North Sumatra Travel Itinerary: Where to Go & How Long to Stay
How to experience the best of North Sumatra, Indonesia in 1 week to 1 month | Hi! We're Alex & Victoria - a digital nomad couple from Copenhagen escaping 9-5 to chase adventures in our beautiful world. Learn more about us here. |
A fiery land
Sumatra doesn’t stand still.
This fiery island in western Indonesia sits right on top of the Pacific Ocean’s “ring of fire” making it a true hotspot for cataclysmic events. The 2014 tsunami hit North Sumatra especially hard.
There are 35 active volcanoes in Sumatra, and in North Sumatra, two volcanoes are of particular interest to travellers: Mount Sinabung and Mount Sibayak – both located closely to Berastagi.
There’s no doubt that these are fertile lands. The biodiversity in the rain forests of the north is staggering (and includes wild orangutans!) while the islands to the west of Sumatra are filled with marine life under the sparkling surface.
Lake Toba (formed by a supervolcano) is a great place to unwind after experiencing some of North Sumatra’s natural attractions.
In this extensive Sumatra itinerary travel guide, we’ll do our best to give you an overview of what to do, where to go and how long to stay.
Table of contents
- Understand North Sumatra
- Our Sumatra itinerary
- Other ideas for your Sumatra itinerary
- How long to stay in North Sumatra
- Transport in North Sumatra
- Typical prices in North Sumatra
- When to visit North Sumatra
- Packing list: What to bring to North Sumatra
- Living as a digital nomad in Sumatra
- Is it dangerous to visit Sumatra?
Understand North Sumatra
North Sumatra is Sumatra’s most populous province with about 13.5 million inhabitants of Sumatra’s total 54.4 million.
Medan is both the capital city of North Sumatra and Sumatra’s most important city. It is here most international tourists enter the island.
North Sumatra geography
To understand North Sumatra, it helps to briefly understand its geography.
With just the narrow Strait of Malacca separating Sumatra from Malaysia, Sumatra is the closest part of Indonesia to mainland Asia.
Sumatra is Indonesia’s largest island (if you don’t count the Malaysian part of Kalimantan/Borneo) and the world’s sixth-largest.
Mountains and volcanoes
The Barisan Mountains (or Bukit Barisan) form the backbone of Sumatra with its 35 active volcanoes.
The range starts all the way north at Weh Island (Pulau Weh) and continues to the south of Sumatra towards Java.
The west of the island is dominated by this mountain range while the east is made up primarily of rivers and swamps.
Nature
Deforestation is a big problem in Sumatra and these days you’ll mostly be able to find primary rain forest in the mountainous regions.
In North Sumatra, the Leuser Ecosystem is of great conservation importance for preserving the homes of orangutans and elephants among other species.
Islands
There are several islands off the north and west coast of Sumatra.
Some of the most famous are Simeulue, Banyak Islands, Nias and the Mentawai Islands.
Weh Island in Banda Aceh province all the way to the north is also a popular tourist stop.
Our Sumatra itinerary
We flew into Medan’s Kualanamu International Airport from Penang in Malaysia to start our Sumatran adventure.
We also flew back out of Medan to Kuala Lumpur.
In total, we spent three weeks in Sumatra.
Map
These are the places we visited in North Sumatra, Indonesia.
Orangutan spotting in Bukit Lawang
Being able to experience orangutans in the wild was the reason we started thinking about visiting Sumatra in the first place.
The obvious place to do so is from Bukit Lawang in North Sumatra, so that’s where we headed first.
We went on a 2 days/1 night ethical orangutan trek and absolutely loved the experience.
Not only did we get to see orangutans swinging around the treetops; we were also lucky enough to witness some of their babies!
How long to stay in Bukit Lawang
With one night on arrival and one before leaving again, the absolute minimum time to spend in Bukit Lawang is two nights – but that will only have you going into the jungle on a short day trip.
We recommend that you spend a night in the jungle to fully immerse yourself in nature (or perhaps two or three nights if you want to venture even deeper).
For most people, three or four nights in total will be perfect.
Where to stay in Bukit Lawang:
- Value for money: Ecolodge Bukit Lawang – A great place to stay and relax before and after your orangutan tour.
- Value for money: Hotel Orangutan – Nice rooms with wifi.
- Budget: Green Travelodge – Private bathroom and fan at a good price.
Search for the best value accommodation in Bukit Lawang here.
