Teluk Dalam is a small port town on the south coast — the administrative centre of South Nias regency and the practical base for visiting the traditional villages and the surf at Lagundri. The town itself is not picturesque: a single main street with shops, a market, a bank with an ATM, and a row of cheap warungs.
Almost all travellers pass through on the way somewhere else. It is useful to stop at the small Sunday market for snacks and to change money before heading to Lagundri, where ATMs and well-stocked shops are scarce.