Indonesia Traveling Guide

Nias Island lies about 125 km of west Sumatra Island on the Indian Ocean. It is part of North Sumatra Province. The water surround the island is great for sea activities, such as surfing and scuba diving.

Surfers will call this island "Paradise on Earth". Together with its beautiful white sandy beach, Lagundri Bay challenge surfers with spectacular waves.

In the high season, the waves told to be as high as 3.5 meters. The waves of Sorake Beach on Lagundri Bay have ranked to be within the best ten waves of the world.

It is true if some surfers referred of Sorake Beach waves as "the most notorious right-band reef breaks". There are events held for surfers, including the World Professionals Qualifying Series. Surfers are better being ready when your heart cannot leave this island after a visit.

Enormous breakers pummel of Nias Island attracting the best surfers in the world to Lagundri Beach.

The unforgiving power attacking the shore seems to have bred the same qualities in the people, whose militaristic culture has fascinated anthropologists for decades.

This island lies off West Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. Bawomataluo and Hilisimae villages are curious places to visit, where visitors can see performances of traditional war dances and thrilling high- jump sports, i.e. people making dangerous leaps over 2 meter-high stones.

Typical scenes are dancers clad in traditional costumes with bird feathers on their heads, a hall for the Chief-of Tribe built on wooden logs with stone chairs weighing up to 18 tons. There are daily flights from Medan to Nias Island.

To reach this place, there is weekly ship from Jakarta (the capital city of Indonesia) to Gunung Sitoli; There are Ferries from Sibolga to Gunung Sitoli, Teluk Dalam, or Lahewa every day; Before the crisis hit Indonesia, there is daily flight from Medan to Gunung Sitoli, however it is less frequent nowadays.

Gunung Sitoli is the capital city of Nias and it is the center of administration and business affairs of regency.

There are several travel agencies hotels, public busses and rental cars to support tourism here. There are also some government and private banks available.

It is the biggest in a group of islands on Sumatra side that is part of North Sumatra province. This area consists of 131 islands and Nias Island is the biggest. The population in this area is about 639,675 people (including Malay, Batak, and Chinese).

Nias has a very unique culture and nature, which is far different from other areas in North Sumatra. This is because of its separate and remote location from the rest of Sumatra.