Pro

Friendly people, interesting culture, scenic
Con

Transportation is torture !!!
In a nutshell

A delightfully interesting place to visit
Garden Inn: Bukit Lawang accomodation
Arial_27 Says: This was a fancy place to stay compared to the much cheaper options there were. It worked out to be a total of $10 a night for two people (yes, thats all together, not each :) and we got a gorgeous cottage with a balcony, double bed, our own bathroom and shower. The hotel...
Goienaga Says: You can get to this small buses to go to small villages, there are not spacious but you can manage if you carry a small backpack.
Arial_27 Says: If you ever order pancakes, don't expect to get pancakes. There is a famous local dish in Indonesia and Malaysia called "Roti cenai." (pronounced ROTEE CHEN-EYE) They can make it in several flavours, with berries, bananas, syrup, cheese or vegetables, anything really. It's a...
Not too many tourists hence not too many traps.
daddygila Says: Since I was there during the "Crisis monitor" I didn't see many tourists at all. Other than the usual transport touts that congregate around bus and taxi stations worldwide "jaded" tourist help was not a problem. Remember when shopping in markets bargaining is expected of...
Arial_27 Says: Medan is the capital city of North Sumatra and has a population of over 2 million. It's the 4th largest city in Indonesia. There's a big shopping centre that has a McDonalds, but thats pretty much the extent of any Western food you'll find. There's a lot of food Indonesian...
Plan a Sumatra vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Sumatra locals

This is the largest lake in South East Asia. Breathtaking views abound.

Q: Hi all, Need advice and help, I am travelling to Padang of Sumatra next month from KL. I want to travel alone by land from...

A: I had done the trip Medan to Jakarta and it took 48 hours including the Sunda Sea Crossing by ferry, the road conditions are a lot better in Java and more comfortable, I...
Read 4 Replies
1

To me the most striking thing about Sumatra were the people. A egalitarian sense pervades the society. People always went out of their way to say hello to this BULE!!! Sumatra is an island with an......
2
Land of monkies and nasi goreng

Sumatra is breathtaking in landscape and fascinating in what you can see. Make sure you don't miss Lake Toba when you're here.
3

Just in front of Sibolga there are the Nias islands this could be a good place to visit, not very crowded but it is better visited in winter when there is no monzoon season.
4

For a long time I have been wanting to go to Indonesia. Being dutch, and from Bovensmilde (a village with a large indonesian population) I learned about these islands when I was a kid. I learned how...
5

Picture is from Tuktuk, a small tourist town (trap) on the east side of Samosir Island. The Aceh area north of this lake is very diverse and there is a lot to see. I was lucky to go there during...
Build your own Sumatra page