LAKE TOBA

Sumatra Attractions

Are you in the need for Attractions in the near of your sumatra Hotel and then want to know of the restaurant which are also in your near. This category is the right place to be searching for Attractions in Sumatrafor that short or long holiday break.

other people who have been there, compare prices of Attractions in Sumatra and to make the best choice, we will show you the best online prices that can be found on the web.

LAKE TOBA

Lake toba is one of the biggest lake in Sumatra island and in Indonesia, too. Lake Toba is about 285 km from Medan City, a capital of North Sumatra. Lake Toba is about 100 km long and about 30 km wide. Lake Toba is also called Parapat by a people of North Sumatra.

From Jakarta, we needed a trip about 2.5 hours by plane, whereas from Medan to reach the lake Toba we needed 3-4 hours trip by car. To go to location of lake, we drive a car or a bus from Medan through an area of hill and It take about 3-4 hours until we arrive to lake Toba. .

In a middle of lake, there is an island called Samosir island. To reach a samosir, we might use boat and there is also bigger ship which transports cars and busses sailing to Samosir. A cost to sail to Samosir is only Rp 25.000.

When we are in Medan, we feel so hot, not li

ke on Toba, cause in Toba we feel so cool. If you want to have amazing view of Lake Toba, I'd suggest you to drive on the top of the hill, passing by small villages and having a look on such a beautiful countryside, where you will have similar views. Lake Toba is a so relaxing place, where you will definitely enjoy.

When I went to lake Toba, I live in Sin

abung hotel, the hotel is on the edge of lake Toba and the rate of hotel is about Rp 300.000. We just walk ahead 20 m to reach lake and we can swim in the lake, too. What's enjoyable swimming in lake Toba, enjoyable and fresh.

On Samosir, there is a unique culture called "Batak Toba/Tapanuli" and the nicest thing to do, in my opinion, is to expore the traditional Batak Toba villages to meet the friendly people on Samosir.

On lake Toba and Samosir we can find an abundance of cool places to stay, to eat, libraries, internet, bars, prostitutes, drugs , video rooms and shopping a traditional unique goods.

A. LOCATION

North Sumatra Province, Indonesia.

2:21-2:56N, 98:26-99:15E; 905 m above sea level.

B. DESCRIPTION

Lake Toba lies in the northern part of Barisan Mountain Range, which is volcanic and traverses Sumatra Island from nort

hwest to southeast as its backbone. The laketrough is surrounded by precipitous cliffs 400-1,200 m high. Based on the topographic feature and the wide distribution of volcanic ejecta around the lake, some geologists and valcanologists have considered it to be a giant caldera or cauldron. The water surface of L. Toba is 90

5 m above sea level and about 1,100 km2 wide.

The total area of the lake, including the areas of Samosir and Paradapur Islands

, amounts to 1,780 km2. The mountains around the lake are called Batak Highlands.

The only draining river from L. Toba, the Asahan, flows southeastwards dissecting the gentle slopes of the pyroclastic plateau.

C. PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS (Q)

Surface area [km2] 1,100

Volume [km3] 1,258

Maximum depth [m] 529

Water level Unregulated

Normal range of annual water

level fluctuation [m] 1.5

Catchment area [km2] 3,440

D. PHYSIOGRAPHIC FEATURES (Q)

D1 GEOGRAPHICAL

Sketch map: Fig. ASI-10 -01.

Names of main islands: Samosir (640 km2) and Paradapur (7 km2).

Number of outflowing rivers and chan nels (name): 1 (Asahan R.).

D2 CLIMATIC

Climatic data at Parparean, 1961-19 80

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Ann.

Mean temp. [deg C] 19.3 19.0 18.9 19.3 19.4 19.1 19.0 18.8 19.0 19.4 19.4 19.1 19.1

Precipitation [mm] 100 105 115 132 124 102 83 110 148 174 182 178 1,732

Solar radiation: 15.7 MJ m-2 day- 1.

Water temperature [deg C]

Station Surfa ce

Haranggaul 27

Tigaras 27

Tomok 26

Simanindo 27

Pangururan 27

Nainggolan 27

Prapat 27

Porsea 26

Freezing period: None.

Notes on water mixing and thermocline formation Mizuno observed an extremely homogeneous ver tical distribution of water temperature from the surface down to 300 m depth on 23 January 1976 (13).

