Coastalsurvey

Travelers to Indonesia are granted 60-day visas on arrival. You can renew by leaving the country briefly and returning. Flights to Indo go from Penang, Singapore and Darwin.

Inter-island travel is best done by boat. The Pelni Boats are a good option, but bring your own food and water and don’t be in a hurry – the Indonesian chain is 2,500 miles long. Cargo ships are also cheap way to go. Visit any port and ask which ships are going where. Many captains will take a foreigner along for free.

If you’re hitchhiking on land, use a downward waving motion with your hand, as if petting a dog.

The budget accommodation option are losmen’s. You should be able to get a bed for between $1 and $3.

Subject: Re: Bali in August?
Date: 1999/06/18
august in indo = prime time my man. the swell window is the southern indian ocean between south africa and australia….dead of winter with winter storms abounding…..long distance swell travel across open ocean gives periods of 17 sec or more….. need i say more? have fun and take pics – i logged 14 rolls of kodachrome. — SURFGEO

Newsgroups: alt.surfing
Subject: Re: Any surf reports on Indonesia ?

Has anyone heard of a good surf spot in Indonesia ? (preferably no reefs ! )

Assuming that Yogibear is serious, there is a very good book on surfing in Indonesia written by Peter Neely, called ‘Indo Surf and Lingo‘. Write to Peter at Peter Neely, Indo Surf and Lingo, P.O. Box 950, Noosa Heads Australia 4567

I am not sure of the cost but US$20 or equivalent would probably cover it and postage. It will tell you enough to get started, when to go etc.

If you don’t like reefs though, you are going to the wrong place. I am sure that there must be some beach breaks closer to home.

Subject: Re: transport & accommodation in Nias

I had a friend come back from Nias about six months ago. He liked the waves but said the locals really ripped him off. He left the place with a real bad taste in his mouth. So if you go, be prepared to spend more than you expectted. There appear to be better places to go that welcome toursists.  Have you considered Lombok (near Bali)? > >

On the subject of travel … I made a two day trip to Taiwan and from the plane saw plenty of surf before touching down at CKS (Taipei).

Subject: Re: transport & accomodation in Nias

I visited Nias 4 years ago .The boat trip from the mainland was very  tricky at that time. But accommodation and waves were great!!

I came back from Nias about 2 months ago and I would have to agree with the previous poster regarding rip-offs. IMHO, The Niassians have become money hungry and will rip you off if you give them the chance. All in all there are a lot friendlier places. Whilst the surf was good, it was usually crowded! To get there has become a bit easier. You can fly from Medan to Gunung Sitoli on SMAC airlines (if you’re brave :-) ).

From there, we took the Sorake Beach Resort Bus back over to Lagundri. The fare on a public bus from G.Sitoli should be around 8000Rp but you’ll be crammed in with as many Indonesians as the driver can fit in and on the “bus”.  The Resort bus was at the airport when we arrived and it cost 20000Rp each (6 people). For that, we got A/C and only 6 of us on a medium-sized bus with comfortable seating.

As the trip to Lagundri takes ~4 hrs over poor roads, this turned out to be a good investment (I had done the trip on the public bus twice before and it WAS NOT fun!). If you want to get there from Sibolga, there are two ferries running each night. One goes to Gunung Sitoli and the other goes to Teluk Dalam. The ferry to G.Sitoli takes about 8 hrs , I’m not sure about the cost but I think it should be around 10 – 12,000 Rp. The ferry to Teluk Dalam is the better option as far as ferries go as Teluk Dalam is about 15km from Lagundri. It takes about 12hrs. This ferry doesn’t always run. If the swell and wind is up, it might turn back to Sibolga or hide out behind islands until the swell drops. I know of some people being stuck on it for 30hrs. I would definitely recommend that you get a cabin!!

A word of warning about Sibolga (I have never met anyone who has a good word to say about this place and I can understand why after being there), rip-offs and rip-off merchants abound in this place and they will be on the ferry hassling you before you get off the boat. If you are traveling by road to Medan, then hiring a long-distance taxi is is good value. Take some tie-downs or SoftRax with you. It cost 100000Rp between 3 of us for about 8 hrs travel. The other way is by public bus and can take up to 12 hrs (cost about 15000rp and they will try to sting you for 5000Rp for your boards). If you’re heading off towards Bukittinghi then a small minibus will set you back 20 – 25000Rp. As far as accommodation goes, I would recommend Seabreeze losmen (although there are probably others just as good). It is reasonably well-run and has a good restaurant.

I would recommend that you avoid Olayama Cottages (near the Sorake Beach Resort) like the plague! Cost vary depending on what you want. A basic room and shared toilet should set you back 1000 Rp a night. Costs for a better room will be up to 5000rp.  Hope this helps — Steve.