North Sumatra is an awesome off-the-beaten-track destination in Indonesia. Things are not as straightforward here as in Bali for example and had we known what we know we would have gone a bit differently about our trip here.
But luckily for you, you found this article so you’ll be a lot better prepared than us when we got here. 😉 I’ve gathered everything we found out during our trip to North Sumatra and came up with some tips and this 10-day itinerary for North Sumatra. So you can spend your time more efficiently and enjoy the good parts of traveling in Sumatra.
We originally wanted to visit Sumatra to see wildlife, namely orangutans of course. Sumatra and Borneo are the only two places in the world where you can see these beautiful animals. The Sumatran subspecies are slightly different from the Bornean ones, so we wanted to see them on both islands. We were coming from Thailand and found a cheap flight from Penang to Medan and then more awesome things to do in North Sumatra, so we locked our Sumatran adventure in. And what an adventure it was!
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Table of Contents - What (not) to do in North Sumatra: A 10-day itinerary
How to get to North Sumatra
The main gateway to North Sumatra is Medan. You will most likely fly in here. The airport is well connected by public transport to Medan City as well as other cities and touristic places around.
What NOT to do in North Sumatra
First, I will tell you about our experience and what not to do. We couldn’t find a lot of information online, and thought well, it’ll all make sense when we get there. And it did eventually, but after making a few mistakes.
Don't spend any more time than necessary in Medan
So, as we couldn’t find much information online, we thought we’ll figure it out when we are in Medan. So we booked a hotel in the center of Medan for the first few nights. Wrong decision. Medan is a huge city, and not touristic at all. The traffic is absolutely crazy, in an it’s-everyone-for-themselves-and-rules-are-meant-to-be-broken kind of way. And, since it’s not touristic, there was also no touristic information available here. Nor are there any tour operators for local touristic places. So we were stuck in a big, dirty, and chaotic city.
Instead, head straight to one of the more touristic locations listed below and skip Medan. Not only are those places much nicer, but you’ll also find much more information for the rest of your trip there.
Don't plan day trips from Medan
Looking at the map, we thought we could use Medan as a base and do day trips from here. But, we were wrong again. Day trips from here are almost impossible due to the heavy traffic and lack of public transport.
We did manage to rent a scooter eventually (it was not easy to find someone renting scooters, let alone for less than 3 days) and do a day trip to Mount Sibayak. I don’t recommend this though. Just stay in Berastigi if you want to visit Mount Sibayak. Berastagi is much nicer than Medan as it’s a lot smaller and you’ll have more time to enjoy the mountain. Getting to Bukit Lawang takes too long for a day trip, and in order to make the most out of it, you should spend a night in the jungle anyway. So, if you were still thinking of spending some time in Medan to do day trips, forget about this.
What to do in North Sumatra
So, now you know what not to do in Sumatra, let’s move on to what you should do. The best things to do in North Sumatra are the jungle trekking in Bukit Lawang to see semi-wild orang-utans and other wildlife, hiking up the active volcano Mount Sibayak, and winding down at the world’s biggest crater lake, Lake Toba.
Do a Jungle Trek in Bukit Lawang
Bukit Lawang is famous for its semi-wild orangutans. They have been released from captivity and are still very used to humans, so they roam around close to the paths. This means it’s very likely you will see them. Plus, you can see many other apes, monkeys, and birds. You can organize a trek from half a day to 14 days in the Gunung Leuser National Park and experience the jungle.
Know before you go
semi-wild
The Orang-utans are close to the paths because the guides still feed them, even though they shouldn’t. The idea is that the orangutans become wild again, but if they keep receiving food from humans, they will stay semi-wild. We saw a mother with a baby for example, and she was coming down with her baby for a banana, meaning the baby is learning that he/she can get food from humans.
The guide we booked with said guides no longer feed them, but the guide who took us, did still feed them. So no guarantees.
Is it harmful?
On the one hand, they are making sure the orangutans are ok by giving them a little food. On the other hand, if every guide gives one banana, that is still a lot of bananas and they stay dependent on humans. It can also cause aggressive behavior, as they become used to people feeding them, so if they don’t receive the food they expect, they can get aggressive. Orangutans don’t have an aggressive nature luckily (unlike macaques for example), but it can happen (and apparently has happened in the past).
