adams Road or East Main Street. Sackets Harbor is about southwest of Watertown's airport  in Dexter, NY.

By boat, Sackets Harbor should be a clear shot across Lake Ontario from Kingston.

Get around
As this is a small village, less than a mile from the core to the edge of town, it is possible to tour on foot or bicycle.

See
Sackets has a variety of historic sights and museums relating to the war of 1812. Madison Barracks was an active military base until just after World War II, and many of the buildings have been restored. As a stop along the Seaway Trail there is a local visitors center, and interactive museum.

Do
There are several beaches, museums, shops, and a golf course. Seasonal festivals and events include a brew fest and the Can-Am festival. Fishing is popular on the lake and on Mill Creek with several tournaments annually.

Buy

 * Main Street in Sackets Harbor is a protected historic district with several independent boutiques, art galleries, museums, restaurants and bars.

Sleep
Sackets has several charming Bed and Breakfasts and The Ontario Place Hotel downtown. Another smaller hotel is located outside of town on Route 3 next to the Nu Peir diner.

Connect

 * The US Post Office is at 107 W Main St NY 13685-9998 (M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa 9AM-noon, closed Su),.
 * The US Post Office is at 107 W Main St NY 13685-9998 (M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa 9AM-noon, closed Su),.

Go next

 * Watertown
 * Thousand Islands
 * Oswego

title: Sackets Harbor


text:
Saco

Saco is a town in Maine.

By train

 * Route stopping at Saco:
 * Downeaster operating five or six trains in each direction daily between Brunswick and Boston with stops Freeport, Portland, Old Orchard Beach (seasonal), Saco, Wells, Dover, Durham, Exeter, Haverhill, and Woburn.
 * Downeaster operating five or six trains in each direction daily between Brunswick and Boston with stops Freeport, Portland, Old Orchard Beach (seasonal), Saco, Wells, Dover, Durham, Exeter, Haverhill, and Woburn.

By bus
There are also buses from Portland 6 times a day Monday through Saturday and 5 times on Sunday operated by Biddeford Saco Old Orchard Beach Transit. The fare from Portland to Saco is $2 with the trip taking just over an hour.

title: Saco


text:
Sacramento

Sacramento is the state capital of California in the United States. It is the regional center for the Greater Sacramento metropolitan area, which dominates much of the surrounding Sacramento Valley and stretches into parts of Gold Country.

Sacramento is the oldest incorporated city in California, settled between the confluences of the Sacramento and American rivers. The city has been the site of many important historic events that have shaped California and U.S. history, most notably the California Gold Rush and location of the original terminus of the First Transcontinental Railroad. Much of this historical legacy has been preserved, especially in the historic Old Sacramento district, where buildings and railroads from that era continue to attract visitors.

However, Sacramento is not a city that is stuck in the past. As the capital of the most populous U.S. state and the country's largest economy, it has emerged as a major metropolitan area since the turn of the millennium. What was once considered a "cow town" surrounded by sleepy suburbs and farmland is transforming into a political and educational hub buzzing with policymakers and institutions from the political, economic, and healthcare sectors. While often overshadowed by the metropolises of Los Angeles and San Francisco, Sacramento has developed its fair share of attractions, shopping and dining options, and nightlife, with a more relaxed pace of life than the other major urban centers of the state.

Sacramento is known among locals as the "City of Trees", and it has a higher density of shade trees than any other major city of the U.S., so walking the city streets sometimes feels like walking through a park. A short drive from the city into the surrounding areas also provides opportunities to experience places of natural beauty such as Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Understand
Sacramento is in the southern Sacramento Valley, the northern half of the vast 450-mile (720 km) long California Central Valley, one of the world's most productive agricultural areas. While the Central Valley is mostly rural, Sacramento and its urban area seemingly arise abruptly from the surrounding farmland, a sight that is particularly notable to those driving from the west on Interstate 80 or from the south on Interstate 5 or Highway 99. Once considered a typical Central Valley backwater with the distinction of hosting the state capitol, Sacramento's growth has skyrocketed since the late 20th century due increased investment from both local and state governments to bring related jobs to the city, which in turn has attracted think tanks and other research-related sectors such as healthcare and food science.