Climbing a volcano and seeing a waterfall in Berastagi
Berastagi is the famous home of the two volcanoes Sinabung and Sibayak.
Sinabung is the taller one at 2,460 metres (versus Sibayak’s 2,212 metres), and it’s pretty with its perfect cone.
But it’s also really dangerous and not to be climbed.
We went on a sunrise hike to Sibayak (from where it’s possible to see Sinabung) and really enjoyed both the trek and the amazing views from the summit.
If you get the chance, try to go at either sunrise or sunset.
Sipiso Piso Waterfall
On our way to Samosir Island in Lake Toba from Berastagi, we stopped at Sipiso Piso Waterfall.
The running water drops 120 metres from an underground river and ends up in Lake Toba on the lake’s northern shores.
Though the sight is impressive enough from the viewpoints up top, getting down to the bottom of the falls was really the highlight of visiting.
How long to stay in Berastagi
Before travelling to Sumtra, we thought that we could easily spend a handful of nights in Berastagi surrounded by pretty views.
While we loved the fresh mountain air, we found quality accommodation to be a bit too expensive for our budget. Which made us stay for just two nights.
If you get a nice place to stay, it’s easy to justify staying in Berastagi for three or four nights.
Especially if you visit Sipiso Piso Waterfall as a day trip from town instead of either to or from Lake Toba as we did.
Where to stay in Berastagi (near both Sibayak and Sipiso Piso):
- Value for money: Sinabung Hills Berastagi – Pool and A/C at a fair price.
- Budget: Hotel Kalang Ulu. – Wifi in the rooms and nice sunset views.
- Budget: Wisma Sunrise View – Where we stayed and hired our guide for the volcano in Berastagi. Simple rooms with nice views at ridiculously low prices.
Search for the best value accommodation in Berastagi here.
Chilling on Samosir Island, Lake Toba
With the most adventure-filled days behind us, we immediately felt at ease on Samosir Island in Lake Toba.
Even though it’s a really big island (technically only because a canal was built where it connects to the rest of Sumatra on the central western side), Samosir Island feels very relaxed.
Most tourists tend to base themselves near Tuk Tuk, and so did we.
We arrived by boat directly from Parapat across the water and got dropped off directly at our hotel.
Renting a scooter for a day (if you know how to drive) is a must when you visit. The southern part of the island is especially beautiful.
How long to stay on Samosir Island, Lake Toba
Staying for a few nights (or even weeks) on Samosir Island in Lake Toba is a must on any North Sumatra itinerary.
Originally, we had planned to stay for just two nights.
But we extended our stay to four nights as we enjoyed the lake views, mild temperatures, good food and incredible local hospitality so much.
Where to stay on Samosir Island:
- Value for money: Zoe’s Paradise Waterfront Hotel – Partly Swiss-owned with everything you need for a pleasant stay on Samosir Island.
- Budget: Mas Cottages – Also located lakeside. Where we stayed!
Search for the best value accommodation on Samosir Island here.
Chilling even more on Asu Island
Asu Island was everything we dreamed of: Some of the most beautiful water we’ve ever seen, a perfect white sand beach and huts right next to the water.
The (vegan) food options were much better than anticipated and the seven puppies were just the best thing ever.
If you’re looking to unwind in a hammock while looking at an unreal tropical scene, Asu Island just might be the place for you.
How long to stay on Asu Island
A few days on Asu Island would be sufficient, right?
Boy, were we wrong!
We ended up staying for 12 days and could have easily spent a couple of nights more in paradise.
Some people come just for a night or two while some (like us) end up staying far longer.
Other ideas for your Sumatra itinerary
Banda Aceh and Weh Island
Banda Aceh is the capital city of Aceh province in Sumatra’s northernmost part and a popular stop for many tourists visiting North Sumatra.
It is known as Indonesia’s strictest city in terms of practising Islam, but also for being the gateway to some great snorkelling at Weh Island.
Avoid visiting the elephants at Tangkahan…
Marketed as an elephant sanctuary, many people arrive at Tangkahan thinking they’re supporting elephant rehabilitation.
Journey of a nomadic family called it a “glorified prison abuse centre” and we have read many reviews sharing those sentiments.
Avoid this place at all costs, no matter what the guides tell you.
Nias Island
Our original plan was to visit Asu Island for a few days and then spend about a week exploring Nias Island as well.
Alas, we didn’t – but Nias looks like it might have a lot in store for the adventure-traveller.
