Visit Sumatra – an amazing off the beaten track destination in Indonesia

If you’re looking for an adventure off the beaten track in Indonesia, Sumatra is the perfect destination. While Bali and Java attract millions of tourists, Sumatra remains a hidden gem, offering lush jungles, stunning crater lakes, and unforgettable wildlife encounters. Whether you’re trekking through Gunung Leuser National Park in search of orangutans, exploring the serene beauty of Lake Toba, or immersing yourself in the island’s rich culture, Sumatra promises an experience far from the usual tourist trail. In this guide, I’ll share the best places to visit in Sumatra, practical tips for getting around, and everything you need to know to plan your trip.

Key takeaways

• Head to Bukit Lawang, a famous jungle paradise where you can trek to find orangutans
• Lake Toba is the world’s highest crater lake and a beautiful slice of blue reminiscent of the alps
• You will most likely enter Sumatra near Medan, but it’s not a great city. Try to avoid spending time there other than before/after your flights

Off the beaten track in Indonesia – is Sumatra worth visiting? 

Sumatra is definitely one of the less popular major islands in Indonesia – it doesn’t get the same attention as Bali, the Komodo Islands, Mount Bromo in Java or Lombok. But that’s one of the things that makes it a great place to visit!

While both Lake Toba and Bukit Lawang are tourist destinations, they have nothing like the crowds of Bali. It’s also easy in both to see that locals are still living relatively normal lives even in these more touristy areas. A short walk in Bukit Lawang takes you out of the tourist area into the village, where kids come running up for high fives and their mums are doing laundry in the river. As you drive across the island, you’ll drive through areas that never see tourists, and in Lake Toba, there are many local Batak people still living in the traditional longhouses.

Sumatra was my first experience of Indonesia, and I’ve since visited Java, Bali, Gili Air, Flores and Komodo, and Lombok. Sumatra still feels like the most off the beaten track part of the islands – the place where you are most likely to see what life was like before mass tourism.

And there are orangutans! Sumatra is one of only two places in the world you can see orangutans in the wild – the other is Borneo.

It can be very hard to find out how to visit Sumatra. Luckily, I just visited (August 2024), and this blog will set out everything you need to know. 

The best places to visit in Sumatra

Visit Bukit Lawang and see Orangutans

Orangutan trekking

Most people go to Bukit Lawang to trek in Gunung Leuser National Park, where there are both wild and semi wild orangutans. Semi wild orangutans were once owned as pets, before being rehabilitated when Indonesia made this illegal. They are therefore more likely to be towards the edge of the national park, and to come nearer to humans. Wild orangutans are more likely to keep their distance, staying high in the trees. 

Most people choose an overnight trek, staying in the jungle. I chose not to do this and went for a three hour trek with tubing at the end – I got really lucky and still saw six orangutans as well as Thomas Leaf Monkeys, which can only be seen in Sumatra. 

My trekking recommendation

I highly recommend the trekking company I used, Sumatra Orangutan Explore, who were professional from start to finish. They have a real focus on sustainable tourism, and unlike many other guides, they do not call out to the orangutans when in the jungle. 

My guide worked really hard to make sure I got the best photos, and to find the best spots to see the monkeys. If you choose to do an overnight camp with them, unlike most providers their camp has a water filter as well as boiled water. I heard stories of other travellers getting sick from the boiled water in camp. 

Other trekking options

If you’re looking at alternatives, almost all guest houses will offer their own tour. Be aware that the first guest house I booked cancelled my booking because I was not doing the trek with them. 

Other things to do in Bukit Lawang 

Besides trekking, I found Bukit Lawang a beautiful place to chill out for a couple of days. The weather is warm but not too hot, and the temperature cools at night. There are lots of beautiful places to sit along the river, as well as some spots to swim. There are also a few other activities you can do, including village tours.

I loved walking around the village on my own – kids were super excited to see me and I have never given so many high fives in such a short time!