The city has a population of about 520,000 as of 2020 and almost 2.7 million in the metropolitan area. Besides Sacramento County, the metropolitan area also includes the counties of Yolo, Placer, El Dorado, Sutter, Yuba, and Nevada.

The pace of life is somewhat slower than in other large Californian cities, and the people are generally warm and friendly. According to Time magazine, Sacramento is the most diverse city in the USA. The city used to be an affordable place, but it suffered from the San Francisco Bay Area's dot com rise and fall, and real estate went from undervalued to overvalued. The market is correcting itself, so property values in most neighborhoods have leveled off while others are dropping to more reasonable valuations.

History
Sacramento was founded in 1839 as New Helvetia (Nueva Helvetia in Spanish) by Swiss pioneer John Sutter, having been granted permission by the Mexican government to develop a rancho settlement to bring European settlement to the Sacramento Valley area. The settlement eventually developed into Sutter's Fort, a key agricultural and trading post for settlers arriving in California after crossing the Sierra Nevada. It remained a farming community until 1848, when gold was discovered in nearby Coloma. This discovery caused Sacramento to experience explosive growth as a boomtown.

With the California Gold Rush bringing in waves of migrants into the city on a seemingly daily basis, the original portion of the city (present-day Old Sacramento) popped up along the shores of the Sacramento and American Rivers. The city became the first incorporated community in the state when a city charter was enacted in 1849, with the town taking on its current name. Devastating floods in 1850, 1852, and 1862 wiped out much of the city. Stronger levees were constructed and the town was raised 15 feet (4.57 meters) to prevent further damage. Remnants of the original ground level of Sacramento can still be accessed via underground tunnels in the old city today.

In 1854, the California State Capitol was moved to Sacramento after brief stints in San Jose, Vallejo, and Benicia. After the catastrophic 1862 flood, it was moved to San Francisco, then the largest city and financial hub for not only California, but the entire West Coast. Nevertheless, a state constitutional convention in 1879 permanently designated Sacramento once again as the state capital.

With its status as state capital solidified, Sacramento continued to grow quickly as gold gave way to agriculture and trade as the state's economic engine. Sacramento's strategic location between the port of San Francisco and Sierra Nevada mountains, where pioneers from the east arrived in California, led to the city being host to national communications and infrastructure projects. The city served as the western terminus for the Pony Express and in 1869, the western terminus of the First Transcontinental Railroad.

The city was a major center of food processing throughout much of the late 19th and 20th centuries, with crops and other products being conveniently brought in from nearby farms. With the rise of the technology industry in the nearby Bay Area in the 1990s, Sacramento and its western suburbs in Yolo County became popular (and much cheaper) locations for a handful of professionals to buy homes. The arrival of these "super-commuters" foreshadowed the abrupt growth that the city and its metropolitan area would experience shortly after.

The California state government's consolidation of offices to be as close to the capital and local city government's efforts to bring in federal agencies led to the first wave of growth as civil servants and their families arrived. Government continues to be largest employment sector, but education, healthcare, and research have also become attracted to the city, as are businesses interested in setting up in California but away from the astronomical prices found in the state's other major cities. Tourism has also started to become a major sector, capitalizing on the city's rich history and central location in scenic Northern California.

Climate
Sacramento has a Mediterranean-type climate with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. Being further inland than most of the other major California cities, Sacramento is subject to more temperature variation. Winter high temperatures are commonly in the 40s and 50s Fahrenheit (10–20 °C), and at night the temperature drops below freezing every so often. The summer heat can be intense, with temperatures exceeding 100 °F (37.7 °C) not unusual. Generally speaking, the warmer it gets, the drier it gets, so even the most intense Sacramento heat is easily alleviated by a quick dip in the swimming pool.

