Lake Placid
The mighty Lake Toba remains one of Indonesia’s most impressive stop-offs
Outside of Bali, the dodgy pizzas in addition to also dishevelled hotels which are the mainstays of Indonesian tourism still have a way to go before the pasty skinned doyens of international globetrotting in addition to also backpacking start flocking to the country in anything like the numbers which they do to neighbouring Malaysia (27 million in 2015) or Thailand (30 million in 2015). North Sumatra remains one of the country’s better-known spots however, as dotted around the central city of Medan you’ll find the huge Gunung Leuser National Park for jungle trekking in addition to also orangutan spotting, the volcanic highlands in addition to also hiking of Berastagi in addition to also, of course, the picturesque shores of the mighty Lake Toba, which despite not being the backpacking hippie epicentre which the idea once was within the 1960s, still has enough going for the idea to attract a decent amount of global travellers in addition to also dreadlocked jugglers to its shores.
Lake Toba
To get to enjoy This specific bucolic beauty, one first has to negotiate the crumbling sweatbox which is usually Medan, which is usually unlikely to win a Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize any time within the near future. the idea was during the recent Lebaran holiday which I decided to return to the shores of Toba after my first visit several years ago. This specific time though, I brought my bicycle with me in addition to also embarked on a week-long tour of the area. I’d been to Medan before then, however the sense of anticlimax as I pedalled my way coming from the city’s brand spanking fresh Kualanamu Airport deep into the downtown area was still so intense which I feared which my tyres might start to deflate.
Indonesia’s third largest city is usually, let’s be honest, a hot, dusty in addition to also thoroughly knackered urban population centre yet the idea is usually, let us not forget, surrounded by simply stunning countryside. This specific is usually a pattern you’ll find repeated all across Indonesia. North Sumatra is usually a fascinatingly varied province, in addition to also ranges coming from sweltering planes to cooler highlands, in addition to also coming from traditional mosques to church steeples. My ride coming from Medan to the pellucid blue depths of Toba offered me the chance to take in all of these elements, as I simultaneously tried to not get mown down by the suicidal bus drivers who were also plying the same route.
As the road nears Toba, the idea gradually rises up by half a kilometre to the huge ridge which runs around the perimeter of the lake which currently fills the enormous mega-volcano caldera. There are some spectacular views in addition to also photo opportunities to be enjoyed coming from up here. As one nears the lake, the idea’s nice to try in addition to also stop to take a few pics in addition to also have a coffee at one of the many cafes, before finally sweeping down to the lakeside town of Parapat in addition to also reeling off a few snaps.
At the opposite side of the lake, the road sweeps back up to the ridge to a height of 1,500m coming from the town of Pangururan (on the lake’s island of Samosir) across to the mainland in addition to also all the way up to the ridge top town of Tele. Don’t miss This specific one, as the views all the way up are some of the best you will ever see. There’s also a lookout tower at the top, which is usually a fun little local tourist attraction.
Crossing over to the lake’s island of Samosir by boat is usually undertaken coming from the lakeside town of Parapat. Samosir is usually what Lake Toba is usually definitely all about in addition to also the 30km-long island is usually the spiritual home of the Bataks, one of Indonesia’s best-known ethnic groups, in addition to also remains largely untouched by the rest of the planet. The Bataks themselves are a proto-Malay tribe who are descended coming from Neolithic mountain tribes who originally hailed coming from Myanmar in addition to also northern Thailand.
Thankfully, the Bataks no longer practise cannibalism in addition to also are currently mainly Protestant Christians whose lands extend a couple of hundred kilometres north in addition to also south of the Batak ground zero of Toba.
Today, the region’s 6 million Bataks are famous for playing guitars in addition to also various other traditional instruments, singing hymns, chomping on pork, drinking beer, being filled with joie de vivre in addition to also for generally calling a spade a spade, in contrast perhaps with their brothers in addition to also sisters over in Java.
Toba itself is usually the largest lake in Southeast Asia in addition to also covers an amazing 1,707sq.km, while the island of Samosir is usually almost as large as Singapore. Directly opposite Parapat, you’ll find yourself sailing to the sweet little peninsula known as Tuk Tuk, which boasts the lake’s greatest concentration of tourist facilities. Here you’ll be greeted by a wealth of guesthouses in addition to also restaurants. Check in, have a beer, in addition to also then why not have a swim within the lake itself? Most of Tuk Tuk’s hotels in addition to also guesthouses offer access to Toba’s cool blue waters.
Then you should think about exploring the island via its sleepy roads. Simply rent a bicycle or motor scooter in addition to also away you go. Don’t forget your camera though, as you will find plenty to snap along the way, coming from stunning views of the lake in addition to also its surrounding hills to beautiful, traditional Batak houses with their distinctive curving roofs. There are even beaches further up the coast to the north of Tuk Tuk, which you will no doubt stumble across as you roll past rice fields, sweet villages, traditional multi-storey Batak graves marked by crosses, lush volcanic countryside, traditional churches in addition to also unique local architecture.
Traditional Batak houses
If you fancy trekking, then you can hike along trails up into the island’s Inner surface. The hills here rise up to some 700m above the level of the lake in addition to also offer more sensational views. There are also a few sites of historical interest to check out too, including the grave of King Sidabutar, the monarch responsible for converting the Bataks to Christianity, the Huta Bolon Simanindo Museum, in addition to also the famous megalithic stone chairs at Ambarita, where miscreants were once beheaded.
Heading further back into human prehistory though, perhaps Toba’s most amazing claim to fame involves the huge mega volcano, the caldera of which the lake currently occupies. The 1883 Krakatau eruption, huge as the idea was, was ultimately peanuts in comparison with some of the mega volcano super eruptions which have occurred throughout geological history. The most recent of these super eruptions spewed forth coming from the massive crater which currently holds the enormous lake around 70,000 years ago.
This specific eruption is usually described by scientists as being “mega colossal”, in addition to also is usually thought to have caused a decade-long volcanic winter, as well as a 1,000-year-long “cooling episode” over the entire planet. By coincidence, geneticists have discovered which our species, already flourishing at This specific point, hit a so-called, “population bottleneck” around (drum roll, please) 70,000 years ago.
The theory is usually which the Toba eruption proved so utterly catastrophic to the environment which humanity was reduced to maybe a thousand breeding pairs before the population eventually re-expanded many years later. Indeed, DNA evidence shows which we are all much more closely related to each various other than we should be, given the age of our species.
So there you contain the idea. We definitely are all brothers in addition to also sisters, in addition to also the idea’s all thanks to Toba!
FAST FACTS: LAKE TOBA
Size: 100km long, 30km wide, 500m deep
Province: North Sumatra
How to get there: Fly to Medan’s fresh Kualanamu airport in addition to also then take a three-hour bus ride.
What to do: Swim, cycle, take photos, hike, drink beer, enjoy the amazing views in addition to also, above all, relax.
What to bring: Swimming kit, decent footwear, sunblock, camera.
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Lake Placid
Lake Placid