Nias Island

The warrior takes a running start and launches himself over a stone pillar taller than his head — two metres of carved rock cleared in a single barefoot leap. This is fahombo, the Nias stone-jumping tradition, a rite of passage that once proved readiness for war. The villages of South Nias sit on hilltops behind thick stone walls, their houses built on massive wooden pillars with arched facades that resemble ships' prows. Below the villages, reef breaks peel along the coast in long, powerful walls of water that draw surfers from across the world.

Nias is a large island off the west coast of North Sumatra, culturally distinct from mainland Sumatra with a megalithic warrior tradition that persists in South Nias villages. The fahombo (stone jumping) ceremony requires young men to clear stone pillars up to 2.1 metres high — historically a prerequisite for acceptance as a warrior. Traditional villages (notably Bawömataluo, a UNESCO Tentative World Heritage Site) feature wooden houses raised on massive pillars, stone-paved courtyards, and carved stone seats. Nias also hosts one of Indonesia's most consistent surf breaks — Sorake Bay — which produces a powerful right-hander considered world-class when large south swells arrive between June and October. The 2004 tsunami and 2005 earthquake caused severe damage but the island has rebuilt. Access is via flights from Medan to Gunungsitoli, then overland travel (4-5 hours to South Nias). Accommodation ranges from surf camps and guesthouses in Sorake to simple lodgings in Gunungsitoli.