There are also a couple of places for massages in Bukit Lawang. My hotel organised an in-room massage, but there’s a spot on the river just before Jungle Inn where you can get massages right on the riverbank. 

Where to stay and eat in Bukit Lawang:

It’s a true jungle paradise. The town stretches along a river, lined by jungle on the other side. There are a lot of hotels/guest houses along the road, most of which also have restaurants. There are also a few cafes and tour agencies. 

• Jungle Inn – I stayed at Jungle Inn and cannot recommend it highly enough. I also ate most of my meals there. It’s at the very end of the road, on a bend in the river, giving it more extensive views than most places. They also have their own private waterfall! The rooms are very big and clean, and the restaurant is also really good. However, it was the staff who really made it – they are the friendliest people I’ve met on all my travels. Even if you don’t stay here, it’s worth the walk to eat here. 
• NatureSoul Cafe – a lovely cafe with comfortable chairs on the river. I spent afternoons here working. 

How to get to Bukit Lawang 

Bukit Lawang is about 4 hours by car from Medan/Kuala Namu airport, and about 8 hours from Lake Toba. When you arrive in town, you will likely be a long walk from your hotel -around half an hour from the taxi drop off to my hotel.

Your hotel may offer to pick you up by motorbike, or to provide a porter. If not, there are porters meeting the car to assist with your luggage. 

Visit Sumatra – the beauty of Lake Toba

Samosir Island on Lake Toba is a truly dreamy location. The water glistens blue and the hills are bright green, like being in the Alps. Most hotels have lake front/lake view rooms and there are a plethora of lake view restaurants to choose from. Most hotels are located in TukTuk, the tourist town.

To do on Samosir Island

Lake Toba and Samosir Island are home to the Batak people, who have their own language and culture. The island is dotted with traditional houses – some of which are hotels or tourist destinations, but many are still family homes. One of the main things to do on Samosir Island is to explore this culture. 

I took a becak tour from my hostel – this is the local name for a tuktuk, given that the town itself is called Tuktuk. This was a lovely way to travel around the island, but you can also rent motorbikes, or hire a driver for the day (either motorbike or car). Key stops include:

• Tomok market – a great place to buy souvenirs made by local people
• The Stone Chairs of Siallagan – near Tomok village, this open air museum has preserved several traditional Batik houses, some of which are still used as family dwellings. It also contains the Stone Chairs of Siallagan, where the Batak King used to hold meetings. 
• Huta Bolon in Simanindo – another great spot to learn about Batak culture. This museum also offers traditional houses.

Where to stay and eat at Lake Toba? 

The main place to stay in Lake Toba is TukTuk on Samosir Island. Here are a few options:

• Huba Tata Guest House – I stayed at Hub Tata, which offers basic but comfortable rooms with an excellent view. It’s a bit out of the main area, which can be a good or a bad thing, depending on whether you like quiet or prefer to be in the centre of the action. The only thing to note is that the steps down to the rooms are very steep – this isn’t the place for you if you have mobility issues. 
• Tabo Cottages – while I didn’t stay here, I did visit and it looked stunning. There is an extensive garden and pool, with a busy restaurant. The boat will also drop you off here directly.

There are a number of great places to eat in Tuktuk:

• Hub Tata – my hotel also had a cafe area with an astonishingly good view. Only open until 7pm, it offered excellent breakfasts, sandwiches and rice bowls. 
• Jenny’s – a bit of an institution on the island, and for a reason. Their Mie Goreng was the best I’ve had since I’ve been in Indonesia. 

How to get to Lake Toba

The only way to get to Lake Toba is by car. Your car will arrive in a town called Parapat, on the shores of the lake. You’ll then board a ferry to cross the lake, which takes up to an hour depending on your stop. The ferry runs every hour from 8.30am to 7.30pm, but I wouldn’t recommend aiming for the last ferry, just in case. 

If you’re lucky, the ferry will drop you directly at the landing point for your hotel. If you’re unlucky, you might have to walk to your accommodation – there is no public transport on the island and the ferry was not met by any tuk tuks/bataks.

