Spotlight On Sumatra

One of the Bamboo Travel team (Ewen) recently returned from a research trip to Sumatra's Lake Toba, and loved the relaxed atmosphere of Samosir Island. The 90km long caldera which is now Lake Toba was created by a super-volcanic eruption thousands of years ago, and a later eruption created a secondary volcano which collapsed and now forms the island of Samosir in the centre of the lake. Occupying a small peninsula on the western side of Samosir island is the village of Tuk Tuk, where there are a cluster of comfortable lakeside Lodges and some fun bars and restaurants. The main attraction of visiting Lake Toba is to enjoy the beauty of the natural surroundings, learn about the culture of the friendly Batak people, who greet you everywhere with shouts of ‘HORAS!' [meaning ‘Hello'], and learn about the unusual architectural style of their homes. Samosir is a good place to spend some time relaxing and exploring at your own pace on foot or by bike and a refreshing swim in the lake itself is almost compulsory!

Another major highlight of Sumatra which combines well with Lake Toba is Bukit Lawang, a small village in North Sumatra famous for the Sumatran Orangutan Sanctuary with around 5,000 Orangutans inhabiting the area. Bukit Lawang is a good access point for excursions in the Gunung Leuser National Park which include hiking in the rainforest, and elephant trekking from the remote village of Tangkahan. Sumatra can be included on any tailor-made tour of Indonesia, or for a recommended itinerary take a look at our "Wonders of Sumatra & Java" tour.