Sketch map (altitude in ft)(14).

E. LAKE WATER QUALITY (

Q)

E2 pH, 1979

Station Surface

Lotung 8.4

Situmeang 7.9

Bukit 8.4

Tongging I 7.0

Tongging II 7.9

Onan Runggu 7.6

Prapat 8.2

E4 DO [mg l-1], 1979

Station Surface

Lotung 6.7

Situmeang 6.8

Bukit 9.3

Tongging I 6.3

Tongging II 7.0

Onan Runggu 7.0

Prapat 8.0

E5 COD [mg l-1], 1979

Determined by KMnO4 m ethod.

Station Surf ace

Haranggaul 2.30

Prapat 2.80

Mogang 2.24

Onan Runggu 2.15

Porsea 2.06

Hashinggahan 1.30

Tomok 1.53

Sabulan 1.72

Muara 1.36

Balige 1.24

E8 PHOSPHORUS CONCENTR ATION

Total-P [mg l-1], 1979

Station Surface

Haranggaul 0.31

Hasinggahan 0.32

Tomok 0.66

E9 CHLORIDE CONCENTRATION [mg l-1], 1979

Station Surface

Haranggaul 8.6

Prapat 8.3

Mogang 10.1

Onan Runggu 10.4

Porsea 10.3

Hasinggahan 11.8

Tomok 11.0

Sabulan 9.2

Muara 9.6

Balige 9.5

F. BIOLOGICAL FEATURES (Q)

F1 FLORA

Emerged macrophytes: Nelumbo nucifera, Nymphaea sp.

Floating macrophytes:Eichhornia crassipe s, Lemna minor, Azolla pinnata, Spirodella polyrhiza.

Submerged macrophytes:Potamo geton malaianus, P. polygonifolius, Myriophyllum spicatum, Ceratophyllum demersum, Hydrilla verticillata, Chara sp.

Phytoplankton:Amphora, Cocconema, Asterionella, Synedra, Gomphonema, Orthosira, Navicula,Mastogloia, Pleu rosigma, Nitzschia, Genicularia, Botryococcus, Synechococcus,Anabaena, Oscillatoria.

F2 FAUNA

Zooplankton: Cyclops, Cladocera.

Benthos: Macrobrachium sintangensis, Brotia costula, Thiara scabra, Melanoidestuberculata, Melanoides granifera, Anentome helena, Lymnaea brevispira, L.rubiginosa, Physastra sumatra na, Corbicula tobae.

Fish: Tilapia mossambica, Aplocheilus pachax, Lebistes reticulatus, Osphronemus goramy, Trichogaster trichopterus, Channa striata, C. gachua, Clarias batrachus, C. nieuhofi, C. sp., Nemachilus fasciatus, Cyprinus carpio, Puntius javanicus, P. binotatus, Osteochilus nasselti, Lissochilus sp., Labeobarbus sora, Rasbora sp.

F4 BIOMASS

Submerged macrophytes [g (w et wt.) m-2]