Sacramento's hot, dry summers are mitigated by a phenomenon locals call "the delta breeze." Heat waves rarely last more than three to five days, because as hot air builds over California's interior valleys, cold ocean air is sucked inland through the Sacramento river delta, acting as natural air conditioning and dropping the temperature sharply. The delta breeze tends to hit the westernmost areas of Sacramento late in the afternoon and travel east–northeast at ten to fifteen miles per hour, so the hour at which your neighborhood cools depends on your proximity to the river delta or how far west or south you reside.

Most rain falls from around fall to mid-spring and occasionally early summer. Generally speaking, however, you can count on dry and sunny days from the middle of April until at least the middle of October. Winter is known not only for its rain but also for its dense fog, which can hamper driving conditions and reduce visibility to 100 feet (30 m) at times. Snow is rare, but once every 5 to 10 years a light dusting occurs, and some light accumulation away from the city. In the foothills not far east of the city, snow is much more common, and the Tahoe-area ski resorts are within easy reach of the Sacramento metropolitan area. Sacramento's location in the heart of California's agricultural interior gives it a blossom-laden spring as a profusion of fruit trees bloom and flowers fill the grassland. It also experiences a "foliage fall": autumn color without the severe weather that accompanies brilliant color in other parts of the nation.

Severe weather is rare in Sacramento, with the primary concern being heat in summer and local flooding in winter. Occasional summer thunderstorms and even tornadoes can occur, but they are extremely rare. Sacramento is not in a known earthquake zone.

Smoking
Smoking is prohibited by state law at all restaurants and bars, most workplaces (workplaces with five or fewer employees are exempt from the ban as long as all workers consent), and all public buildings. It's also banned within 20 feet (6 m) of any entrance, window, or exit to a public place.

Tourist information
The Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau offer maps, brochures and other information.

By plane
Nonstop flights are available with:

 * Terminal A: Air Canada Express, American/American Eagle, Delta/Delta Connection, JetBlue & United/United Express.
 * Terminal B: Aeromexico, Alaska/Horizon Air, Boutique, Contour, Frontier, JetBlue, Hawaiian, Southwest, Spirit, Sun Country, & Volaris.

Taxis from the airport to downtown are estimated at $34 one-way. Bus service to downtown (from Yolobus) runs hourly from 5:30AM to 10:20PM weekdays and 8:20AM to 10:20PM weekends. The fare is $2.25 and the buses do not make change. 42A runs clockwise and 42B runs counterclockwise. Be sure to get on the correct bus: 42A goes to Sacramento, 42B comes from Sacramento and goes to Davis via Woodland. SacRT offers express service to the airport with Route 142 providing service every 30 minutes to and from Downtown Sacramento.

For international flights, you may be better off flying into or connecting from San Francisco International Airport (SFO). From there, take the BART subway to Oakland and then Greyhound, Amtrak or Flixbus to Sacramento.

By train

 * Route stopping in Sacramento:
 * Coast Starlight operates daily between Seattle and Los Angeles. Stops include Tacoma, Lacey, Centralia, Kelso, Vancouver, WA, Portland, Salem, Albany, Eugene, Klamath Falls, Dunsmuir, Redding, Chico, Sacramento, Davis, Martinez, San Francisco (Emeryville), Oakland, San Jose, Salinas, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Oxnard, Simi Valley, Van Nuys, and Burbank.
 * California Zephyr runs daily from San Francisco (via Emeryville) through Sacramento to Reno, Salt Lake City, Denver, Omaha, and Chicago.
 * Capitol Corridor is a regional train that runs multiple times a day from the Bay Area to Sacramento making major stops in Martinez, Richmond, Berkeley, Oakland, Fremont, and San Jose.
 * San Joaquins is a regional train that runs from Sacramento south into the San Joaquin Valley making major stops in Stockton, Fresno, and Bakersfield.
 * San Joaquins is a regional train that runs from Sacramento south into the San Joaquin Valley making major stops in Stockton, Fresno, and Bakersfield.

