North Sumatra

North Sumatra (Sumatera Utara) is a province in the north Indonesia's Sumatra Island. Various tourist destinations can be found throughout the province, Berastagi is best known as a hilly place with a cooler temperature as the whole province is in tropical region. Lake Toba is also a popular travel destination. Toba is a large volcanic lake which has an island inside of it, Samosir Island. Nias Island and other several islands nearby named Batu Islands is a popular spot for surfing. The capital city, Medan, has many places of interest, mainly for its historical sites. is also known for its variety of cuisine.

Cities

• 1 Medan — the chaotic capital famous for its varieties of local cuisine
• 2 Pematangsiantar — second largest city
• 3 Binjai — small city 22 km east to Medan city and part of Greater Medan, also transit point to Bukit Lawang and Tangkahan
• 4 Kisaran & its neighbor 5 Tanjungbalai — the only international passenger port to peninsular Malaysia
• 6 Padang Sidempuan — the 'Salak' city and transit point to West Sumatra
• 7 Berastagi — the fruit city and gateway to Karo highland
• 8 Sibolga — major port city in the southwestern part
• 9 Sidikalang — famous for its coffee and a gateway to western & central Aceh
• 10 Rantauprapat — last major town near southeast border to Riau province

Other destinations

• 1 Lake Toba — the largest lake in South East Asia, placed within exceptional volcanic scenery and surrounded by inspiring mountains.
• 2 Gunung Leuser National Park — elephant and orangutan conservation
• 3 Mount Sinabung
• 4 Mount Sibayak
• 5 Nias island — famous surfing destination
• 6 Batu Islands — famous surfing destination
• 7 Batang Gadis National Park and its highest volcano Sorikmarapi

Understand

People

North Sumatra is a multi-ethnic province. The Malay people are regarded as the natives of the east coast of the province, while the west coast of the province is mainly inhabited by the Batak (Pakpak, Angkola, and Mandailing groups). The central highlands region around Lake Toba is predominantly inhabited by other Batak groups (Toba, Simalungun, and Karo). The Nias people are natives of Nias Island and its surrounding islets. With the opening of tobacco plantations in East Sumatra during the colonial era, the colonial government employed many contract labourers for plantations, mainly Chinese, Javanese, and Indian migrants.

Landscape

North Sumatra has a broad, low plain along the Strait of Malacca on which the provincial capital, Medan, is located. In the south and west, the land rises to the mountain range that runs the length of Sumatra; the mountains here are dominated by Lake Toba, formed from the caldera of an ancient volcano. Several large islands in the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Sumatra are part of North Sumatra, most notably Nias Island and the Batu Islands.

Talk

Indonesian is mostly spoken in the North Sumatra area. People commonly speak their local languages as well. Batak Toba spoken in Tapanuli and Samosir, while Simalungun spoken in Simalungun area (southern Medan), Karo spoken in Tanah Karo (Kabanjahe, Berastagi), and Pakpak spoken in Dairi.

Get in

By plane

Kualanamu International Airport (KNO ^IATA) near the provincial capital Medan has direct connections from regional international destinations in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, as well as frequent flights from all major cities in Western Indonesia.

Another international airport is 1 Sisingamangaraja XII International Airport (DTB ^IATA - formerly Silangit International Airport) that serves Lake Toba.

In addition, there are a few smaller airports in the province. Flights from the national capital Jakarta serve 2 Ferdinand Lumbang Tobing Airport (FLZ ^IATA) near Sibolga on the western coast. The south of the province is served by 3 Aek Godang Airport (AEG ^IATA) with flights from Padang and Medan. The islands on the west of North Sumatra see scheduled flights from Padang to 4 Binaka Airport (GNS ^IATA) on the island of Nias and 5 Lasondre Airport on the Batu Islands.

By boat

Major port is Belawan (Medan) and Tanjungbalai (formerly Tanjungbalai-Asahan). As of April 2019, Belawan only serves domestic voyages while Tanjungbalai serves domestic voyages and international voyages from/to Port Klang and Hutan Melintang, Perak.