On the other hand, tourists are coming to Bukit Lawang because of the high chances to see an orangutan up close, which brings in a lot of money. Money they would otherwise earn by hunting, illegal logging, or agriculture. And as a matter of fact, when there was no tourism due to covid, the amount of illegal hunting and logging went up, because people needed to make a living somehow. And they are still creating new plantations around the national park. You will hear plenty of chainsaws close to the edge of the national park, which is really sad actually.
I don’t think I’m in the position to say whether it’s good or bad, or that it’s that black and white. I just think it’s good to know this before you go.
More jungle ≠ more animals
One more thing to be aware of, is that going deeper into the jungle does not mean you’re going to see more animals. The animals closer to the town and around the 1-3 day trails are more used to having humans around, so they are a little less likely to hide. Very few people hike for 5 or more days, so the animals over there are more shy. This is also where the elephants roam for example. But our guide had only seen them once, so it’s not common to see them. It’s still an awesome experience though to spend more time in the jungle, and not bump into other tourists frequently, Plus, even if you don’t see many animals, you will definitely hear them!
Hike Mount Sibayak from Berastagi
Mount Sibayak is an active Stratovolcano in North Sumatra. The closest town is Berastagi and from there, it’s really easy to hike up the volcano. There is no need to join a tour. To get to the start of the trail you’ll need to rent a scooter, but public transport drops you close enough too, at about 3 kilometers away. From the start of the trail it only takes about an hour to hike up, so hiking from the public transport terminal is perfectly doable too.
If you feel more comfortable going on a tour, you can contact one in Berastagi as well. Most (if not all) tours go up for sunrise.
Visit Lake Toba: The biggest brater lake in the world
Lake Toba is the world’s biggest volcanic lake and the biggest lake in Indonesia. It was formed when the super volcano erupted about 74.000 years ago. Inside the lake, you find Samosir Island, which is the best place to stay in you want to explore Lake Toba. Especially the small town of Tuktuk is a great place to base yourself. We stayed at Laster Jony’s and absolutely loved it! It’s definitely the place to stay in Tuktuk. We were greeted by the owners with “welcome home” and we did indeed instantly feel at home. It’s a very popular place for backpackers so you’ll easily meet people here to team up with and explore the area together. They are located right on the waterfront, so even from the hotel, you can enjoy the lake!
The best way to explore everything Lake Toba has to offer is by motorbike. So you can get to waterfalls, viewpoints, and other towns on the island. If you don’t want to rent a scooter, you can still enjoy the lake. Rent a kayak or paddle board or walk to the towns of Ambarits and Tomok where you will find musea about the local history and culture. Do hire a guide if you can, or read up on it online as there are not many signs available to explain what you are looking at.
A 10-day itinerary for North Sumatra
So now that you know what to do in North Sumatra, I will give you a 10-day example itinerary which allows you to easily visit the best of North Sumatra.
Day 1 - Arriving in Medan and making your way to Bukit Lawang
If you can get on a morning flight to get here, that would be best. It is a long way to anywhere else. As Bukit Lawang is the most touristic place in Medan, your best bet is to travel straight here from the airport. There is a direct bus from Medan airport to Bukit Lawang, but I don’t know the timetable. We found out about this when we were already in Medan City and I couldn’t find a timetable online.
If you can’t get on a direct bus, you can go by public transport. Then you’ll need to take a bus from the airport to the Binjai terminal. From here you can take a bus to Bukit Lawang. I’ve been told that the last guaranteed bus to Bukit Lawang from the Binjai terminal is at 4 pm, so keep this in mind.
If you are on a flight to Medan that arrives late in the afternoon/evening it’s best to either find accommodation close to the airport or in the center close to the airport train station. Karibia is a nice hotel right next to the station.
Getting to Bukit Lawang from Medan City
If you’re arriving in the afternoon and there is no possibility to get to Bukit Lawang today, you can take the airport train to Medan Center (70.000 rupiah per person, or 50.000 if traveling with at least 3 people). Stay the night here, and the next morning, either take a Grab to the Mawar Bakery or Masjid Jamik Pinang Baris or a bus to the Pinang Baris Terminal. These places are all close to each other, peopel just use different reference points. We took the bus from here from directly opposite the Mosque (Masjid).
