12 Tourist Destination in North Sumatera
1. Lake Toba
A supervolcano erupted violently 70,000 years ago, leaving behind a massive crater lake twice the size of Singapore. More than that, an island called Samosir began to form in the middle of the lake. Toba Lake is a world-class attraction which looks beautiful from any angle, but my personal favorite is from its far northern end, in a small fish-farm town called Tongging.
2. Maimoon Palace
Maimoon palace is a heritage of Royal Deli. A Palace is located in center of Medan , Jl. Brigjen Katamso, Medan Maimun. There are many means of public transportation to reach the palace.
3. Berastagi Highland
Berastagi is Medanese’ favorite weekend getaway, a rural retreat into the town that offers never-ending supplies of fresh fruits and vegetables. Berastagi also boasts the scenic twin beauty of Mount Sibayak and Mount Sinabung. For adventurous travelers, these two mountains are excellent hikes. I have personally ascended Sibayak before; it was not too hard yet the view was stunning.
4. Sipiso-piso waterfall
From a rock opening 120 meters above a magnificent gorge in Kabanjahe, flows one of Indonesia’s tallest waterfalls. I’ve only been there once, but it was a great fun day drenched with splashes of water. If you’re lucky, you may also catch a rainbow glimpse at the bottom.
5. Sibolangit Waterfall
This one is lifted directly from your magical dreamworld. It’s two-colored waterfalls! Flowing down into the cold crystal blue pool are warm azure white falls. Such is the case because the rich sulfur that flows down from Mount Sibayak gets dissolved into the pool. This one’s certainly on my bucket list.
6. Tinggi Raja
This is North Sumatra’s best kept secret: I didn’t even know this exists until today! Similar to Turkey’s Pammukale, Tinggi Raja is a natural hot spring that have hardened to form terraces of “warm snows” made of calcium carbonate deposits.
7. Mount Sibayak
Mount Sibayak is located in Berastagi. It is about 2 hours from Medan. Mount Sibayak is a volcano which is called The King Mount. You can see the wonderful Berastagi view from the top of the mount.
8. Lawang Hill
This one’s for lovers of eco-tourism. Peek inside one of the world’s richest tropical rainforest ecosystem, in which you’ll find a small tourist town nearby Bohorok River doubling up as the largest animal sanctuary for semi-wild Sumatran orangutans.
9. Samosir Island
Samosir Island is a small island in the middle of Lake Toba. A beautiful view in this island will make you amazed. Samosir Island has history of Batak Kings and Batak cultures. In addition to become more familiar with Batak culture, you can also shop in Samosir Island. They sell handmade accessories from local resident.
10. Danau Linting (Linting Lake)
Here’s another one I just discovered today. This tosca green lake is located in between three villages at Deli Serdang regency. Completely off-the-beaten path, the lake’s beauty is as natural as it gets. For a perfect afternoon shelter between the trees grove.
11. Nias Island
The majority of Nias Island vistors are surfer. Nias Island has high wave and it becomes a target for surfing lover to try it. Nias Island is inhabited by those who still have adhered to the megalithic culture.
12. Pagoda Taman Alam Lumbini
Pagoda Taman Alam Lumbini (Lumbini Natural Park Pagoda) is a replica of Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar. This pagoda is gold painted with beautiful architecture showing its magnificence.