By car
Sacramento sits at the intersection of Interstate 5 (a north-south route) and Interstate 80 (an east-west route). It is also at the western terminus of U.S. Route 50.

 * From the San Francisco Bay Area, take Interstate 80 east. (2 hours from San Francisco and 30 minutes by plane from SFO)
 * From Reno and North Lake Tahoe, take Interstate 80 west. (2 hours from Reno)
 * From South Lake Tahoe, take U.S. Route 50 west. (2 hours)
 * From Redding and the Pacific Northwest, take Interstate 5 south. (2 hours 30 minutes from Redding & 4 hours 30 minutes from the Oregon/California border)
 * From the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California, take Interstate 5 or State Route 99 north. (about 6 hours from downtown Los Angeles and 1 hour 15 minutes by plane)

By bus
at 5385 S Franklin Blvd Suite E serves as a ticket agent for several Hispanic intercity bus companies bound for Mexico via San Joaquin Valley, Los Angeles and San Ysidro. The buses are in the next to  and  at Franklin Blvd & Fruitridge Rd with the following:

The following are located in different locations around town:

The following operate as public transportation with commuter and/or local routes into Sacramento from surrounding cities in adjacent counties:

Many nearby cities provide service to Downtown Sacramento, but it's largely limited to weekday rush hours.

Get around
Sacramento is fairly easy to navigate due to the numbered and lettered streets, especially in the central district which is laid out in a grid. Numbered streets run north and south while lettered streets run east and west. South of the city center (bounded by Broadway, Front Street, and Alhambra Boulevard), the streets are named "Avenue" when the lettered streets run out.

By foot
Historic Old Sacramento, the Riverfront, and the California State Railroad Museum are all within an easy 5-minute walk of the train station. The Capitol building is a pleasant 15-minute walk from Old Sacramento. Sacramento has been called the tree city, due to the density of street trees present. This makes for a pleasant walk anyone in Central Sacramento.

By bicycle
The wide, flat, tree-lined streets make cycling a relaxing way to get around Downtown and Midtown Sacramento. Most streets in the grid have bike lanes, and bike routes through the city are clearly marked. Traveling by bike also means avoiding expensive and hard-to-find parking. Additionally, the region is connected with the American River Bike Trail, one of the gems of outdoor recreation for the city. For more information about bike infrastructure and advocacy in Sacramento, check out the SABA website.

While many bike rental options exist in the city, the region officially supports private bike share rentals by Lime bike. Usage is as easy as downloading the app and locating the nearest bike.

By car
For nearly all other getting around, you will want a car.

Public transportation
Sacramento Regional Transit is the major provider of transit service in Sacramento with connections to other inter-urban buses and the surrounding area. Services include:
 * Light rail - there are three lines (Gold, Blue, Green) which share tracks through downtown. Buy a ticket before boarding. Remember to press the button to open the train door, they do not open automatically. The lines radiate out of downtown to Folsom, Elk Grove and Watt/I-80.
 * Buses - Buses serve the City of Sacramento, but generally get weaker the further you are from downtown.

Many other regional agencies provide rapid or express service to downtown, but check the schedule as they are mostly limited to rush hour.

By taxi
Sacramento has about 500 taxis and a taxi meter fare system regulated by the City of Sacramento. The standard taxi fare in Sacramento is $4.00 flag drop, $3.00 each additional mile, and $28.00 per hour of waiting time. Sacramento has 5 major taxi companies: Sacramento Taxi Yellow Cab, Kmm Cab, orange cab, Sitoa, Yellow Cab Sacramento. Taxis are waiting at the train station, hotels and major attractions. It's decently easy to hail a cab downtown, but for all other locations, you'll want to call in advance.