By road

North Sumatra is connected by Trans-Sumatran Highway. Many buses serve Medan to many cities in Sumatra such as Pekanbaru, Padang and Banda Aceh.

Get around

By car

North Sumatra road condition has improved in the mid 2010s, especially around major cities. But 2/3 of the road condition is still bad, with many potholes. Traffic is chaos, with most drivers won't pay attention to traffic signs and lights. Be extra careful especially if driving into rural areas.

There are tollways connecting Belawan - Medan - Tanjung Morawa (Belmera tollway), Medan - Binjai - Stabat - Tanjung Pura in Langkat and Lubuk Pakam - Tebing Tinggi - Kisaran with Tebing Tinggi - Pematangsiantar section is on final phase as of April 2024. The government intends to connect the tollways with Aceh province and Riau province.

By bus

The easy way to get around without hassle is by bus. Most cities are served by buses. Some bus drivers may drive recklessly. Road conditions are so-so only for main road, while in rural areas, roads may sometimes unpaved.

By train

Railway service covers only about 1/3 of the province, but are very reliable, cheap and fast. They cover Binjai, Medan, Pematang Siantar, Tanjung Balai and Rantau Prapat.

By plane

There are several airports scattered around North Sumatra. See above.

See

Berastagi is a small town in mountainous region south of Medan is a popular weekend getaway for local, with 2 nearby volcanoes Sibayak and the active Sinabung.

Danau Toba, or Lake Toba, is about 4 hours from Medan by car, and is the world's largest crater lake. Pulau Samosir, in turn, is the largest island-within-an-island. The village of Tuktuk on the island is popular with European tourists, and magic mushrooms are freely available (look for the magic mushroom and laundry service). The village of Balige is booming as tourist destination after Formula 1 Powerboat World Championship (F1H20) 2023 opening stage took place at Lake Toba at Balige bay. Balige has more modern looks and amenities compare to Parapat.

Batak Toba Traditional House is a-must-see attraction while visiting North Sumatra. For tourism, it centered in mostly in Karo highland & Lake Toba.

Gunung Leuser National Park is a very large national park span across 2 provinces, home to several faunas like elephant, orangutan, and tiger.

Surfing lover worldwide will definitely ever heard the famous wave of Nias Island and the nearby Batu islands. Both also has excellent view.

Some interesting religious building including 1 Al-Mashun Mosque at Medan, 2 Salib Kasih (the place where missionary Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen first started his work) at Tarutung, and 3 Bahal temple at Portibi. Or visit 4 Taman Iman Dairi (Garden of Faith) in Sidikalang, a spiritual tourism area with mosque, vihara, temple, and church.

Eat

The most notable foods in the area are those of the Batak people. Batak people use either pork or even dog to make saksang. Another Batak pork specialty is babi panggang in which the meat is boiled in vinegar and pig blood before being roasted. Ayam namargota is chicken cooked in spices and blood. A notable fish dish is ikan arsik, carp cooked with spices and herbs. Andaliman is strong pepper used by Bataks, similar to Sichuan pepper in taste.

Drink

Tuak (palm wine) is an alcoholic beverage created from the sap of various palm tree. It's a popular drink of Batak people.

Stay safe

Sumatra is famous in Indonesia for being "rough", and locals are proud of their roots.

As in any city, be vigilant about your personal property and always be aware of your surroundings. Especially if you're taking the public bus or minivan, those are always filled with pickpockets.

Be careful when crossing the street. Keep an eye on the locals and cross with them if possible.

Should health emergency occurred at rural places, look for puskesmas (local clinic) for first aid treatment. Almost every small village will always have a puskesmas.

Emergency telephone numbers: 112.

Connect

There are few expats here, but the Hash House Harriers has a few local chapters in Medan and surrounding areas.

Go next

• Pulau Weh
• Penang island
• Bukittinggi