There are a lot of beaches, and the locals seemed super friendly and eager to cater to tourists.
Check out Visit Nias Island for tips on visiting Nias.
Other islands
There are a lot of islands outside Sumatra, and choosing between them can be difficult.
Apart from the Hinako Islands (of which Asu Island is one) and Nias Island, also check out Simeulue Island, the Banyak Islands and the Mentawai Islands.
Continuing south
Padang is the gateway to West Sumatra and from here you can reach lots of beaches and islands.
Also check out Mount Kerinci (Sumatra’s tallest volcano), Kerinci Seblat National Park and the Sianok Valley.
How long to stay in North Sumatra
We spent three weeks in North Sumatra alone and had we had the time (or the visa needed!), we could have easily found amazing things to do for at least a few weeks more.
If you just want to see wild orangutans, you can get by with just a few days in Bukit Lawang.
But once you’ve made the trip all the way to Sumatra, why not discover what else the island has to offer?
Adding two or three nights in Berastagi for a volcano trek and for visiting Sipiso Piso Waterfall is a no-brainer if you’re into hiking and natural attractions.
Samosir Island in Lake Toba isn’t far away, so consider relaxing there for a few days as well.
One week itinerary
If you have less than a week, we would choose just two locations (Orangutans + Berastagi or Lake Toba).
- Day 1: Arrive in Medan. Drive towards Bukit Lawang. Sleep in Bukit Lawang.
- Day 2: Go on an orangutan trek in the rain forest. Sleep in the jungle.
- Day 3: Return to Bukit Lawang after the trek and sleep here.
- Day 4: Transport from Bukit Lawang to Berastagi or Samosir Island.
- Day 5: Hike a volcano or relax on Samosir Island.
- Day 6: See a waterfall or relax on Samosir Island.
- Day 7: Drive back towards Medan.
Two week itineraries
With two weeks, you can add in a third location – and even cram in some days on a tropical island if you’re travelling swiftly.
Two week itinerary (slow-ish):
- Day 1: Arrive in Medan. Spend a night in the city.
- Day 2: Drive towards Bukit Lawang. Sleep in Bukit Lawang.
- Day 3: Go on an orangutan trek in the rain forest. Sleep in the jungle.
- Day 4: See even more orangutans. Sleep in the jungle again.
- Day 5: Return to Bukit Lawang after the trek and sleep here.
- Day 6: Transport from Bukit Lawang to Berastagi.
- Day 7: Hike Sibayak volcano and relax in the hot springs.
- Day 8: Take a slow day in Berastagi. Visit the fruit market.
- Day 9: Drive to Sipiso Piso on the way to Samosir Island.
- Day 10: Relax on Samosir Island in Lake Toba.
- Day 11: Relax on Samosir Island in Lake Toba.
- Day 12: Rent a scooter and tour Samosir Island.
- Day 13: Relax and soak the last sun rays.
- Day 14: Drive back towards Medan.
Two week itinerary (fast pace with an added island):
- Day 1: Arrive in Medan. Drive towards Bukit Lawang. Sleep in Bukit Lawang.
- Day 2: Go on an orangutan trek in the rain forest. Sleep in the jungle.
- Day 3: Return to Bukit Lawang after the trek and sleep here.
- Day 4: Transport from Bukit Lawang to Berastagi.
- Day 5: Hike Sibayak volcano and relax in the hot springs.
- Day 6: Drive to Sipiso Piso on the way to Samosir Island.
- Day 7: Relax on Samosir Island in Lake Toba.
- Day 8: Relax on Samosir Island in Lake Toba.
- Day 9: Rent a scooter and tour Samosir Island.
- Day 10: Transport to a tropical island (Asu Island, for example).
- Day 11: Relax on a tropical island.
- Day 12: Relax on a tropical island.
- Day 13: Relax on a tropical island.
- Day 14: Head back towards Medan.
One month itinerary
If you plan to spend your whole 1-month Indonesian visa in Sumatra alone, you can afford to travel slower and venture even further off the beaten path.
Think about what made you want to travel to Sumatra in the first place – and do even more of that.
A month can afford you to visit more remote places and travel much cheaper. Make your itinerary unique and you’ll get to discover untold bounties in this beautiful part of the world.
Travel times in Sumatra
Remember: Sumatra is huge and travel times quickly add up.
After a five hour ride, you (probably) won’t want to have other activities planned for the day than just checking in at your hotel and eating a meal or two to replenish your energies for the following day.
