Batu Islands

The Batu Islands (Kepulauan Batu, also called the Telo Islands) are a cluster of around 51 islands in the Indian Ocean off Sumatra's west coast, roughly 80 km southeast of Nias and between Nias and the Mentawai Islands. The three largest islands are Pini, Tanahmasa, and Tanahbala; the largest of the smaller islands include Sipika and Tello. The archipelago is known almost exclusively among surfers — it offers consistent, fairly uncrowded waves compared to the better-known Nias and Mentawai breaks, plus a network of sheltered channels and lagoons between islands that make inter-island travel calmer than the open swell outside.

The islands are reached either by small aircraft (Susi Air has flown routes connecting Gunung Sitoli on Nias, Padang, and Sibolga) or by boat — most commonly a surf charter or liveaboard departing from Padang, with some boat/ferry connections via South Nias to the Telo Islands.

Remote beaches and island scenery, and the surf breaks themselves, which draw the archipelago's small visitor base.

Surfing is the primary draw, on breaks generally less crowded than Nias or the Mentawais.

Nias Island, to the northwest. The Mentawai Islands, to the south. Sibolga or Padang on mainland Sumatra.