Station Potamogeton sp. Myriophyllum sp icatum Others Total

Lotung 2,470 130 <25 2,600 Onan Runggu 2.800 150 0 2,950 Parbaloan Urat 1,833 310 520 2,663 Tongging 1,947 157 <25 2,104 Lumban Sitorus 150 1,640 0 1,750 F5 FISHERY PRODUCTS Annual fish catch [metric tons] 1978: 2,820. F6 PAST TRENDS Annual fish catch [metric ton] Year Production Tilapia mossambica Cyprinus carpio Others Total 1967 1,039 207.8 831.2 2,078 1976 - - - 2,211 1977 - - - 2,569 1978 2,175.1 4.6 640.2 2,820 F7 NOTES ON THE REMARKABLE CHANGES OF BIOTA IN THE LAKE IN RECENT YEARS Increasing: Tilapia mossambic a. Decreasing: Cyprinus carpio. G. SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONDITIONS (Q) G1 LAND USE IN THE CATCHM ENT AREA 1981 Area [km2] [%] Natural landscape Grass (alang-alang) 9 55 40.6 Scrub 59.24 2.5 Forest 159.66 6.8 Reforestation 388.70 16.6 Regreening 228.28 9.7 Agricultural land 512.08 21.8 Plantation 20.88 0.9 Others 23.56 1.1 Total 2,347.50 100 Main types of woody veg etation:Tr opical high mountain forest; Pinus merkusii forest; Macadamia hildebrandii forest. Main types of herbaceous vegetation:Imperata cylindrica with Rhodomyrtus tomentos, Melastoma sp. and Gleichenia linearis. Main kinds of crops: Rice, sweet potato, maize, vegetables. Levels of fertilizer application on crop fields: Moderate. G2 INDUSTRIES IN THE CATC HMENT AREA AND THE LAKE No information. G3 POPULATION IN THE CATCHMENT AREA 1980 District Area[km2] Population F amily Population density [km-2] Tapanuli Utara 2,420.5 309,111 66,744 128 Tanah Karo 63.0 3,901 731 62 Dairi 45.0 9,011 1,810 200 Total 2,528.5 322,023 69,285 127 H. LAKE UTILIZATION H1 LAKE UTILIZATION (Q) Source of water, navigation and transp ortation (amount of cargo in 1978: 1,922 metric tons), sightseeing and tourism (no. of visitors in 1978: 44,625). recreation (yachting), fisheries. H2 THE LAKE AS WATER RESOURCE : No information. I. DETERIORATION OF LA KE ENVIRONMENTS AND HAZARDS (Q) I1 ENHANCED SILTATION Extent of damage: Not seriou s. I2 TOXIC CONTAMINATION: No information. I3 EUTROPHICATION: No information. I4 ACIDIFICATION Extent of damage: None. J. WASTEWATER TREATME NTS (Q) J1 GENERATION OF POLLUTA NTS IN THE CATCHMENT AREA f) Measurable pollution without wastewater treatment. J3 SANITARY FACILITIES AND SEWER AGES Percentage of municipal population in the catchment area provided with adequate sanitary facilities (on-site treatment system) or public sewerage: None. Percentage of rural population with adequate sanitary facilities (on-site treatment systems): None. Municipal wastewater treatmen t systems: None. Industrial wastewater treatment systems: None . K. IMPROVEMENT WORKS I N THE LAKE None. L. DEVELOPMENT PLANS (Q) Integrated management on Toba Lake catchment area. Hydroelectric power plant und er construction. M. LEGISLATIVE AND INSTITUTIONAL MEASURES FOR UPGRADING LAKE ENVIRONM ENTS (Q) M1 NATIONAL AND LOCAL LAWS CONCERNED Names of the laws (the year of legislation) Act of the Republic of Indonesia No 4 concerning Basic Provisions for the Management of the Living Env ironment (1982) State Regulation of the Republic of Indonesia No.29 on Environmental Impact Assessment (1986) Responsible authorities & (2) The State Minister for Population and Environment. Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of Forestry and Local (Provincial) Governments M2 INSTITUTIONAL MEASURES The State Minister for Population and Environment responsible for coordinating environmental managements Ministry of Public Works responsible for lake utilization Ministry of Home affairs resp onsible for regional development Ministry of Forestry responsible for for est management and soil conservation M3 RESEARCH INSTITUTES ENGAGED IN THE LAKE ENVIRONMENT STUDIES Centre of Environmental Studies (University) Institute of Hydraulic Engineering A gency of Resources and Development N. SOURCES OF DATA Questionnaire filled by Dr. Herman Haerumen is, Ministry of State for Popula tion and Environment, Indonesia, based on the following literature (1)-(12). Abdullah Angaedi (1980) Studi Perencanaan Perbaikan Keadaan Danau Toba,Suma tra Utara, PT. Indah Karya & Ministry of Public Works. Asahan Development Authority (1984) Laporan Penyelesaian Pelaksanaan Pemban gunan Proyek Asahan. Directorate of Forest Planning & Programme (1981) Pola Pengelolaan Catchmen t Area Danau Toba, Sumatra Utara. Min istry of Agriculture. Hehanussa P. E. (1982) Tefra Toba. National Geology & Mining Institute. Na tional Institute of Sciences. --- (1982) Penanggalan Rad iometri Formasi Samosir Tefra Toba.National Geology & Mining Institute, National Institute of Sciences. --- (1983) Tefra Toba disek itar Danau Toba, Sumatra Utara.National Geology & Mining Institute, National Institute of Sciences. ---, Fujii, S. & Yokoyama, T. (1983) New dates of fluvio-iacustrine deposits from Lake Toba, Indonesia. Ibnu Fajar (1983) Laporan Penyelidikan Geologi Lingkungan Daerah Tadah Danau Toba, Sumatra Utara. Directorate of Environmental Planning of Geology. --- (1984) Laporan Penyelidikan Geologi Tata Lingkungan Daerah Aliran Sungai Asahan, Sumatra Utara. Directorate of E nvironmental Planning of Geology. University of Indonesia & Ministry of Pu blic Works (1979) Survai Ekologi Danau Toba. University of Sumatra Utara & The Office of State Minister for Development Supervision & Environment (1979) Komunitas, Lingkungan Perairan & Kehidupan Biologis Danau Toba, Sumatra Utara. Yusron Loebis (1982) Penelitian Keseimbangan Tata Air Danau Toba.Institute of Hydraulic Engineering, Min istry of Public Works. Mizuno, T. (1977) Water temperature and some other environmental factors in inland waters of tropical Asia. Suion no K en kyu, 21 (1): 12-19 (in Japanese). --- (1980) Lakes and Forests of Tropical Asia. 232 pp. Tokai Univ. Press, Tokyo (in Japanese). LAKE SINGKARAK