Transport in North Sumatra
Getting around North Sumatra by public transport is totally do-able and quite cheap.
But from what we heard, the money you save by going public instead of private may not make up for the hassle and extra time you’ll spend waiting around.
We mainly opted for the “tourist busses” which are just bigger cars or minivans.
No matter what type of transport you choose, the roads are quite crazy and people drive fast.
Typical prices in North Sumatra
Sumatra can be really cheap to visit and even if you do your best to splurge, you won’t find too many expensive luxury options around (except perhaps in Medan).
We paid between IDR 20k and 40k for most main meals per person (~ 1.4 USD to 2.8 USD / 1.3 EUR to 2.6 EUR).
Most nights, we paid around IDR 150k for a room with a double bed, fan, shower and electricity (~ 10.6 USD / 9.5 EUR).
Sample transport prices (private):
- Medan to Bukit Lawang: IDR 190k (~ 13.5 USD / 12 EUR)
- Bukit Lawang to Berastagi: IDR 170k (~ 12 USD / 10.7 EUR)
- Parapat to Samosir Island (by boat): IDR 20k (~ 1.4 USD / 1.3 EUR)
- Parapat to Medan: IDR 130k (~ 9 USD / 8 EUR)
Read our guide to Asu Island for the full breakdown of transport prices there.
When to visit North Sumatra
Sumatra’s tourist high season is between June and August.
We visited North Sumatra in the middle of July and had great weather for most of the time. We didn’t think that visiting in the high season felt overly touristic at any point.
It generally rains a lot in the north from October to January and from November to February in the south.
Bukit Lawang is pretty rainy all year round but driest in the summer.
Packing list: What to bring to North Sumatra
- Good shoes with a hard sole will be nice to have for jungle and volcano treks.
- Warm clothes. We both wore long socks, long pants, a t-shirt, a sweater/fleece and a rain jacket to Sibayak.
- A refillable water bottle (adlink).
- Sun protection; a hat, sunglasses and an eco-friendly sunscreen (adlink) will come in handy for the harsh Sumatran sun.
- Swimming shorts, swimsuit and/or bikini.
- A quality camera. You’ll really want to photograph Sumatra’s amazing nature. Here’s a guide to the camera, lens, drone and more we use on our travels.
- Extra tip: Consider buying a local sim card with data as wifi can be scarce in places. You can buy one when you arrive in Medan.
Living as a digital nomad in Sumatra
Sumatra isn’t really on the digital nomad radar in Southeast Asia.
We can understand why. On the surface, it’s very Indonesian. As opposed to Bali, for example, which is so dominated (in some parts) by western tourism.
But if you prefer nasi goreng to smoothie bowls, Sumatra just might be the thing for you.
We didn’t spend any real time in Medan, but there’s probably cheap rent to be had in new condos with great facilities. We have no reason to believe that wifi shouldn’t be super fast. Medan is well-connected to huge parts of Asia.
If you don’t need too many amenities, staying on Samosir Island in Lake Toba for weeks or even months sounds like a wonderful time. Not much happens, but the climate is mild, the food is good and the views are stunning.
Is it dangerous to visit Sumatra?
With all this talk of volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis it begs the question: Is Sumatra (and North Sumatra) dangerous to visit?
In short… Yes.
Sumatra probably is a tad more dangerous to visit than many other places in the world.
The longer answer can be summed up by saying that travelling always carries certain risks.
Some of these risks may be more prevalent in Sumatra than in other places.
Volcanoes and earthquakes
Volcano eruptions and earthquakes do occur occasionally in Sumatra.
You can, of course, never know for certain exactly when there will be an eruption.
Our take is that if you stay away from exclusion zones and head the advice of the government, you’ll most likely be fine.
Millions of people live on this spectacular island peacefully and will continue to do so.
The biggest risk of visiting North Sumatra is more likely that you’ll fall in love with the magnificent landscapes, beautiful islands, varied flora and fauna, kind people and interesting culture – and never want to leave!
If you’re considering visiting Sumatra (or Indonesia in general) and wonder if you’ll feel safe travelling around, we can only say that during our three months in Indonesia in total, we felt very safe and comfortable.
The Indonesian roads are a much bigger threat to your safety than a volcano can ever be…
Indonesians are wonderful people, and whatever risks the natural world may present is made up a thousand-fold by nature here being downright incredible at the same time.
Thanks for reading
Thanks for reading our North Sumatra travel itinerary. We hope it has been useful in planning your trip.
