The image depicts a tropical hostel with a red roof, surrounded by palm trees and a sign reading \"Cathy Dog Hostel\", featuring a mural of a dog.
The image depicts a small room with bunk beds, featuring a blue wall, a wooden door, and a brick wall, with a ladder leading up to the top bunk.
The image depicts a serene outdoor area with a grassy lawn, a white structure, and a body of water in the background, viewed from a covered patio.
The image depicts a spacious room with a high ceiling, featuring a concrete floor, wooden beams, and colorful walls, with two people seated at a table and a dog lying on the floor.
The image depicts a serene sunset over a body of water, with a silhouette of land in the distance and clouds reflected on the calm water\'s surface.
The image depicts a serene sunset scene at Salty Dog Hostel, featuring a palm tree, a building with a thatched roof, and a stone pathway leading to the ocean.
The image depicts a serene beach scene with a sandy shore, gentle waves, and a lush forested hillside under a blue sky with white clouds.
The image depicts a serene beach scene with a woman standing on the shore, gazing out at the ocean, surrounded by lush trees and a vibrant blue sky with white clouds.
The image depicts a serene natural setting with a small waterfall, surrounded by lush greenery and rocks, where several individuals are gathered, some standing on the rocks and others in the water.
The image depicts a man proudly holding a large fish, with a collection of smaller fish arranged on a table in front of him, set against a tropical backdrop.
The image depicts a serene natural setting, featuring a small waterfall cascading into a pool of water, surrounded by lush greenery and rocks.
The image depicts a rustic, open-air room with a hammock, wooden beams, and a blue wall, featuring a plant and bar stools in the background.
The image depicts a serene garden scene, featuring a raised bed with lush green plants, surrounded by a trellis and a wooden frame, set amidst a natural wooded area.
The image depicts a serene garden with a small house in the background, featuring a variety of plants and trees, and a pathway made of bamboo and coconut husks.

Join a hostel and restaurant on the sandy shores of Baloho Bay, Nias, Indonesia

Profile information

  • rating

    Host rating

    100 %

  • Last replied

    Last replied

    8 May 2025

  • Reply rate

    Reply rate

    83.1 %

    Usually responds within 7 days

  • feedbacks

    Feedback

    47

  • Email verified

    Email verified

Badges (3)

Email verified
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Availability

  2025 

 Min stay requested: 1 month or more

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What's this?

Details

  • Description

    Description

    We are a small western-style hostel on the sandy shores of Baloho Bay on Nias island. The hostel and restaurant are still in their early stages, which means lots of exciting building projects, creative, art projects and cooking ideas! We are also hoping to set up an English course for children in the local village. We are situated just 20 minutes from the best surfing waves in the world while still central to waterfalls, lush rain-forest valleys, pristine beaches and fish-filled, coral-laden coastline. Nias Culture, unique in all of Indonesia, offers the only active Megalithic culture in the world, hidden in the jungle away from civilization. You can visit beautiful traditional villages, learn about Nias warrior culture, and jump off waterfalls. Or spend your afternoons driving along the coast, through the jungle and amidst the rice fields.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Charity Work
    Art Projects
    Language practice
    Teaching
    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Animal Care
    Farmstay help
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
    Help around the house
    Hospitality/Tourism
    General Maintenance
    Help with Computers/ Internet
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Nias offers a great variety of spare-time activities. From spear-fishing to jungle walks, chasing waterfalls and boating trips to surrounding tropical islands with world class waves and snorkeling, playing a soccer tournament, playing volleyball, we offer adventure and relaxation. Spend your time bathing in the ocean or surfing it, or learn more about Nias' unique culture: visit one of the many ancient megalithic sites, hike up to one of the traditional villages in the jungle where you can admire or even spend a night in beautiful traditional wooden buildings, watch young warriors perform the stone-jumping ceremony, and hear stories about tribal wars and headhunting.