This bus also stops at the Binjai terminal so it’s also possible to take the train to Binjai and hop on the bus from there. Note that the bus stop is not exactly close to the train station, so you will either need to walk about 2.5 km or get a motor taxi. So we decided to just take a Grab to the Mosque in Medan, as it seemed easier. The bus is 30.000 per person (at the time of writing), but they will try to charge you more, so just double check the price with your accommodation in Bukit Lawang and if they want to charge you more, say you know that’s the price. If you have a lot of luggage, you might need to pay more though. We only went with a small backpack and left the rest of our stuff in Medan, so we only paid 30.000.
Day 2 & 3 - Bukit Lawang Jungle Trek
In order to make the most out of your time in the jungle I recommend spending a night there. Tours are organized through the guides association and prices are regulated. A 2D1N night tour costs € 80 per person and groups are small. I think it’s the best value for money. We got a guide for just the 2 of us, and the other groups we’ve seen were all couples, friends, or families as well.
We opted for the 2D1N tour as well, and we saw a total of 6 orangutans, gibbons, a great argus, hornbills and silvered leaf monkeys, macaques (obviously haha) and even a turtle and a snake! So for us 2 days was enough. We did opt for 2 days of hiking, you’ll also have the possibility of going back by raft (+ € 10) and seeing Asian water monitor lizards. But we had seen so many in Thailand already, we were more interested in other wildlife which we were more likely to spot hiking.
Spend the night in Bukit Lawang after your jungle trek to take a shower and relax and prepare for tomorrow’s trip.
Day 4 - Travel to Berastagi
The easiest way to travel to Berastagi is by tourist bus (= a shared taxi). At 230.000 Rp per person, it’s a bit more expensive, but a lot more comfortable. You can contact Happy track tour in Bukit Lawang to book.
There is no public transport that brings you directly from Bukit Lawang to Berastagi. You’d first need to make your way to the public transport terminal 1.5 km outside of Bukit Lawang. From here you can take a public bus to Medan, then find a bus or a Grab to bring you to the Amplas terminal on the other side of the city, and jump on a bus from there.
As it takes quite a long time to get from Bukit Lawang to Medan and also from Medan to Berastagi, I would recommend taking a tourist bus from Bukit Lawang to Berastagi. It’s worth paying extra for!
Day 5 - Hike Mount Sibayak
Mount Sibayak is an easy and rewarding hike. Many agencies offer sunrise tours, but you can do it on your own as well. I actually recommend doing it on your own and not for sunrise, to have the mountain almost to yourself! I’ve written een extensive guide on how to hike Mount Sibayak without a tour for more information.
Day 6 - Travel to Lake Toba
This is a more direct route and easier to do by public transport if you want to go cheap. Ask your accommodation about the schedule/current price for the bus to Parapat, or check at the terminal directly. If you prefer more comfort, you can take a tourist bus (shared taxi) too.
The best place to stay when visiting Lake Toba is the town of Tuktuk on Samosir island. In order to get here, you can take a ferry from Parapat. If you’re taking the tourist bus, you will get dropped off very close to the ferry. The public bus terminal is about 2.5 km away, so you’ll need to either walk half an hour or take a (motor) taxi to the ferry.
The ferry to Tuktuk goes roughly every hour, on the half hour until 6-7 pm and costs 25.000 Rp per person. Do note that if there are not enough passengers at the scheduled time of leaving, the ferry may wait.
Day 7-9 Lake Toba
Lake Toba is a beautiful area and it’s nice to just chill here. The best way to get around and explore the best the lake had to offer, is by renting a motorbike. You can drive to viewpoints and waterfalls and on the way you’ll see many traditional houses, ricefields, water buffalos, and of course friendly locals. There are plenty of people renting motorbikes in the town of TukTuk, it won’t be hard to find one.
Other than that, you can kayak or paddleboard on the lake, visit musea, or just read a book on the shore and go for a swim.
Day 10 - Travel to your next destination
In order to get anywhere else from Lake Toba, you’ll most likely have to travel back to Medan. Most people will fly out from here to one of Indonesia’s other islands, or to another country. If you want to visit Palau We in Aceh, you’ll also have to travel via Medan.
If you’re planning on traveling further south on Sumatra, you can catch a bus to Padang from Parapat.
This was What (not) to do in North Sumatra: A 10-day itinerary
