Roy’s PubLIVE MUSIC
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Tuk Tuk; h9pm-1am)
Has live music (normally local rock bands) on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights in a graffiti-splattered building. Great, alcohol-fuelled fun.
7Shopping
In Tuk Tuk’s many souvenir shops, look out for local Gayo embroidery made into a range of bags, cushion covers and place mats.
Around Tuk Tuk there are numerous woodcarvers selling a variety of figures, masks, boxes and porhalaan (traditional Batak calendars made of wood and buffalo bone). You’ll also find some traditional musical instruments and elaborately carved totem poles that untwist into several sections for easier transportation.
RogandaCRAFTS
(Tuk Tuk; h10am-8pm)
The best selection of wood carvings in Tuk Tuk, particularly Batak calendars, elaborate totem poles and fine musical instruments. Bargain hard. We’re not too sure about the authenticity of some of the ‘antique’ items in the shop.
Penny’s BooksBOOKS
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Tuk Tuk; h10am-7pm)
An extensive selection of used books for sale.
8Information
BRI BankATM
(Tuk Tuk; h9am-5pm)
On the northern approach to Tuk Tuk. Only accepts MasterCard, and not all foreign ones at that. Bring plenty of cash.
Health CentreMEDICAL
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0625-451075; Tuk Tuk)
Small 24-hour place at the southern end of the peninsula; is equipped to cope with minor problems.
Police StationPOLICE
( GOOGLE MAP )
There’s a small police station near the main road at the northern approach to Tuk Tuk.
Post OfficePOST OFFICE
(Ambarita; h8am-2pm)
Samosir’s only post office is in Ambarita, 5km north of Tuk Tuk, but several shops in Tuk Tuk sell stamps and have postboxes.
8Getting There & Away
Boat
Ferries between Parapat and Tuk Tuk (15,000Rp, 11 daily) operate about every hour from 8.30am to 7pm. Ferries stop at Bagus Bay (35 minutes); other stops are by request. The first and last ferries from Tuk Tuk leave at 7am and 5.30pm respectively; check exact times with your lodgings. When leaving for Parapat, stand on your hotel jetty and wave a ferry down. Fourteen ferries a day shuttle motorbikes and people between Parapat and Tomok (10,000Rp), from 7am to 7pm.
Bus
To get to Berastagi from Samosir via public bus, catch a bus from Tomok to Pangururan (16,000Rp, 45 minutes), then take another bus to Berastagi (48,000Rp, three hours). This bus goes via Sidikalang, which is also a transfer point to Kutacane. Most guesthouses and travel agencies can pre-book the pricier, direct shared minibus tickets from Parapat for you.
8Getting Around
Local buses serve the whole of Samosir except Tuk Tuk. Minibuses run between Tomok and Ambarita (5000Rp), continuing to Simanindo (10,000Rp) and Pangururan (15,000Rp); flag them down on the main road. Services dry up after 5pm. The peaceful, generally well-maintained (yet narrow) island roads are good for travelling by motorbike (80,000Rp to 100,000Rp per day) or bicycle (30,000Rp per day), both easily rented in Tuk Tuk.
Sibolga
%0631 / Pop 84,000
Sibolga is one of two jump-off points for boats to Nias (the other being Singkil), with daily departures to the island. It’s not a particularly pleasant port town and is renowned for its touts. Dragging around surf gear can invite inflated prices: bargain hard or accept a degree of extra ‘service.’ Arrive as early in the day as possible to ensure a place on a boat departing that evening.
If you absolutely must stay overnight, Hotel Wisata Indah (%0631-23688; Jl Katamso 51; r incl breakfast from 450,000Rp; aWs), near the airstrip and well past its prime, is the pick of a pretty uninspiring lot. Its dated rooms offer sea views and staff are helpful but don’t speak English. At the grungy end of the accommodation spectrum are the insalubrious losmen (basic accommodation) near the ferry terminal: for hardcore shoestringers only.
There are plenty of Padang restaurants directly across the street from the harbour. Sibolga Square (mains 10,000-25,000Rp; h5-10pm) is a semi-pedestrianised street that fills with food hawkers and street stalls come evening.
There are numerous ATMs. BNI Bank (Jl Katamso) is a good bet, as options on Pulau Nias are limited if you arrive in Teluk Dalam.
