Lake Toba Voyage Tips and guide

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Lake Toba (Danau Toba), on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, is the largest volcanic lake in the world. Samosir island, in the lake, is an island within an island. It is in North Sumatra (Sumatera Utara).

Lake Toba is an immense volcanic lake covering an area of 1,707 km² (1,000 km² bigger than Singapore) with an island in the center. Formed by a gigantic volcanic eruption some 70,000 years ago, it is probably the largest resurgent caldera on Earth. Some studies say it might have been associated with causing previous ice age/climate change and the largest human population bottleneck ever. Genetic estimates suggest that there were only a few thousand individuals that survived the catastrophe. The island in the middle - Pulau Samosir - was joined to the caldera wall by a narrow isthmus, which was cut through to enable boats to pass; a road bridge crosses the cutting. Samosir island is the cultural centre of Batak tribe who are mostly Christians nowadays.

Lake Toba was perhaps once more popular than it is nowadays, but for many it remains a firm fixture on the Banana Pancake Trail. It is a great laid back place to chill out for a few days after jungle trekking etc. The location is very popular with Chinese tourists around Chinese New Year, when availability drops dramatically and accommodation costs skyrocket. In its effort to promote tourism, government has greatly improved the infrastructure.

The water quality in Lake Toba is not the same everywhere, so seek local advice before swimming. Some areas of the lake are not recommended for swimming, due to pollution caused by intensive fish-farming.

• Lake Toba tourism information

The local people who live in the Toba region are called Toba Batak, or simply Batak, and they speak the local Batak language, but everyone also speaks Indonesian. You may want to use the Batak greeting, 'horas', which means welcome, good morning, farewell, etc.

• 2.25972298.9952781 Silangit International Airport (Bandar Udara Internasional Sisingamangaraja XII DTB  ^IATA) (at Siborong-Borong in the southern side). The airport serves domestic & international flights with Batik Air from Jakarta, Citilink from Jakarta (via Halim Perdanakusuma Airport), Garuda Indonesia from Medan, Jakarta and Singapore, Wings Air from Medan and Jakarta, and Sriwijaya Air from Jakarta.  

You can also fly to Medan's Kualanamu International Airport and continue to Lake Toba by land.

There are 2 routes to reach Lake Toba from Medan:

• Kabanjahe route
• Pematang Siantar route

The Kabanjahe route is the shortest, it passes through Berastagi town and Kabanjahe city till it reaches Merek town at the northern side (about 2.5 hours' drive from Medan). Once you reach Merek, there are 4 options:

1. head down to Tongging and explore the lakeside up to Silalahi (30 - 45 minutes' drive)
2. head to Parapat in the eastern side (2 - 2.5 hours' drive)
3. head to Sidikalang route to explore the western side and cross to Samosir island via the only land bridge (3 - 4 hours' drive)
4. continue from option 3 to the southern side (another 2 hours' drive)

This route is recommended to those who wish to explore Berastagi, Kabanjahe and Lake Toba in one go.

The Pematang Siantar route is the most popular if you choose to visit Parapat, Tuktuk or Balige at the southern side. It takes about 3 - 4 hours from Medan via toll road to Parapat and another 2 hours to reach Balige. If you are flying to Kualanamu Airport, most likely you will use this route.

• from Amplas Station in Medan: Rp 39,000 with local bus, 5 hr (every hour); or Rp 65,000 (offers start at 80,000) with tourist minibus, 4 hr (April 2016)
• from Berastagi:
  • From Kabanjahe bus terminal to Siantar (black minibus written sepadan, Rp25,000, ~3 hr), Siantar to Parapat (white minibus written D.Sanggul or bus, Rp25,000, ~3 hr), Parapat to Tuk Tuk (ferry from "Pelabuhan Tiga Raja" dock near market, Rp25,000. pay on the boat, will drop you at any hotel there or nearby. ~45-60 min)
  • Tourist bus: Rp200-230,000, ~3 hr
  • Shared taxi: ask your hotel
• from Bukittinggi: Rp 180,000, 15 hr or Rp 250,000 with tourist minibus, 15hr
• from Bukit Lawang: Rp 230,000/person with tourist minibus
• from Sibolga: Rp 75,000, 6 hr with minibus
• from Dumai: Rp 150,000, 11 hr with minibus

Parapat bus terminal is "Terminal Sosor Saba Parapat" with an ALS shop "Loket Bus ALS Parapat" (to Medan, Bukittinggi, Padang) and not much else. About 30 min walk from ferry dock or 10-15 min minibus (Rp5,000).