If you’ve been to Sumatra it would be awesome to hear your best tips in the comments. If you haven’t been yet, please don’t hesitate to ask us anything. We’re glad to help!
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Hi Victoria and Alexander
Compliments! The best report what I found in the net about Sumatra.
We will stay in this august one month in Sumatra. As in Europe in this moment are serious problems with the airlines, we can’t book right now the connection flight from Giacarta to Medan because we do not know if we arrive in time. My question is…..do you think we can book the jungle trekking when we arrive in bukit lawang or absolutely we have to book it before arriving?
Thank you for yr kindly response and good luck for yr future
Hi Monika, thank you so much for your kind words. We’re glad to hear that our guide has been helpful! Regarding booking the jungle trekking on arrival, we have no reason to think that this shouldn’t be possible. Of course, if you want to be 100% sure that there’s an available spot on a specific day, booking ahead is advisable. But even if everything is full, we think that the trekking guys in Bukit Lawang will probably get creative and help you to the best of their abilities when you arrive. Have a lovely time!
Hi,
Thanks so much for your information.
We are considering going to Sumatra in late September/ October with our two kids (3/5). Do you think it would be a good place to visit as a family? We’ll be in Indonesia/Asia for about 5 Months.
You didn’t mention having to cover up as a woman. Was this not something that was required a lot of the time?
Thanks so much!
Hi Vicky,
Thanks a lot for your comment. We can definitely recommend visiting Sumatra if you’re up for an adventure. We didn’t travel with kids so we can’t comment much on that, but apart from the traffic (and volcanoes!), we felt very safe. It’s such a beautiful part of the world full of natural diversity and splendour. Just keep in mind that the infrastructure isn’t amazing.
Being predominantly Muslim, dressing modestly when visiting Sumatra is recommended. When we sunbathed on Asu Island and Samosir Island though, bikinis were not a problem at all. Victoria didn’t cover her hair or anything like that but we would double-check that if we were visiting the northernmost part (Aceh).
Enjoy and have a fantastic time in Asia!
Thank you Victoria and Alex for this blog. I used it extensively to plan my recent 12 day Nth Sumatran trip, and everything you mention is spot on 👌🏻.
Congrats on the baby news, hopefully this will only be a small pause in your travel plans.
Graeme and Laura.
Thanks so much Graeme and Laura! That is super awesome to hear. And thank you so much – yes, we’ll probably slow down a little and then take it from there 😉
I just got back from my one month holiday from Indonesia and can say this guide is still a perfect description on what to do in North Sumatra. I spent about 11 days there before moving to Java. I ended up spending 6 nights in Bukit Lawang due to my bag being left in Melbourne when I arrived, so I had to wait 2 extra days before I could do my 3D/2N jungle trek. Only 1 in Berastagi (because of the bag delay) and then 3 in Lake Toba, flying out the next evening to Jakarta.
I was there about the start to mid June, just before the locals say it really gets to peak time, so Bukit Lawang was still relatively quiet. The community there were so welcoming and not pushy to sell you anything. It felt no time was lost for me when I knew how to speak Indonesian and communicate with them. They have their local weekly market on Fridays by the bus terminal (15 minute walk) if you ever want to visit.
For me getting to places, I took a public bus from the Airport to Bukit Lawang which was about 130k IDR. 60K to Binjai terminal and then 50k to BL, I spent 10 minutes on a becak in between that just dropped my off to my next bus. I just mentioned I was going to BL at the airport and they had it organised for me. Becak could have been cheaper I guess but it was an express service so no waiting for any bus.
From BL to Berastagi and then Berastagi to Lake Toba I used a shared car, which was 200k IDR for both trips. I organised this through my Jungle trek company, but there are lots of banners in all destinations about prices of this service to different destinations, you just need to contact via Whatsapp I believe.
My trip back to Medan was also by this service where it went direct to the airport first and then dropped others off in Medan. If you look to fly to Jakarta, there is another local airport close by and cheaper, but you need to stay the night there as the flights are only in the morning and the boat doesn’t leave early enough from Tuk Tuk.
Would love to go back and see some places I missed and probably spend more time in the jungle.
Wow Nathan, thanks so much for sharing all the detailed information about your journey through North Sumatra! It sounds like you had a fantastic time. We’re also very happy to hear that this travel guide helped you plan the trip. We would love to go back one day and we hope you get to do that, too! 🙂