This seemed to be less to do with the ferry route and more to do with whether the Captain wants to go out of his way – my hotel assured me I’d be dropped at their jetty but the Captain refused. However, I was picked up from the hotel on the way back!

Journey times

I travelled from Bukit Lawang to Lake Toba, a substantial drive of 8h+. Some other people in the shared taxi split their journey at Berastagi and travelled on the next day – this is worth considering if you prefer shorter car journeys.

It’s a 4h drive to Lake Toba from Medan/Kuala Namu Airport.  Our drive was made longer by needing to switch drivers and wait an hour for this – always factor in extra time to your journeys on Sumatra, particularly if you need to catch a plane. 

How to get to Sumatra

In the vast majority of cases, you will arrive in Sumatra via Kuala Namu Airport in the main city of Medan. 

Kuala Namu is a modern airport with good facilities, including a range of ATMs in the arrival area. There is a modern airport hotel (the Anara Sky) where you can stay if you have an early flight. There are also a range of hotel options in nearby Medan, but be aware that traffic can be bad. 

Kuala Namu is a 40 minute flight from Kuala Lumpur or 2h20 minutes from Jakarta. While a variety of Indonesian airlines do fly in, I would avoid the majority based on their safety rating (different to customer service rating). I used Air Asia; the best Indonesian alternatives are Gardua (the national carrier) and CitiLink, its budget arm. Safety ratings suggest avoiding LionAir, Batik, and other local carriers – this is true across Indonesia, not just for flying into Sumatra. 

How to get around Sumatra

Public bus

There are public buses in Sumatra, but there is very little information on them available online. They are usually small mini-bus size buses, with limited comfort and no aircon. Given the state of the roads in much of Sumatra, I would avoid them unless you are dedicated to budget travelling. 

Tourist taxi

To get around Sumatra, I used the ‘tourist taxis’. These are shared cars, taking up to 5 or 6 people to various destinations in Sumatra. While these are an economical option (compared to the alternative of a private car), they come with a warning. They are not always direct. For two of my journeys, we had to swap cars/drivers, which meant sitting at the side of the road for an hour waiting for a connection. This can significantly extend your journey time.

There is a shared taxi that will pick you up at Kuala Namu airport to take you to Bukit Lawang or Lake Toba (and vice versa).

The shared taxis are not bookable online. My experience was that most hotels can book the shared taxi for you. They do not need to be booked far in advance.

Private car

The final way to visit Sumatra is by private car. These are often the same company as the shared taxi, but significantly more expensive. The main benefit here is that you’ll be taken directly to your destination. You’ll also be able to stop off when you want to take photos/use the bathroom etc. 

Travel safety tips for Sumatra

For both the shared taxi and private car, there are additional warnings. Roads are very bad in Sumatra and you will be jostled about a lot. Finally, we found the driving to be very bad/dangerous (and I have travelled a lot in South America and South East Asia, so this is hardly coming from someone inexperienced in driving outside of Europe). This was exacerbated by drivers being expected to undertake multiple journeys each day. Both I and other travellers I talked to experienced extremely tired drivers almost asleep at the wheel. Be aware of this and keep an eye on your driver. 

If you are considering a private car, it could be worth asking your hotel if this will be their own driver or a driver from the same company as the shared taxis. I suspect that any hotel offering their own driver would be safer as the driver would be less likely to do multiple trips in a day. 

Sumatra is an adventure like no other—wild, breathtaking, and refreshingly untouristy. From the dense rainforests of Bukit Lawang to the tranquil waters of Lake Toba, this island offers some of the best places to visit in Sumatra for those seeking something beyond the usual tourist hotspots. While traveling here comes with challenges, the rewards far outweigh them. If you’re ready to go off the beaten track in Indonesia and experience a side of the country few travelers see, Sumatra is waiting for you. So, will you take the plunge? Let me know your thoughts!