From Medan:

• Raja Taxi +62 617 366 555;
• Medan Driver Tour & Travel; +6282114304668 via whatsapp available.
• Tobatransporter phone : +6285261492668

There is no direct train to Lake Toba. The nearest train station is at Pematang Siantar 50 km north of Parapat. The train (Siantar Ekspres) departs from Medan every day on 14:00 and the trip takes about 4 hours because the train stops at almost every station. Ticket price is Rp 22,000 one way (as of December 2018). From Pematang Siantar, you have to continue by bus/taxi to Parapat, which is another 1-hour ride. It is a long but wonderful way to travel if you like to learn more culture on their daily living and lifestyle.

Using a car is the easiest and safest way to get around, but you have to rent from either Medan or Pematangsiantar. Use a car with a high ground clearance and preferably one with lots of power. The majority of roads around Lake Toba are unpaved, save for the major road. Even the paved one may be in very bad condition, with lots of potholes.

Local transportation around the lake takes the form of boats (cheaper, school boats with limited schedules and more expensive public boats that operate throughout the day).

The ferry dock of Parapat is the major access point for the Samosir island. From there, jump in a local mini-van towards the Parapat bus station. From there you can reach nearly all the big cities in Sumatra and even Java.

Several harbours on the mainland have ferry connections with Samosir island. Most common is the Parapat - Tomok route. Public boats from Parapat and surrounding areas sail from either 2.6540798.933842 Ajibata harbour or 2.6609298.928293 Tigaraja harbour to Tuktuk or Tomok at Samosir island. The boat runs every hour, with the last one at 18:00. Some ferry owners are tourist hunters and will overcharge you. Try to take the ferry with wooden benches inside and the light green ferry. Those are the ferries that charge Rp 25,000 (2024) and the locals take to cross over. Locals pay Rp 20,000 (2024). Self-proclaimed 'tourist hunters' may befriend you on the boat but are harmless and often helpful. If you are staying at Tuktuk, you can ask the ferryman to drop you directly at your resort. Watch out for the guys that ask for the fee before you embark — they do not work for the operators. You pay on the boat.

The larger ferry KMP Tao Toba I & KMP Tao Toba II operates between Ajibata and 2.655198.85914 Tomok daily, carrying passengers as well as vehicles. Another largerst ferry, KMP Ihan Batak also operates between Ajibata and Ambarita, with more capacity than Tao Toba. On non-peak season, usually only one of the ferry operates. The ferry ride over is fantastic, just truly peaceful, apart from the car radios playing, the ladies selling peanuts, bottled water, noodle or pretty much anything else. Normally some of the passengers and vendors will be able to speak English. Landing at the other end of the 1 hour ferry journey is daunting, but again, behave like everyone else in Indonesia and just push, ever so politely, but firmly and eventually you will get off the ferry and onto the main road. If you are not bringing vehicles along, better use the boat service as it's faster.

Other large ferries routes are (as of January 2018):

• 2.434698.89825 Sipinggan (1 hour drive from Tomok) connected to 2.33898.90416 Muara, the ferry (KMP Sumut II) runs once a day every Saturday & Sunday. Trip last about 50 minutes with capacity of 40 people and 8 vehicles.
• 2.75498.74567 Simanindo (30 min drive from Tuktuk) by KMP Sumut I connected to 2.798398.78878 Tigaras which runs 7x trips daily. Trip last about 45 minutes with capacity of 16 vehicles.
• 2.453798.97869 Onan Runggu connected to 2.33799.06210 Balige by KMP Sumut II, runs once a day every Monday & Friday. Trip last about 90 minutes.

Public boat routes (passengers only) are (as of January 2018):

• from/to Tomok
• Tomok - Ajibata, 14x daily, Rp 5,000 / 30 min (from 08:30 to 18:00 every hour)
• Tuktuk - Tigaraja, 8x daily, Rp 15,000 / 35 min (from 08:30 to 18:00 every hour)
• Onan Runggu - Balige, once daily
• Onan Runggu - Ajibata, 5x daily
• 2.43498.883311 Nainggolan - Balige, once daily
• Nainggolan - Ajibata, once daily except twice on Monday
• 2.465398.801712 Mogang - Balige, once daily
• Mogang - Ajibata, once daily
• Simanindo - 2.876698.679313 Haranggaol, once daily
• 2.601198.701414 Pangururan - Haranggaol, once daily
• 2.649898.865615 Lopo Parindo, Tomok - Tigaraja, 10x daily

If you have cash to burn, you can charter a speedboat and tour around Lake Toba. Rent are Rp 500,000++.

