Your travel guide to Sumatra, lying at the furthest west of Indonesia. It is a gigantic island largely unexplored. This giant island on the Indian Ocean hides many lush jungles and brews many active volcanoes, while the major cities are chaotic and packed. Sumatra is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and thus had some of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded.

Sumatra, the 6th largest island in the world, has a diverse population of 50 million people, with its biggest city, Medan, having over 4 million people around the urban area. It has the ethnic Malay at the east, Lampung and Minangkabau in the south and central, Batak in the highlands and north while northernmost the Acehs. There are minorities of Chinese in the urban centers. The majority of religion here is Muslim, with others like Christian, Buddhist, and Hindu.

Sumatra Travel Guide. Photo by HengYao Tang on Unsplash

Nevertheless, it is travel for those who seek adventure and nature, with the famous tourist attractions like trekking to see the Sumatran Orangutan in the wild at Bukit Lawang or chilling and swimming in the largest volcanic lake in the world Lake Toba or climbing the smoking volcano craters that surround the hill town of Berastagi and diving deep into the unexplored sea of Pulau Weh.

First Time in Sumatra

Sumatra Travel Map

Sumatra Travel Map

 

Sumatra Travel Map

 

Popular Route

Medan -> Berastagi -> Parapat -> Lake Toba -> Medan -> Bukit Lawang -> Pulau Weh -> Banda Aceh

Places to Visit

North Sumatra

Medan is the main city that serves as the gateway to Sumatra. Many fly in here to get to other locations in northern Sumatra. Lake Toba is the most popular travel destination in Sumatra, the largest volcanic lake in the world surrounded by resorts.

Bukit Lawang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Indonesia and also an Indonesian National Park, serves as an orangutan sanctuary.

Holy Mosque (masjid) at Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia

Medan Travel Guide

Medan is the main city of Sumatra and is located in Northern Sumatra. It serves…

West Sumatra

East Sumatra

Pekanbaru, Sumatra, Indonesia

Pekanbaru, Sumatra

Pekanbaru is one of the largest cities in Sumatra, Indonesia and as a capital of…

Activities