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Lake Toba between green mountains and fields, seen from above

Sample journey · 10–12 days

Sumatra: the orangutans' forest and an island in a volcano's lake

Bukit Lawang, Berastagi, Samosir & Balige

Photo: Dio Hasibuan / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

Sumatra is the world's sixth-largest island, yet for many travellers it's still a blank on the map. In the north, a few hours from Medan, lies Gunung Leuser National Park, one of the last forests where orangutans, tigers, elephants and rhinos live side by side. The village of Bukit Lawang on the Bohorok river is the gateway to its edge: with local guides you walk forest trails where orangutans are often seen in the canopy, and spend a night at a camp by the river.

After the forest, the road climbs into the cool Karo highlands, with their volcanoes and fruit market, then drops to Lake Toba, the largest lake in Southeast Asia, formed inside a vast volcanic caldera. In its middle lies the island of Samosir, Batak country, with boat-shaped roofs, stone tombs and hymns in the churches on a Sunday morning. The journey is for travellers who want to see animals in their own home and don't mind heat, humidity, steep forest trails and simple stays. The reward is a real forest and a country few people know.

The route

The journey

  1. Medan
  2. Bukit Lawang
  3. The Gunung Leuser forest
  4. Berastagi & Sibayak
  5. Sipiso-piso Falls
  6. Samosir Island
  7. Balige
  8. Silangit
  1. An orangutan resting in a tree in the forest at Bukit Lawang, North Sumatra

    01Days 1–2 · Bukit Lawang

    A village between the river and the forest

    From Kualanamu airport near Medan, about four hours by road past oil-palm and rubber plantations to Bukit Lawang. The village spreads along both banks of the Bohorok river: hanging bridges, wooden guesthouses with terraces over the current, and the forest beginning on the far bank. The first night is in a guesthouse by the river, where gibbons' calls wake you in the morning. In the afternoon, a short walk with a guide through the village and rubber gardens; in the evening, a talk about tomorrow's trek: how long you'll walk, what to carry and how to behave if you meet an orangutan. The orangutans' story here is unusual: from the 1970s a rehabilitation centre operated beside the village, and some of the animals in the forest are descendants of orangutans released back into the wild.

  2. An orangutan feeding high in the canopy of the forest at Bukit Lawang

    02Days 2–4 · The Gunung Leuser forest

    Two days beneath the canopy

    An early start into the forest with a licensed local guide and a small group. The trails are steep, the roots slippery and the humidity high, but the pace is slow: the guide stops at every sound in the canopy. Orangutans are often seen here, a mother with her young feeding in a fig tree or a big male moving slowly through the branches, but these are wild animals and an encounter is never guaranteed. Thomas's leaf monkeys, gibbons and hornbills often appear too. We keep to strict rules: distance, no feeding and no touching, quiet, small groups, and no forest walks if you're unwell, because orangutans catch human illnesses. The night is at a simple camp by the river, with dinner over a fire. The next day, the way back is down the river on inflatable tubes, and another night in the village.

  3. The summit of the Sibayak volcano, with steam and mist above forested slopes

    03Days 4–6 · Berastagi & Sibayak

    Cool highlands and a steaming summit

    About four hours by road to Berastagi, a Karo highland town at around 1,300 m, where after the heat of the forest you'll want a jumper for the first time. Two nights here. An early start for the Sibayak volcano: around two to three hours up to the crater with its steaming sulphur vents, and as the sun rises the whole highland comes into view and, on a clear morning, active Sinabung, which we watch only from a safe distance. Back down, hot-spring pools at the foot of the mountain. The next day, a colourful fruit and vegetable market selling what grows in the volcanic soil, and a Karo village with old timber longhouses, each once home to several families. We visit the village with a local guide, on the hosts' terms.

  4. The green hills of Holbung on Samosir Island above Lake Toba

    04Days 6–9 · Samosir Island

    Batak country in the middle of a lake

    On the way, the Sipiso-piso falls, dropping more than a hundred metres into a gorge above the northern shore of Lake Toba, then the road along the lake to Parapat and about an hour by ferry to Samosir. Three nights by the water on the Tuktuk peninsula. Lake Toba formed after one of the largest known volcanic eruptions, some 74,000 years ago, and Samosir later rose in the middle of the caldera. With a local guide, Batak villages with boat-shaped roofs and carved gables, the stone tomb of King Sidabutar at Tomok and the stone chairs at Ambarita, where village disputes were once settled. The next day, by bicycle or scooter along the shore, a swim in the lake and, at sunset, Holbung hill. On a Sunday morning, Batak hymns in a church are well worth hearing.

  5. A wooden jetty on Lake Toba at Bul Bul beach near Balige at dawn

    05Days 9–11 · Balige & the southern shore

    A weavers' market and a quiet shore

    The ferry back and about an hour and a half south along the lake to Balige, a small town whose market halls are crowned with traditional Batak roofs. Two final nights here, on a calm shore that few foreign travellers reach. In the market and surrounding villages, ulos, hand-woven Batak cloth given at births, weddings and funerals; weavers are happy to show how a pattern takes shape. In the afternoon, a museum of Batak culture and a high viewpoint above the lake that shows just how vast the Toba crater is. In the evening, fish from the lake, sunset on a wooden jetty and perhaps a guitar and local songs, which every Batak seems to know. On the last day, it's barely half an hour to Silangit airport and a flight to Jakarta.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    Orangutans in the wild

    Two days on the edge of the Leuser forest with a local guide, and a night at a camp by the river.

  2. 02

    Sunrise on Sibayak

    An early hike to a steaming crater, and hot springs afterwards.

  3. 03

    Samosir Island

    Batak villages, stone tombs and an island risen inside a volcanic caldera.

  4. 04

    Ulos and hymns

    Hand-woven cloth at the Balige market and Batak songs you'll hear everywhere.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • An easier forest

    Instead of the night at camp, two half-day walks from the village. The chance of orangutans is a little lower, but you return to the guesthouse by the river each evening.

  • With teenagers

    The forest, tubing down the river, a volcano and swimming in the lake make a good mix for active teenagers. We'd then choose shorter walks and more comfortable stays at Toba.

  • With the seasons

    In North Sumatra the drier months are usually roughly June to September, though rain is possible in the rainforest at any time. In heavy downpours, the guides adjust the treks.

  • With Bali or Malaysia

    From Jakarta it's easy to continue to Bali's quieter side, and from Medan it's a short flight to Penang or Kuala Lumpur.

Practical considerations

  • The drier months in North Sumatra are usually roughly June to September, but in the rainforest rain is possible at any time and the trails are often slippery.
  • For forest treks we choose licensed local guides who follow responsible orangutan-viewing rules: distance, no feeding and no touching, small groups. We check the current rules and park requirements before you travel.
  • Journey times between stops are often longer than the map suggests: roads are narrow and traffic around Medan is slow. We travel with an experienced driver and build in time to spare.
  • We check volcano status (especially Sinabung) and current travel advice before the trip and on the ground, and change the route if needed.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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