It may be obvious but just remember there are no taxis around Lake Toba. Public buses exist, but there is no specific schedule. Ask the locals which bus to take as it may be confusing or you can flag a bus and ask the driver. State clearly your destination to avoid misunderstanding. Prices around Rp 3,000 - 5,000 per person depends on distance.

Exploring whole lake toba is very time consuming, so mostly is limited to surrounding area only. Most of the cottages and guest houses at Tuktuk will rent you a very serviceable bicycle for a nominal fee (for locals, it's about Rp 100,000), this is a very much preferred way to get around there. Outside of Tuktuk, hiring bicycle may be a bit hard, but do ask your hotel for help. Be very careful for the cars and trucks as nobody looks and there does not seem to be any right side of the road, even when its the left side.

Exploring by foot is limited to surrounding area only. Exercise caution for traffic and beware for pickpocket / robber especially at night time.

• 360° view of Lake Toba from the peak of hills located in Samosir island.
• Notable landmarks such as Tele observation tower and Aek Tano Ponggol bridge.
• Tombs and monuments of Batak kings in the past.

Adventurous travelers may find many opportunity to explore the wilderness. Lake Toba offers plenty of rainforest with hills and mountains. However, unless you are an experienced trekker and know what you are doing, walking into the jungle without a guide is very dangerous and could be fatal.

Replace after the frenetic atmosphere of Indonesia. Swim in the volcanically warmed waters of the lake or arrange an overnight 'party' boat out on the lake if you can get enough volunteers together. A beautiful place to do nothing at all. Plenty of second hand book shops to stock up on reading material. Traditional Batak Dance in Restaurant Bagus Bay every Wednesday and Saturday from 20:15 onwards. After the dance, sit back and enjoy the folk songs done by a group of men.

• Arsik, a dish that uses carp as the main ingredient and has a savory, spicy, and slightly sour taste. It's cooked with firewood, giving a distinctive aroma and taste to this dish. Locals said that storing Arsik carp in the refrigerator for one night and then frying it will make it even more delicious. The fish is usually served with its head facing the person who will enjoy it, adding more aesthetic value of this dish.
• Naniura, another dish that uses carp as the main ingredient. The carp will be salted with lime juice and salt, then stored for several hours. After that, the carp is coated with special spices and left to soak those spices in. The uniqueness and deliciousness of Naniura make it one of most choiced food souvenir in Lake Toba.
• Tipa-Tipa, a snack that is perfect to enjoy with tea or coffee while gathering with family. This snack is made from processed old rice. The process involves soaking the rice for two days, then the rice is roasted in a stove until the color changes to golden-brown. The result is a snack that is easily found in souvenir centers and is notable for its unique taste and texture.
• Itak Gurgur, a snack that is usually served in Batak traditional events. "Itak" refers to rice that is ground in a traditional way, while "gurgur" means burning. Itak Gurgur is molded by hand and fried, and its inside will be filled with brown sugar that melts when eaten. Locals said that this snack gives a burning spirit to anyone who eats it.

Tuak, a traditional drink that is a part of Toba Batak culture. Back then, Tuak is a drink that served to only the king. In the Toba Batak tradition, kings who are discussing are served tuak beverage. Until now, this drink produced from the sugar palm tree, and it's still popular among the Batak people who live in the Lake Toba area. Marco Polo, after his adventure in 1290, noted that the Toba Batak people loves to drink tuak. Although, there are also local people who oppose tuak beverage since it's intoxicating.

There are many hotels near the edge of Lake Toba, the choices are more limited in Samosir island though.

The local Batak people are very respectful. Some of the local males may try to turn on the charm too much.

Clinics are sparse, even more so with hospital. If you got hurt badly, you may need to wait hours for ambulance depends on your location.

• Medan - the major city in northern Sumatra and transportation hub
• Pematang Siantar - the 2nd biggest city in northern Sumatra after Medan
• Berastagi - a beautiful town next to two famous volcanoes
• Bukit Lawang - home of orangutans in the Gunung Leuser National Park
• Bukittinggi - You can take the ALS bus (Medan to Padang) from the loket ALS in Parapat. It stops there on route. Don’t believe the touts in tuktuk quoting absurd prices. Just buy the ticket for the Medan - Padang leg via Traveloka (Rp 230,000), then tell the people at the ALS loket that you already have a bus ticket. They will call the bus for you and it will pick you up. (June 2022)