North Sumatra is full of incredible places – think untouched jungles, steaming volcanos, stunning lakes and beautiful villages representing unique cultures.
From the chaotic love-it-or-hate-it city of Medan to the quaintest little jungle-side villages you’ve never heard of, we’ve got the inside scoop on the very BEST places to visit in North Sumatra.
We’ve been living and travelling here for over a decade and have uncovered all the must-see spots for your North Sumatra itinerary – let us share them with you.
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Medan City
Honestly, Medan isn’t one of our personal highlights in North Sumatra, but it’s likely that you’ll arrive and depart from Medan, so we have to include it in your itinerary planning. While it’s not a bustling, explorable metropolis like nearby Singapore of Kuala Lumpur, Medan’s messiness and craziness does have a certain undeniable appeal.
When you arrive in North Sumatra, you’ll most likely fly into Kualanamu Airport just outside of the central city. We have a whole video about the airport guiding you through the arrival process here: Kualanamu Airport Walkthrough
Nearly 2 and a half million people live within the city limits – with a million more in the surrounding urban areas, making this the 4th largest in Indonesia.
When visiting North Sumatra, your precious time is better spent elsewhere, but Medan is a good place to spend a night or two at the start or end of your trip for a bit of luxury and city life.
However, if you’re interested in food, history and architecture, you will find a few special places to visit in the city. There’s the lavish Maimoon Palace, the Grand Mosque, Tjong a Fie Mansion and plenty of great foodie places to check out. Find out all about Medan’s top attractions in our blog: Best Things to Do in Medan.
Keep in mind that the city isn’t really walkable, but it’s easy to get Grabs, Gojeks and Taxis to explore.
One of our favourite things to do after afew sweaty days in the jungle is to spoil ourselves with a night in one of Medan’s fancy hotels. The hot shower and in-room massage will be the best you ever had! Check out our Best Hotel Picks in Medan for All Budgets for some inspo.
Now that we’ve got Medan out of the way (sorry Medan), it’s time to get to the really GOOD STUFF!
Let’s head to the incredible jungle that is the Gunung Leuser National Park.
Gunung Leuser National Park
Stretching from North Sumatra up into Aceh, this is where you’ll be heading if you want to go jungle trekking in search of Sumatran orangutans and other incredible flora and fauna.
This rainforest paradise is one of the biggest protected areas in Indonesia, and the only place left in the world that is home to the “Big 4” all together: Sumatran Rhino, Sumatran elephants, Sumatran tigers and Sumatran orangutans.
And it’s BIG. The National Park covers nearly 8000 square kms, (7,927 km squared), but it’s part of the much larger Leuser Ecosystem, which sprawls over 6 million acres (2.6 million hectares).
There are several villages on the Gunung Leuser Park border where you can choose to base yourself in to head into the jungle from North Sumatra. Let’s look at the options below.
Bukit Lawang
If you’ve done some research about Sumatra, you’ve probably already heard of Bukit Lawang. This is the most famous ecotourism spot in Sumatra. In fact, it’s so famous that most people assume it’s their only option for jungle trekking and seeing orangutans (spoiler alert, it’s not!)
Bukit Lawang is around 3-4 hours from Medan, on the edge of the Gunung Leuser National Park. Our How to Get to Bukit Lawang guide explains all your different transport options from Medan.
This is definitely one of the more “touristy” areas in North Sumatra, but keep in mind that it’s all relative: Sumatra is sooooo not touristy when compared to other hotspots in Southeast Asia.
Perched alongside the river, overlooking the jungle, you’ll find dozens of guesthouses, restaurants, bars and souvenir shops. There’s plenty to do here, but the main activity is jungle trekking.
The reason Bukit Lawang is so popular is that it was once home to an orangutan release centre. Some of the released orangutans here used to be fed by staff at feeding platforms, but that stopped many years ago. Regardless, a few orangutans here are much more used to people, which means you have a higher chance of seeing them than at most of the other jungle villages.