Lake singkarak is the one of four lake in west sumatra. that not include lake kerinci that half is at west sumatra region and the other half is in jambi region. Lake Singkarak is in the side ways to Solok and the way to "Lintas Sumatra". That connect all province in Sumatra. So from Aceh to Lampung is connected by this road. And the lake have a beautiful water that you can swim here. and you can paragliding from the hill that sorrounding this lake. If you go here you'd better be carreful. So you dont miscom

unicate with the locals. The transportation to and from here is available from 7.00 am to 6.00 pm. from Bukittinggi its take about 1.30 hours to go there.

Mount Merapi in West Su

matra

This if the good mount that bukittinggi h ave. that you can see sunrise from here. And there you can find "Puncak Merpati" there. but it was a risk to go there. But you have a good view to volcanos lava in the mountain stomach, from there. and you can see full Bukittinggi city from up there. And you can see lake singkarak too from here. From up here yu can see Mount Singgalang and Mount Sago too. But if you go up to mount Merapi you better go up in the midnight. So you can see the sunrise. And its re aly beautiful. You can see the shadows of the night dissapears. If you go to Bukittinggi i preffer you have go up there

Air Mertua Waterfall, Peka

nbaru, Sumatra

I travelled through Sumatra in 1

994 from Medan to Padang and made a stop at lake Toba. The bus ride from the Orang-utan sanctuary, at Bukit Lawang, to Lake Toba took twelve hours. Don’t believe it when they say air-conditioned bus…two little fans at the front of the bus is not air-conditioning!

The lake itself is huge as is the Island that you can stay on in the middle of it and there are plenty of guesthouses and dorm beds to be found, bikes to rent and places to eat. We got a dorm bed in Bagus Bay, and there was actually hot water. Believe me after weeks of washing in cold water using a little hand scoop this was a luxury. Parapat is the place where you get the boats out to the Island and also where you can find a big outdoor market. Lake Toba is definitely worth a visit but make sure you stop at Lake Maninjau, near Bukittingi, which although smaller is set in a Volcanic crater and beautiful. It’s on the way South and is only 15 hours by “air-conditioned” bus. Yo

u do get to stop at the equator though.

King Palace, Bukittinggi, Sumatra

Volcano

This is where you can get the bus down to lake Maninjau, and also take a trip to the Kings Palace. We befriended one of the locals, who took us to stay at her village, (Merapi), where we visited a local bullfight. She also arranged for us to climb an active volcano in the area. Be warned, this isn’t like Mt. Bromo in Java, which is an easy walk with steps up to the crater, but a fairly hard seven-hour night climb. I think it was about 2,800 meters. We made it to the top in time for the sunrise, which was great, amazing views, although it was extremely cold before the sun came out. Take a good jacket. We were also the only ones on the mountain, which is definitely not the case at Mt. Bromo. If you get the chance have a go but check if it’s safe….we heard that some tourists had been caught out in an eruption a few weeks before our climb. Could be one reason for the lack of tourists!

Siak River, Sumatra

I think that if orang utans do not live in Bukit Lawang, this place is nothing. It is a small place where mainly people run their small or home agricultural business, such as rice farming, vegetables farming and rubber farming. In brief the people earn their living by farming.

Since the existency of orang utans is becoming more critical by wild-hunters, Bukit Lawang is determined to be the rehabilitation centre for the creatures.