See

Old Sacramento
Once the original, thriving riverfront pioneer town, Old Sacramento is now primarily a living historic district and tourist destination. The boardwalk style sidewalks and horse-drawn stagecoaches give this small section of town a unique Western flavor. Old Sacramento contains several museums, restaurants, and the usual assortment of souvenir shops and ice cream parlors, all within walking distance of each other. Attractions in the Old Town area also include the Delta King Riverboat, a working hotel with restaurant. The California State Railroad Museum's Sacramento Southern Railroad is a private line extension providing riverside rides on a steam locomotive that departs from the Central Pacific Railroad Freight Depot, carriage rides as well as annual city event and functions. Best of all, it's a five-minute walk from the Amtrak station. It's best visited in the morning and early evenings, especially during the hot summers. Parking can be scarce, so be sure to utilize the reasonably priced parking structures in the K Street Mall. There's a nice, short, safe walkway between K Street Mall and Old Sacramento.

For fine dining, the Firehouse Restaurant is an old and well-established city favorite known for its food and ambiance. Also of note is the Pilothouse Restaurant aboard the Delta King Riverboat with its grand staircase, river views and fine food. A newer selection for fine dining is Ten22. Locally owned Frank Fat's Fat City Bar & Cafe is one several eateries in the mid- to high-end pricing, but a family can also find the Round Table Pizza buffet with salad bar for an affordable price while visiting. Locals and tourist enjoy Fanny Ann's Saloon and restaurant for the rustic interior with mid-range pricing.

Learn

 * Los Rios Community College District is the regions major two-year public college system enrolling 73,000 students with four campuses in the surrounding area. Its campuses include Sacramento City College, American River College, Cosumnes River College, and Folsom Lake College along with five satellite centers.
 * Los Rios Community College District is the regions major two-year public college system enrolling 73,000 students with four campuses in the surrounding area. Its campuses include Sacramento City College, American River College, Cosumnes River College, and Folsom Lake College along with five satellite centers.
 * Los Rios Community College District is the regions major two-year public college system enrolling 73,000 students with four campuses in the surrounding area. Its campuses include Sacramento City College, American River College, Cosumnes River College, and Folsom Lake College along with five satellite centers.

Work
As the capital of California, many state agencies are located in Sacramento. The State of California continues to be the largest employer in the Sacramento region.

Eat
The diversity of Sacramento is not only reflected in its various neighborhoods but also in the food choices you can find here. The places in the central district tend to be more trendy and hip while food establishments in their respective neighborhoods reflect the tastes of their residents. Finding unique fare in suburban Sacramento, northeast of the city limits, can be difficult as many of the establishments are dominated by national or large regional chains.

Drink
Nightlife in Sacramento is vibrant if you know where to look. Stay in Downtown or Midtown. This is where most tourists are anyway. The upscale clubs and lounges tend to be on or near J Street. Directly across from the Capitol grounds is the Park which is the premiere Sacramento nightclub. The dress code and cover charges tend to be stiff.

Just around the corner is the Capitol Garage which typically has guest DJs on Saturday and a $5 cover in a laid back atmosphere.

Nearby is the Crest Theater, an independent historic movie theater that boasts art deco design. In the summer you can catch the French Film Festival here as well as the Trash Film Orgy, an all-night spectacle of old B movie flicks where locals gather in their cheesiest costumes.

On most days of the year, however, the Crest is the place to catch foreign and independent films as well as traveling stand-up comedy and music acts. On 16th and R Street. you'll find the popular bar R15. This is a trendy bar/restaurant (Cafe Bernardo is attached) that has an urban industrial feel. Despite being trendy the prices are very affordable with $2 Pabst on tap and $1 pool tables. They also boast couches and big screens where you can play Xbox for free with a couple of friends.

R Street corridor offers Shady Lady Saloon, R15 Bar, and restaurants.