    We interact a lot with the local Nias people, and they are incredibly friendly and welcoming. Prepare to have lots of pictures taken and be surrounded by groups of little children who have never seen a Westerner before! The locals really appreciate you being here and will happily invite you into their home: you can make lots of Indonesian friends playing chess, visiting one of the local karaoke bars or going to the local gym!

    One of the most unique things about Nias is that there is virtually no tourism: staying here you will have a truly authentic experience of Indonesian culture, integrate into the local community, and become part of a committed group of people who truly care about this beautiful island.

  • Help

    Help

    We are planning to renovate the hostel, which reopened this year. We have many different building projects going on. There's always room for new exciting ideas! In addition there are some general cleaning duties, some gardening, cute puppies to take care of, and decorating walls and signs. We also need to continuously improve our online presence so that skill set will not go unnoticed. We always try to let people choose the work or projects they enjoy most, while also giving them the opportunity to learn some new skills.

    We also plan to open a English class in town, but we are still in the planning phase. Every year we also do fundraising and build a house for a family who really needs it. In 2022 we built our first house for a family near the hostel. In these ways we try to help the local community and improve their lives.

  • Languages

    Languages spoken
    English: Fluent
    Indonesian: Fluent

    This host offers a language exchange
    This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
    You can contact them directly for more information.

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    You will sleep in one of our dorms and share a bathroom and kitchen with the others volunteers and guests.
    We offer a free simple breakfast, coffee or tea plus clean drinking water.
    You can go to the local market and buy some stuff to cook or you can go to one of the restaurants around the hostel. They offer really good and cheap food.
    We also have Scooters and surfboards to rent.
    We have a small canteen with cheap local food and you can purchase alcohol, cigarettes, snacks and fruit shakes/cocktails here. Recently we have started weekly pizza nights, and burger nights!
    We have cold and clean rain water with western toilets, showers and A/C.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    For more information please contact us.

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

Host ref number: 712942826422

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Feedback (22)

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Photos

The image depicts a tropical hostel with a red roof, surrounded by palm trees and a sign reading \"Cathy Dog Hostel\", featuring a mural of a dog.
The image depicts a small room with bunk beds, featuring a blue wall, a wooden door, and a brick wall, with a ladder leading up to the top bunk.
The image depicts a serene outdoor area with a grassy lawn, a white structure, and a body of water in the background, viewed from a covered patio.
The image depicts a spacious room with a high ceiling, featuring a concrete floor, wooden beams, and colorful walls, with two people seated at a table and a dog lying on the floor.
The image depicts a serene sunset over a body of water, with a silhouette of land in the distance and clouds reflected on the calm water\'s surface.
The image depicts a serene sunset scene at Salty Dog Hostel, featuring a palm tree, a building with a thatched roof, and a stone pathway leading to the ocean.
The image depicts a serene beach scene with a sandy shore, gentle waves, and a lush forested hillside under a blue sky with white clouds.
The image depicts a serene beach scene with a woman standing on the shore, gazing out at the ocean, surrounded by lush trees and a vibrant blue sky with white clouds.
 Show all photos
The image depicts a serene natural setting with a small waterfall, surrounded by lush greenery and rocks, where several individuals are gathered, some standing on the rocks and others in the water.
The image depicts a man proudly holding a large fish, with a collection of smaller fish arranged on a table in front of him, set against a tropical backdrop.
The image depicts a serene natural setting, featuring a small waterfall cascading into a pool of water, surrounded by lush greenery and rocks.
The image depicts a rustic, open-air room with a hammock, wooden beams, and a blue wall, featuring a plant and bar stools in the background.
The image depicts a serene garden scene, featuring a raised bed with lush green plants, surrounded by a trellis and a wooden frame, set amidst a natural wooded area.
The image depicts a serene garden with a small house in the background, featuring a variety of plants and trees, and a pathway made of bamboo and coconut husks.

Feedback

These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.

Accuracy of profile:
(4.8)

Cultural exchange:
(5.0)

Communication:
(5.0)

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