Where to Go
Gunung Leuser National Park
Bukit Lawang
Tangkahan
Lake Toba
Berastagi
Mt. Sibayak volcano
Mt. Sinabung volcano
Sipisopiso Waterfall
Tongging
Ketembe
Lake Kawar
Medan

What to Do
Jungle Trekking
Elephant Trekking
White-Water Rafting
River-Tubing
Volcano Climbing
Bohorok Orangutan Centre
Maimoon Palace

What to Know
About "Hello Mister Travel"
Introduction to Sumatra
Topography
History
Getting to Sumatra
Getting Around Sumatra
Terms & Conditions

Accommodation
Bukit Lawang
Tangkahan
Berastagi
Tongging
Tuk Tuk
Ketembe

The Tours
Bukit Lawang Short Stay
The Jungle Trail
The Toba Trail
The North Sumatran Trail

Lake Toba

‘Undiscovered’ by Europeans until 1853 and endorsed ever since as ‘the jewel of South East Asia’, Danau Toba lives up to the monicker. Before even arriving, one can be dazzled by the array of statistics about the place. It was created by a massive volcanic explosion 75,000 years ago and may (depending upon who you read) have been the trigger for the last ice-age. It was an eruption certainly big enough to create the largest lake in South East Asia, one of the deepest (529m) lakes in the world and, at 906m above sea-level, one of the highest. For those of you who revel in the numbers, it is 87km long, 31km at its widest point and covers an area of 1710sq/km. Now said to be dormant, there is still enough activity going on beneath, to warm the the waters to a comfortable temperature.

It is situated 160km South of Medan in the heart of Tano Batak, or Land of the Batak People, and can be reached in four hours from there if you take the (mostly) ugly Trans-Sumatran Highway; a much nicer and much longer route is via Berastagi. All roads lead to Parapat on the Eastern side of the lake where it is possible to take a ferry to Samosir Island

What to Do in Lake Toba

• Relax! Lake Toba is a perfect place to take it easy. Many people have been known to lose weeks if not months there; unable to leave the peace and beauty of the area.
• Explore. There are plent of opportunities for hiking or cycling the area. Motorbikes can also be hired.
• Spend some time on the lake. We can provide a boat with food, drinks and music if you fancy spending a day or evening enjoying the scenery. Fishing trips can also be arranged.
• Submerge yourself in the steaming hot-springs located a couple of kilometres from Pangururan, the capital of Samosir.
• Take pleasure in the volcanically heated waters of the lake and go swimming.
• Take a boat to Samosir Island and Tuk Tuk where time becomes thorougly elasticated.

Parapat

Parapat is usually the first destination for most visitors to Lake Toba, which is a pity because it has little to offer in the way of beauty or activities. There are a couple of traditional markets and a beach or two that are walking distance from town. You can also see the house where the revolutionary leaders Sukarno, Hatta and Agus Salim were kept by the Dutch in 1948; the Dutch having gained control of the area after finally defeating the great Batak leader Si Singga Mangaraja of Balige in 1904.

The hotels appear to have been unlovingly erected to cater to a long-diminished mass tourism; all style and thought having been defenestrated in favour of gaud and tack. However this is where most of the local tourists stay when they visit, leaving the main destination of visitors, Samosir Island, pleasantly tranquil. You can take a ferry there from Parapat which takes around 30mins.

What to Do in Parapat

• Visit the local markets.
• Take a stroll to the beach and have a swim.
• Eat at one of the many restaurants in town.

Samosir Island

Is it or isn’t it? Samosir is technically a peninsula joined to the mainland at Pangururan. However, the Dutch cut a canal through the narrow isthmus which does leave one scratching ones head about how to term it. The best thing to do is not think at all; just relax, as that’s what Samosir is best for.

The massive explosion which created the crater that is now Lake Toba also gave birth to Samosir; pushing it 1,250m into the air. The intervening years have given the island a more peaceful countenance after such cataclysmic beginnings. 40km long and 20km across, Samosir is now a place of tranquil natural beauty with mist topped hills and lush green vegetation. There is an abundance of colourful flora and sprinklings of traditional Batak architecture, including the famous tombs of the area, megalithic complexes and the unique ‘hipped’ gabled houses.

Tuk-Tuk is the heart and soul of Samosir, a peninsula jutting out mushroom-like from the West of the island, opposing and contrasting Parapat. It is where the backpackers have traditionally gathered but these days Tuk-Tuk is home to anyone wishing to slow the pace down a little. The little town is geographically blessed so as to not notice how many little bars, restarants, shops and art-galleries there are and the place has a very special feel to it. As well as a healthy variety of places to eat and drink there are also a wide variety of hotels catering for all budgets and tastes.

For accommodation on Samosir, click here... 

What to Do on Samosir

• Browse the art-galleries, pick up a book at the numerous second-hand book shops, settle yourself into a comfy bamboo armchair in a bar or restaurant over-looking the lake. Order some barbequed Toba fish and a beer. Chill.
• Submerge yourself in the steaming hot-springs located a couple of kilometres from Pangururan, the capital of Samosir.
• Hike across the island. Parangururan to Tomok is 45km and can be managed in a day, but stopping off in Roanggurni for the night is probably preferable.
• Visit the megalithic complex at Ambarita where you can also find some fine example of the traditional Batak tombs.
• Spend a day and evening on a boat, fishing , swimming or relaxing followed by a few beers and some freshly barbequed mujahir; fish indigenous to Lake Toba.