8Getting There & Away
Air
Sibolga is linked to Medan by three daily flights with Wings Air (www.lionair.co.id) and to Jakarta by a daily Garuda (www.garuda-indonesia.com) flight.
Boat
Ferries to Pulau Nias leave from the harbour at the end of Jl Horas. ASDP (%0631-25076) runs daily services to Gunung Sitoli at 8pm (economy/VIP 80,000/115,000Rp, 11 to 13 hours) and Teluk Dalam (economy/VIP 100,000/150,000Rp, 12 to 14 hours) on Sunday, Tuesday and Friday, also at 8pm. VIP is air-conditioned; if travelling economy, get there early to claim your seat. Ferries generally leave one to two hours late. If you arrive in Sibolga and are told you have just missed the boat it is often worth going to the harbour yourself to verify this. Surfboards sometimes incur extra charges.
Bus
The bus terminal is on Jl SM Raja, 2km from the harbour. You can ask the bus driver to drop you off at the harbour. A becak between the two should be around 10,000Rp.
BUSES FROM SIBOLGA
Destination Bus (fare/duration) Tourist Minibus (fare/duration)
Bukittinggi 110,000Rp/13-14hr 170,000Rp/12hr
Medan 100,000Rp-130,000/11hr 150,000Rp/10hr
Padang 140,000Rp/14hr 180,000Rp/14hr
Parapat 70,000Rp/7hr 100,000Rp/6hr
Singkil 75,000Rp/7-8hr 120,000Rp/6hr
Pulau Nias
The Indian Ocean roars onto Indonesia, arriving in one of the world’s most spectacular surf breaks here on lonely Pulau Nias: a sizeable but solitary rock off the northern Sumatran coast. Surfers have been coming here for decades for the waves on superb Teluk Sorake, which has deservedly kept this far-flung island on the international surfing circuit. Away from the waves, the ancient megalithic monuments and traditional architecture has great appeal for the anthropologically inclined.
History
Local legend has it that Niassans are the descendants of six gods who came to earth and settled in the central highlands. Anthropologists link them to just about everyone: the Bataks of Sumatra, the Naga of Assam in India, the aborigines of Taiwan and various Dayak groups in Kalimantan.
Nias' history is the stuff of campfire tales, with prominent themes of headhunting, dark magic and human sacrifice; but this isn’t ancient history – the first Aussie surfers to ride Sorake’s waves in the 1970s were stalked by a rogue shaman bent on collecting a human head.
Traditionally, Niassan villages were presided over by a village chief, who headed a council of elders. Beneath the aristocratic upper caste were the common people, and below them the slaves, who were often traded. Until the first years of the 19th century, Nias’ only connection with the outside world was through the slave trade.
Sometimes villages would band together to form federations which often fought each other. Prior to the Dutch conquest and the arrival of missionaries, intervillage warfare was fast and furious, spurred on by the desire for revenge, slaves or human heads. Heads were needed for stately burials, wedding dowries and the construction of new villages.
When the people weren’t warring, they were farming, a tradition that continues today. They cultivated yams, rice, maize and taro, despite the thick jungle, and raised pigs as a source of food and a symbol of wealth and prestige; the more pigs you had, the higher your status in the village. Gold and copper work, as well as woodcarving, were important industries.
The indigenous religion was thought to have been a combination of animism and ancestor worship, with some Hindu influences. Today the dominant religions on Nias are Christianity and Islam, overlaid with traditional beliefs.
The island did not come under full Dutch control until 1914.
Today’s population of about 656,000 is spread through more than 650 villages, some inaccessible by road.
WORTH A TRIP
SURFING’S REMOTE FRONTIERS
If Nias was the original surfers’ paradise and the Mentawai Islands are currently in vogue, then tomorrow’s slice of surfing paradise could be the Telo Islands. This group of islands sits to the north of the main Mentawain island of Siberut and until recently it was almost completely unknown to the outside world.