If you do choose to trek in Bukit Lawang, please be mindful of choosing a truly ethical business to support. There is an ongoing problem in this area of guides breaking the rules by feeding and getting too close to the orangutans and other wildlife.
Read our guide to Ethical Orangutan Trekking in Bukit Lawang to understand why this is so vital and how to choose an ethical guiding company.
We hear from many people who are worried that Bukit Lawang might be too touristy. It’s true that some of the more popular tracks can get quite crowded in the busy season of July August; however, there are some excellent ethical providers offering accommodation and trekking just outside of Bukit Lawang, like Kuta Langis Ecolodge and Simolap Adventures.
Batu Katak
The small village of Batu Katak is just a short 30-minute drive from Bukit Lawang, but it does feel like a different world. With just a handful of small guesthouses lining a river, you won’t find restaurants, bars and souvenir shops here. But you will find a lovely little community and some INCREDIBLE forest for trekking.
The cool thing about Batu Katak is that along with the Gunung Leuser rainforest, it has a huge area of karst forest to explore. The karst environment produces cliffs, rock formations and even caves to explore.
Batu Katak is also one of the few places where you can hike to see the incredible Rafflesia and Amorphophallus titanum flowers. It’s hard to predict when they will bloom, but definitely worth seeing them if you get lucky with your timing.
We have a Complete Guide to Batu Katak that is a must-read if you’re looking for jungle trekking heaven.
Or check out the awesome Batu Katak vlogs on our YouTube channel below.
Tangkahan
Tangkahan is nicknamed the Hidden Paradise. It’s a stunning village on the edge of the Gunung Leuser, about 3-4 hours drive from Medan or an hour from Bukit Lawang and Batu Katak. Agung grew up near Tangkahan and worked there as a guide for many years, and Carly lived there for a year or two when she first came to Sumatra, so we know it well!
Tangkahan is most well-known for its Elephant Rescue Centre, but it has so much more to offer, regardless of whether you want to visit the elephants or not. The trekking here is fantastic, and there are two beautiful rivers to explore by tubing or hiking.
There are also numerous waterfalls and waterfall pools to swim in, and even a couple of hidden hot springs!
The village is small but growing. There are numerous guesthouses to choose from along the two rivers. Most of them have restaurants and there are a few local warung (cafes) to visit and a few very local souvenir shops.
The Tangkahan elephant centre is another popular tourist attraction here. Understandably, many people are concerned about how ethical it is. The good news is that they no longer offer riding.
As an alternative, you can Walk with the Elephants through the jungle, watching as they wander and browse through their natural habitat.
To find out more about Tangkahan, including the elephant centre, read our Epic Insider’s Guide to Tangkahan.
Or watch one of our super fun YouTube videos filmed in Tangkahan below!
Berastagi
Our next top place to visit in Sumatra takes us to the town of Berastagi. Located in the highlands of North Sumatra, Berastagi is famous for its agriculture and the two nearby volcanoes, Mount Sinabung and Sibayak.
Berastagi is a perfect stop on your North Sumatra itinerary because it’s roughly halfway between the jungle villages and Lake Toba. From Bukit Lawang, it’s around a 4 hour drive (and around 3 hours further to Parapat – the main port to catch your ferry to Samosir Island).
Because it’s at a higher altitude, Berastagi has a very refreshing climate. It can actually get cold enough in the evenings to need long sleeves and a blanket!
The most popular thing to do in Berastagi is a sunrise trek up Mount Sibayak, a relatively easy hike that takes just a few hours. Nearby Mount Sinabung is off limits as it is still pretty active, although it hasn’t had a major eruption since 2021. There are several natural hot springs around the volcanos where you can soak in the pools and enjoy the views.
You might also be interested in visiting the ghost towns around the mountains that were abruptly abandoned during big eruptions in the past, and never returned to.
A trip to the fruit and veggie market here is also highly recommended. Berastagi and surrounding areas are famous for their agriculture and the produce here is amazing!
