Nias has two practical entry points. By air, Wings Air and Garuda Citilink run daily flights from Medan to Binaka Airport, about 20 kilometres south of Gunungsitoli. The flight is around an hour and is the easiest option — book ahead in surf season.
By ferry, the longer but cheaper route is the overnight ASDP ferry from Sibolga, on the west coast of Sumatra, to Gunungsitoli. The crossing takes 10 to 12 hours; cabins are basic but a bunk in a shared cabin or a bench on deck is inexpensive. There is also a faster speedboat service from Sibolga in good weather (about 4 hours), and a small ferry from Padang via Bintuhan to Teluk Dalam.
From Gunungsitoli most travellers heading south arrange a private car or share a Kijang minibus to Teluk Dalam, a winding 3-4 hour drive across the spine of the island.