Another popular club is Mix Downtown with stiff cover charges and dress code as well, but Mix attracts an older crowd than District 30 and less pretentious crowd than the Park. On 10th and S Street, you'll find the popular indie-rock venue Old Ironsides. Local and traveling indie-rock talent showcase their music here. Every Tuesday you can catch Lipstick, a popular indie-rock dance party where you'll find mostly hip Midtown locals. Every first Saturday of the month you can catch After Dark which is like Lipstick only on a Saturday so it attracts a more varied metropolitan crowd.

The Press Club on 21st and P Street is popular with the college crowd with its $5 cover charges and cheap $3 24 oz. of Pabst. It's known for playing 1980s dance music and the best nights to go are Wednesdays or Thursdays as it is a small club and, on weekends, gets unbearably overcrowded.

Sleep
Visitors to Sacramento should be aware that hotels in the downtown area charge more on weekday and major event stays than weekends as a lot of business travelers come during the weekdays close to the central business district.

Internet
All branches of the Sacramento Public Library system offer free internet access, via public terminals and wireless. The most centrally located branch is the large Central Library located at 9th and I Streets but there are branch libraries in every part of the Sacramento metropolitan area. Only the Central Library and the regional Carmichael Library are open on Sundays.

Telephones
916 is the area code for most of the Sacramento metropolitan area with 530 used in outlying areas.

Stay safe
Downtown has a lot of one-way streets which can be confusing and are not always well marked so look at the direction in which cars are parked.

Sacramento is generally a safe place to visit. As with any other urban area, no matter where you are, stay safe. Be aware of your surroundings, lock your car doors, don't carry a large amount of cash, and don't wear flashy clothing or jewelry.

As with other large metropolitan areas, there are neighborhoods that deserve more caution than others at night. Be cautious while in the following areas:

 * South Sacramento Area—especially at night. It has been cleaned up but there are still rough patches especially around Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard, Fruitridge Road, Franklin Boulevard, Mack Road, and Meadowview Road.
 * North Highlands—at night, prostitutes are usually strolling Watt Avenue between Roseville Road and I-80. The motels at Longview Drive and I-80 are some of the worst in the north Sacramento area. Avoid them if at all possible.
 * Del Paso Heights used to be of the worst crime infested areas in the Sacramento Region, but has attracted numerous galleries, boutiques and restaurants. Stay safe, but there's no reason to avoid it.

Consulates

 * 🇲🇽 Mexico
 * 🇳🇿 New Zealand

Go next
Part of the beauty of Sacramento is its central location. It's sometimes possible to go skiing in the morning and surfing in the afternoon. All within a couple hours by car:

 * Several eastern suburbs of Sacramento are part of Gold Country, a concentration of numerous small towns in the Sierra Nevada foothills that were the site of the California Gold Rush, with Coloma being the site of the original gold discovery.
 * Truckee and Donner Pass, about 100 miles east of Sacramento on I-80. Be prepared in wintertime, as the elevation is over 7,000 ft. This also includes Reno/Tahoe (below), which are further east via I-80.
 * Lake Tahoe, a gorgeous lake on the Nevada border, popular for outdoor activities year-round (skiing and snowboarding in winter, swimming and hiking in summer).
 * Reno, a little bit o' gambling just over the border in Nevada. Accessible by Amtrak, Greyhound, or Flixbus.
 * San Francisco, the cultural and financial center of Northern California, is approximately 85 miles to the west. An approximately 2 hour drive on Interstate 80 without traffic. It is also accessible by Amtrak, Greyhound, or Flixbus. Those with the money to spare or an aversion to driving can also take one of the handful of daily flights to the city (30 minute flight time, although the actual trip will probably be just as long as driving time given check-in and security checks).
 * Napa Valley and the California Wine Country, gorgeous landscape and the most famous wine-tasting in the States.
 * Napa Valley and the California Wine Country, gorgeous landscape and the most famous wine-tasting in the States.

title: Sacramento


text:
Sacramento County

Sacramento County is a county in California in the Sacramento Valley.

