Some of the best reefs on Nias can be found in the Telos.

Description: The Batu Islands (Telos) is a group of islands south of Nias, which falls under South Nias administration. The original name of this group of islands is ‘Pulau-pulau Batu’ (Rocky islands) but it is knows as Telos after the Island where the main town is located. Like Nias Telos was ‘discovered’ and explored by adventurous surfers looking for new waves. For a long time surfers came here on-board surf charter boats as there was no accomodation. In the last decade Telos have developed separately from the rest of Nias, as a number of high end surf resorts have been established on the islands. Here you can find some of the best (and most expensive) resorts in this part of Indonesia. The people who go to Telos often bypass Nias Island completely and pay top dollar for good service, comfort and uncrowded waves. Today a few budget options are available as well and non-surfing travellers have started making their way to this remote corner of Indonesia.

On many Nias maps Telos are shown out of scale as a small group of tiny islands just south of Nias. The Telos are actually located right on the equator between Nias and the Mentawai’s and they are much bigger than most people think. Another name for Telos used by locals is 101 islands. Most of the Telos is uninhabited and tourism is mainly concentrated in the north-west corner of the islands.

Surfing is still the main attraction here, but there are lot of other things to do. If you stay in one of the resorts you will be very well taken care of. Apart from having your very own surf guide there are plenty of other things to keep you busy; snorkelling, fishing, kayaking, birdwatching, exploring rivers and visiting local villages to mention a few. If you stay in a local guesthouse you have to make things happen by yourself. Either you stay where you are and enjoy some relaxing island time including beach chill and snorkelling, or you hire a local boat to explore further. Telos is largely unexplored by tourists and there are many yet things to be discovered here.

Getting there: Most visitors to Telo Islands stay at one of the up-market surf resorts and transfer to the resort is often included in the package. Some resorts charter their own planes directly from the mainland, others use speedboats from Padang. Individual travellers have two options; fly from Gunungsitoli or take the fast ferry from Telukdalam.

Susi Air flies to Telos three days per week (mon-wed-fri) from Gunungsitoli. The flight takes just under an hour and costs around IDR 300,000. Tickets can only be bought locally on the airport or in town.

There is a ferry that leaves Teluk Dalam at 11.00 AM every day except Sunday. Tickets are IDR 60,000 and are bought on the boat. Its first come, first served so it’s good to get onto the boat early. The boat harbour in Telos is located on Telo Island.  If not staying on Telo Island it is necessary to hire a local boat to wherever you are going.

Indonesian name: Pulau-pulau Batu, Kabupaten Nias Selatan.