Today liveaboard surf-charter boats have started adding the islands to their more ambitious itineraries, though the islands’ relative remoteness still means uncrowded waves. The two best-known luxury surf camps here, Telo Island Lodge (www.teloislandlodge.com; 10-night package from US$5500; aW) and Resort Latitude Zero (www.resortlatitudezero.com; aWs), have luxury beachside cottages, swimming pools, trained chefs and private plane and speedboat transfers. For a more affordable, but still very comfortable, option, try Surfing Village (www.surfing-village.com; s/d US$250/330; aW), which is run by the ever-helpful Brazilian transplant Mario Fernandes. Nonsurfing travellers are very rare visitors to the Telo Islands, but if you have patience and a sense of adventure, they offer enormous potential for beach lounging, village living and snorkelling. Ferries travel from Nias every other day to the Telo Islands and irregular boats sail between the Telo Islands and Padang. Cheap and basic losmen (basic accommodation) can be found in the small towns and hiring a boat to check out the islands shouldn’t prove difficult.
But if surfing the Telo Islands sounds a bit tame, you can head inland for potentially the most adventurous surf destination in all of Indonesia. Bono (Seven Ghosts; www.bonosurf.com) is a tidal bore wave that breaks halfway up the mud-brown Kampar river, somewhere in the jungles north of Pekanbaru in the remotest reaches of Riau state. Its phenomenal river-bore waves, which put many ocean-borne waves to shame, can be ridden by determined surfers prepared to venture to the surf camp in the jungle. Bono Surf Camp can provide boat transfers here from Pekanbaru.
Pioneered by surfer Antony Colas in 2010, Bono’s barrels were surfed by pros Tom Curren, Dean Brady, Bruno Santos, Tyler Larronde and Ohney Anwar in 2011 and captured on film. Though tidal bore surfing is nothing new, and Bono is no bigger than some of the world-famous bores, the river’s unique conditions conspire to produce the longest and the most consistent bore ride. Longboarder Bagé currently holds the longest continuous ride record on the Bono (one hour and two minutes).
Dangers & Annoyances
Nias is one of the few places in Sumatra where visiting surfers can expect a bit of aggression in the water. Experiencing surf rage is never pleasant, but if our local breaks pumped like this, we probably wouldn’t want to share the lineups with a boatload of tourists either.
Renting surf gear on the island can be an issue. Be sure you pay a fair price; if it is too cheap, you’ll probably pay for it at the end with inflated damage costs.
Chloroquine-resistant malaria has been reported on Nias, so be sure to take appropriate precautions.
8Getting There & Away
Air
Binaka airport is served by six daily flights from Medan (four with Wings Air and two with Garuda Indonesia). Extra charges apply to surfboards. The government plans to expand the runway by early 2016 to allow large planes to access Nias.
Boat
Ferries link Nias with the mainland towns of Sibolga and Singkil. Twice-weekly ferries from Singkil (economy 55,000Rp, seven hours) arrive on Monday and Thursday mornings and depart the same days around 9pm.
ASDP (Jl Yos Sudarso) ferries to Sibolga leave Gunung Sitoli daily at around 9pm (economy/VIP 80,000/115,000Rp, 11 to 13 hours) and Teluk Dalam (economy/VIP 100,000/150,000Rp, 12 to 14 hours) on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 8pm. ASDP ferries also connect Teluk Dalam with the Telo Islands (40,000Rp, five hours) to the south on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
Pelni (Jl Chengkeh) has an irregular monthly boat to and from Padang.
8Getting Around
The Binaka airport is 19.5km south of Gunung Sitoli. Becaks to the airport cost around 50,000Rp to 70,000Rp.
Gunung Sitoli’s bus terminal is 1.5km south of the centre of town; an angkot from the pier costs 3000Rp. From Gunung Sitoli, there are infrequent and mostly morning departures to Teluk Dalam (80,000Rp, three hours), which has transport to Lagundri, 13km away. There are even less frequent minibuses to Afulu on the west coast. If you’ve booked accommodation in Sorake, price tends to include transfers from Gunung Sitoli airport; ask about transfers from the town itself. On public transport you’re most likely to be charged extra for a surfboard. To get to Sorake or Lagundri from Teluk Dalam, catch a local bus from the town centre (7000Rp). Losmen will also hunt the town looking for new arrivals and usually charge 12,000Rp to 15,000Rp for motorbike transfer.
It’s easy to hire motorbikes in Sorake. If you’re after a car and driver, Fritz (%0812 6913 3399) in Gunung Sitoli speaks good English. Negotiate hard.
Gunung Sitoli
%0639
Gunung Sitoli, on the northeastern coast of Nias, is the island’s main, rather spread-out town. Rebuilt after the 2005 tsunami, it serves merely as the main entrance and exit point to Nias, though its excellent museum is reason enough to linger a little longer if you’re interested in indigenous culture.