Berastagi is in the heart of Tanah Karo – heartland of the Karonese people of North Sumatra. Karo culture is often confused with Batak Toba culture from the nearby lake. There are similarities but it is actually a unique culture with its own language, architecture, music, cuisine and traditions.
While in Berastagi, you can visit Lingga Village and the nearby museum to learn about Karonese culture.
The other big attraction nearby Berastagi is the stunning Sipisopiso Waterfall. One of Indonesia’s tallest, this 120m high cascade is located between Berastagi and Toba. Definitely worth dropping in if you make the 3 ish hour journey between the two spots.
Looking for the best spot to stay in Berastagi? Check out our post featuring Berastagi’s Best Hotels.
Lake Toba & Samosir Island
Now we move on to a very very special place – the world’s largest volcanic crater lake, with an island the size of Singapore in the centre.
Lake Toba is a unique destination in Indonesia that we think everybody should visit at least once. It’s absolutely stunning – a relaxed destination with the perfect high altitude climate, gorgeous scenery everywhere you look, and home to the Batak Toba people.
Lake Toba is around 3-4 hours from Medan by private car – the journey is a little longer by public bus, but it’s straightforward thanks to newly built toll roads.
Most people will head to Parapat, to the Tigaraja Port to catch a ferry across to stay on Samosir Island.
There is also an airport nearby called Sisingamangaraja XII Airport (previously known as Silangit). Flights are limited from here, but there are some direct international routes to key locations and a couple of domestic flights.
The best place to stay on Samosir is in our lovely village of Tuktuk. This is where most of the tourism infrastructure is. This tiny little village is just a bump on Samosir Island but it’s home to dozens of hotels and restaurants.
In spite of being such a beautiful and popular place, Tuktuk seldom feels too busy or overtouristed. Many foreign tourists are shocked at how sleepy and quiet the village feels, even during high season.
Lake Toba really deserves at least 2-3 full days of exploration. The best thing to do is hire a scooter to explore. The roads are good and there isn’t too much traffic, so it’s a nice place for scooter adventures.
There are scenic viewpoints, cultural attractions like villages and museums, beaches, waterfalls, and so much more.
Toba is even home to the Teletubby Hills and the world’s largest Jesus statue! Cycling, cooking classes, carving classes, souvenir shopping and so much more.
Lake Toba is our home base, so we have loads of fantastic content to help you plan your Lake Toba Itinerary. Below are some blogs to get you started:
The Ultimate Guide to Lake Toba
50 Unforgettable Things to Do in Lake Toba
Most Beautiful Waterfalls in Lake Toba
Or check out one of our awesome Toba videos on YouTube below!
Nias Island
We’ve covered the most popular North Sumatra destinations, but we also want to include one that often gets overlooked – Nias Island.
Off the West Coast of North Sumatra lies the Nias region, home to Nias Island several smaller islands.
Nias can be reached by plane or ferry – to catch the ferry you have to make the long trip to Sibolga, which is around 5 hours from Lake Toba or 10 hours from Medan.
We haven’t had the pleasure of visiting Nias yet but we have some good friends there and it looks like such a special place.
It’s most famous for its epic surf, but there are also plenty of beautiful beaches for snorkelling or living out your tropical island dreams. The Nias culture is also super interesting, one of the world’s oldest megalithic cultures with unique traditions to learn about and appreciate.
Want to know more about Nias? Read our Best Beaches in Sumatra post.
How to Plan Your Perfect North Sumatra Itinerary
Planning a trip to North Sumatra can be challenging. From figuring out transport options to choosing the best routes and timing your visits to each destination, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But you don’t have to navigate it alone!
Our North Sumatra Travel Guide & Itinerary Planner is the ultimate resource to make your trip seamless and unforgettable. Packed with insider tips, detailed itineraries, and practical advice based on years of personal experience, it covers everything you need to know to plan your perfect adventure.
Don’t let the logistics hold you back—click here to learn more and start planning with confidence today!