Cities

 * - the state capital

Get in
Two of the state's primary north-south routes converge in Sacramento before splitting again outside of the city. Interstate 5 travels up the western side of the Central Valley from Southern California and continues on to Oregon and Washington. California State Route 99 provides the primary access to cities on the eastern side of the Central Valley, and then continues north through Yuba City and Chico before ending in the northern part of the state near Red Bluff.

Interstate 80 is the main east-west route, starting in San Francisco and continuing through the Lake Tahoe region and onwards to Reno. During winter it is one of the few east-west routes through the Sierra Nevada mountains that remains open.

The airport serving the county is Sacramento International Airport (SMF). There are flights from Canada, Hawaii, Mexico, and the continental U.S.

Go next

 * - Sacramento County's northwestern neighbor, tiny Sutter County lies between the Sacramento and Feather rivers, with nearly 90% of the county's land used for grazing and agriculture. The county is home to the eroded volcanic lava domes of the Sutter Buttes, which occupy a circular area roughly 10 miles (16 km) across and are sometimes referred to as the world's smallest mountain range.
 * - Sacramento County's northeastern neighbor stretches from the suburbs of Sacramento to Lake Tahoe and the Nevada border. Named after the Spanish word meaning "sand or gravel deposits containing gold", the county was a hotbed of activity during the Gold Rush.  Today visitors can enjoy mountain activities such as hiking and skiing, and will also be impressed by the historic courthouse in Auburn.
 * - The name of Sacramento County's northeastern neighbor translates from Spanish as "the gilded/golden", an appropriate title for the county where the California Gold Rush was kicked off after a discovery at Sutter's Mill (near Coloma) in 1848. The county's attractions include mountain scenery, gold mining history, the impossibly blue waters of Lake Tahoe, backpacking opportunities in the Desolation Wilderness, and epic skiing in the South Lake Tahoe area.
 * - Sacramento County's neighbor to the east, Amador County was home to several mines during the Gold Rush, including the Kennedy Mine in Jackson which was the deepest gold mine of its time. Today the county is known for its Zinfandel, with the Shenandoah Valley home to over forty wineries.  Visitors may also enjoy Black Chasm Cavern in Volcano, historic buildings, and outdoor activities such as skiing, camping and fishing.
 * - San Joaquin County lies south of Sacramento County on the eastern edge of the California Delta, an estuary formed by the confluence of the San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers. Nicknamed "California's Holland" due to the extensive levee system, the area is an interesting place to explore by car or boat.  Stockton is the county's largest city and is notable for being the world's most inland natural seaport.
 * - Sacramento County's southwestern neighbor is a primarily residential county that offers a vast array of food, shopping, and lodging options for Bay Area visitors. The landscape is dominated by Mount Diablo, a peak that provides excellent hiking opportunities and, on clear days, summit views that stretch for well over 100 miles (160 km) in all directions. Other attractions include the John Muir Historic Site in Martinez, the estate of Nobel winning playwright Eugene O'Neill in Danville, and a WWII shipyard, now a national historic site, in Richmond.
 * - Located southwest of Sacramento County, Solano County is far more rural than the other Bay Area counties, and includes significant portions of the California Delta, as well as parts of San Pablo Bay. Two of the county's cities served as early state capitals: Vallejo was the capital in 1852 and again in 1853, while Benicia served as the capital from February 1853 until February 1854; today Benicia Capitol State Historic Park provides the opportunity for visitors to explore the Capitol building from that era.
 * - With extensive farmlands, Sacramento County's northwestern neighbor offers numerous opportunities for visitors to engage in agritourism: farmer's markets are held regularly, organic farms offer tours and the opportunity to pick your own produce, and more than 35 wineries can be found in the county. The college town of Davis is home to California's third-largest state university and boasts the highest number of bikes per capita in the USA, a statistic that led the US Bicycling Hall of Fame to move to the town in 2010.

title: Sacramento County