1Sights
oMuseum Pusaka NiasMUSEUM
(%0639-21920; Jl Yos Sudarso 134A; admission 20,000Rp; h8am-11.30am & 1.30pm-4.30pm Mon-Sat, 1pm-5pm Sun)
This superb museum, housed inside several traditional-style buildings, offers an in-depth introduction to the indigenous culture of Nias. The displays run the gamut from jewellery worn by noblemen, weapons, crocodile-hide battle armour, traditional fishing and hunting equipment to headhunting sculptures and paraphernalia, wood carvings used in ancestor worship, ceremonial drums, nifolasara (boat-like) coffins with dragon heads, and microliths (anthropomorphic stone figures found on top of megaliths throughout the island). One room features beautiful scale models of traditional houses.
Outside is as restored traditional house, typical of North and West Nias, and a depressing zoo that’s best avoided.
EARTH-SHAKING SUMATRA
If you tally up the sheer number of natural disasters that have occurred on the island, few land masses can claim to have literally moved the planet in the same way as Sumatra.
Take for instance the 1883 eruption of Krakatau, 40km off the southern Sumatra coast. This volcanic explosion was equivalent to that from 200 megatonnes of TNT, and more powerful than the A-bomb dropped on Hiroshima. So much ash was hurled into the atmosphere that the sky was darkened for days and global temperatures were reduced by an average of 1.2°C for several years.
It is said that the blast that created Danau Toba some 100,000 years ago would have made Krakatau look like an after-dinner belch.
Then there was the 2004 Boxing Day earthquake, the world’s second-largest recorded earthquake (magnitude 9.3). The resulting tsunami hit more than a dozen countries around the Indian Ocean, leaving more than 300,000 people dead or missing and millions displaced. The force of the event is said to have caused the earth to wobble on its axis and shifted surrounding land masses southwest by up to 36m.
4Sleeping & Eating
If you need to stay on the north coast to catch a departing flight or boat, there are a few options outside the town centre.
Wisma Soliga Resort HotelRESORT$
(%0613-21815; Jl Diponegoro; d from 150,000Rp; aW)
Located 4km south of town, this place has spacious, motel-style rooms with reliable wi-fi and the world’s smallest toilet seats. The service is friendly but erratic, the mattresses uncomfortable, and the restaurant mediocre, but it’ll do in a pinch. Price goes up depending on the number of amenities in-room.
Miga Beach BungalowsRESORT$$
(%0813 9764 8200, 0639-21460; [email protected]; Ji Diponegoro; d incl breakfast from 220,000Rp; aW)
About 1.5km out of town, Miga sits right on a small be
ach with comfortable rooms that are given a sense of place with driftwood furnishings, individual touches and earthy tones.
oRapi SeafoodSEAFOOD$$
(%0639-22247; Jl Kelapa 15; mains 30,000-60,000Rp; hfrom 6pm)
This nondescript eatery in central Gunung Sitoli is responsible for some of the best, freshest fish and seafood we’ve ever had in Sumatra. Choose your dinner, then have it grilled, with sweet and spicy sauce or otherwise. Squid also comes with different sauces and the monster-sized grilled prawns are sheer perfection. Speaking some Bahasa Indonesia is a definite boon.
8Information
Bank SumutBANK
(Jl Hatta)
Has a Mastercard-accessible ATM.
BNI BankATM
(Jl Diponegoro)
Accepts Visa and Mastercard. Allows you to withdraw up to 2,000,000Rp at a time.
Post OfficePOST OFFICE
(cnr Jl Gomo & Hatta; h8am-2pm)
Main post office.
Public HospitalHOSPITAL
(%0639-21271; Jl Cipto M Kusomo)
For dealing with minor emergencies.
Teluk Dalam
%0631
This squat little port town is as loud and chaotic as much larger cities. You’ll need to pass through Teluk Dalam for transit connections to/from Sorake beach or to pick up provisions. About half a block from the main road, Mari Rasa (Jl Pelita; mains 25,000Rp; hlunch & dinner) is locally famous for its babi panggang (grilled pork) and lomok-lomok (pork belly) served with rice, local greens, a dark chilli sauce and a bowlful of flavourful, spicy broth. A great place to hit if you’re waiting for a night boat or pickup.
Lonely Planet Indonesia Page 99