By then, though the people are still running their agricultural home business, in general they can add their additional income from the local and international visitors. They can be good guides and produce some traditional stuffs to be sold.

Supported with government's promotion, good coorporation from local people and the others, finally Bukit Lawang can be one of the outstanding tourism spots in Sumatra. How to reach there?

The only international airport in Indonesia is located in North Sumatra - Medan. Medan is the capital city of North Sumatra Province.

The only public transportation available to reach Bukit Lawang is using cars or buses. It takes about 4 hours to reach Bukit Lawang from Medan by bus. Hence you must arrange your time well.

Bukit Lawang?

Lexically Bukit means mount and Lawang means cave. I think this name is a suitable one for this tourism spot.

Geologically Bukit Lawang is a surburb and peaceful place. The green scenery might be a good 'medicine' for decreasing our stress.

A piece of land surrounded by a river is the outstanding place in Bukit Lawang. The rehabilitation camp for Orang Utans - Their Kingdom. They are much safer here! What is an Orang Utan?

Lexically Orang means people and utan means jungle. Well, they look like a humanbeing and its shape / body is even bigger than a man. They are actually the family of apes. They eat fruits from the jungle.

Tourism Attractions

What can visitors or tourists enjoy in Bukit Lawang ? Here are some that I can tell you.

1. Swimming in the sandy and stony river. It is not very deep. The water flows hard.

2. If you are interested, you can have a trip to track the jungle for few days. By tracking the jungle, you can reach Mount Leuser (Aceh).

3. Visiting the Orang Utans' project. You can visit the Orang Utans at certain time and twice a day. At the rehabilitation camp, visitors can see orang utans any closer. You can shake-hands with them. But be careful, sometimes they are not friendly.

Don't too worry about the living expense here. It is not so expensive as living in some other cities or towns.

Okay, that all I can tell you about Bukit Lawang and some of tourism attractions. Welcome to Bukit Lawang!

Bukit Tinggi, The Cave of War Speaking as Witness

Bukit Tinggi is a town in west Sumatra. How to reach this tourism-spot? Supposing you are really anxious to know the practical way to have a practical, economical and optimized traveling in Sumatra, you can read my opinion on “General Sumatra”.

Verbally Bukit means mountain and Tinggi means High; hence this phrase means “high mountain”. There is a mount called Gunung Marapi (freely translated, this phrase means “the mount that has fire”) that can be viewed in Bukit Tinggi. Don’t worry to hear this, because the volcano is not active anymore.

The air is fresh and cool as it is mountainous and there are many trees growing. This place is suitable for everyone who loves sightseeing, making photos and for health. What can be enjoyed in Bukit Tinggi? Firstly, the most recommended place is the zoo. Most animals living in Asia can be found. Some traditional arts are shown in the zoo, too.

Then there are some other tourism-spots. We can reach each location just on foot. It means there are various kinds of scenery can be enjoyed.

One of them is called Gua Jepang (Gua means Cave and Jepang means Japanese). This cave was the Japanese place to keep their ammunition while they were occupying Indonesia. The cave is quite long. Some old people say that it was the Japanese’s central secret place to keep the ammunition, and even it was the biggest of theirs in Asia. The most surprising one, it was also “the killing field” of Japanese. They jailed the people who had been forced to work for them (such as building their castles) in this place. They did not give any food to these poor people, and surely they died miserably. The jails are still available to been seen. What a cruel war! This is the real witness of war.

The tribe living in Bukit Tinggi is called Minang Kabau (as the folk-tale says that the existence of the civilization caused by their winning in buffalo-fight; Minang means to win and Kabau means Buffalo). Actually not only the people living in this town, Bukit Tinggi are called originated as Minang Kabau tribe, but most of people living in West Sumatra are called Minang Kabau. Their language is almost the same as Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian).

Tourists still have the chance to see their original buildings. They are well known as tight in holding their tradition. By the way, most of the people’s religion is Islam. They are friendly, and that is why tourists are still interested in visiting here all along the year.

This town is well managed for tourism. Foreigners who do not eat rice can easily find the cafés that serve them with local price. Don’t be afraid of being hungered!

Okay, that’s all that I can tell you friends. I hope you can enjoy this journey and imagine as if you were in Bukit Tinggi. I welcome your comments for the coming revision (if needed).