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

Getting Around in Sumatra

Planes

The easiest and quickest way of getting around the island is by plane. Although not the most environmentally-friendly method of transportation, the lack of decent alternatives leaves little in the way of options; especially when most people are on a 30-day visa and have limited time here. The costs are very cheap and the safety record has improved over the last few years. Here's a list of operators with online booking:

Batavia Air     Garuda Indonesia     Lion Air     Mandala Airlines     Air Asia

Kartika Airlines     Merpati     Riau Airlines     Trigana Air      Citilink

Becaks

These motorcycle/side-car combinations are ubiquitous all over Sumatra, in cities, towns and villages throughout the island. Like most Sumatrans they flout traffic rules and will think nothing of heading up a one-way street the wrong way or mounting the pavement. They're great fun, if not very comfortable, and will just about fit a couple of reasonably-sized Westerners in them, although you'll see becaks full to bursting point with the locals. As a tourist expect to be given a price double that of the locals, so do your haggling before you get in.

Buses

Known as angkots in Indonesian, these are small, van-sized buses that will pull over just about anywhere to pick up passengers; there are no designated bus-stops. They're hot, stuffy, not particularly clean, thoroughly uncomfortable but very, very cheap. Most of the drivers seem to be on amphetamines and have a love affair with the horn; still, this is the way to see the real Indonesia. As well as servicing the towns, they also connect them up. There are also long-haul buses which operate between all the major cities of Sumatra; the journey times are usually very long. For example a bus ride from Medan to Padang, approximately 730km away, will take 28hrs.

Ojeks

Car & Driver

One of the most convenient ways of getting around in Sumatra is by hiring a car with a driver. The cost is not much more than hiring a car without a driver and you're spared the hassle of driving on Indonesian roads with Indonesian road users which is never a particularly relaxing experience. Another factor to take into account if you wish to drive yourself in Indonesia is the lack of reliable maps here; the ones that are available often bear no resemblance to reality. Professional drivers will know all of the best routes, and will better versed in the dark arts of driving in Sumatra. If you would like more information about hiring a car & driver then drop us an email and we'll fit you up with something that meets your requirements. Click here...

Trains

There aren't any to speak of in Sumatra, and what there are aren't particularly great. There's no network to speak of, just a few disconnected services. You can get a train from Medan, almost as far as Lake Toba; it ends at Pematang Siantar, about an hour's bus ride from the lake. There's also a service from Medan to Tanjung Balai further down the east coast, but there's not a great deal to do there. A few other services operate in the south of the island but are of little use to the tourist.