The largest of a chain of islands running parallel to the long axis of Sumatera, a half submerged echo of the mighty Bukit Barisan mountain range. Nias culture is a very striking example of a megalithic stone age culture, one in which the regular manufacture of huge stone monuments fulfilled important social and politic functions.
Gomo, the most important megalithic site in the whole Nias is a 10 mile trekking through hilly lands from the southeastern coast, and is regarded as the cradle of the Nias race. The chief’s house in Bawomatoluo is the largest and the most beautiful in Nias and must rank as one of the finest examples of architecture in this archipelago.
The megaliths stand at one end of the skillfully paved stone runway for stone jumping. The famous stone jumping rite, in which athletic youths jump over 2 meter high stone pyramid to prove their manhood. Lagundri Bay is a legend and dream for surfers around the world