Last Updated on January 2025
Not sure what to expect when you travel to Sumatra, Indonesia? Understandable. This island is ENORMOUS, and still a relatively under-visited destination.
It can be hard to find first-hand information on what it’s like to travel Sumatra. What you need are some up-to-date, useful Sumatra travel tips from people who know what they’re talking about!
Hey – that’s us! After more than a decade of travelling Sumatra and 7 years of calling it home, we know a thing or two. And we want to share it with you!
So let’s help you get started on your Sumatra trip planning with the most important things to know before you go.
Prefer to watch? Check out our companion YouTube video!
Contents
Sumatra Travel Tip #1: Pack These Three Items
Let’s start with an important packing tip!
Sumatra is well stocked with Indomarets, Alfamarts, and many small shops and pharmacies, even in the more remote villages. You can buy most general things you need there – even antibiotics that you’d likely need a prescription for in other countries.
But there are a few things that are harder to come by that we recommend you fit into your backpack or suitcase.
First, pack a strong DEET insect repellent to keep those mosquitos away. There are mosquito repellents widely available here, but they seldom have the stronger DEET ingredients.
Second, bring your own sunscreen! Sunblock is sold in Sumatra, but as it’s not really used by the locals, it tends to be more expensive than the ones you can get at home (depending on where you’re from).
We recently found a 100ml bottle going for 195,000 IDR at our local shop! (That’s around $NZ20 or 11-12 Euro/USD – twice as much as similar brands back in NZ.)
Grab yourself a big tube before you come and tuck it into your checked-in luggage.
Third – an essential for those who menstruate! Sanitary pads are available in most places, but tampons can be much harder to source, and you don’t want to spend your holiday visiting endless pharmacies in search of a box!
Bring your own supply or consider a moon cup so you don’t have to worry about disposal
#2 Take Your Time – Slow Travel is the Way to Go in Sumatra
Sumatra may be an island, but it’s a BIG island – the 6th largest in the world! Many visitors to Sumatra underestimate the size and try to squeeze too much into their itinerary.
But it’s not just about the size: transportation within Sumatra can also be a headache (sometimes literally – have you ever sat in a smoke-filled bus listening to dangdut music for hours?)
When planning your Sumatra itinerary, don’t underestimate how long it takes to get from A to B – and don’t put all your trust in Google when it tells you the travel times! It’s lying!
Improved roads and new highways have opened over the last few years, making travel across Sumatra MUCH easier and faster. But there’s still a long way to go. When you get off those highways and hit the back roads, seemingly short distances may take a long time to travel due to some VERY poor roads in some areas.
On top of that, domestic flights between provinces are expensive, and public transport can be sloooow or uncomfortable.
So our second Sumatra travel tip is this: favour slow travel! If you have less than a week, we’d suggest sticking to a couple of places in one province and taking your time to enjoy them.
If you have more time – let’s say 2 weeks- consider adding another province to your itinerary.
Looking for a reliable, trustworthy driver for your trip?
Contact us and we’ll make connect you with our favourite people!
#3 Buy Your SIM Card BEFORE You Leave the City
These days, a lot of places in Sumatra have decent WiFi, but it does depend on where you go. Some of those smaller jungle villages definitely do not.
Luckily, Indonesian SIM cards and cellphone data are affordable. If you want to stay connected as you travel Sumatra, we recommend you buy a local Telkomsel SIM when you arrive.
Unfortunately, that’s not quite as straightforward as it sounds.
As a tourist, you can’t just use any old SIM card. Short-term travellers (staying for less than 3 months) need to purchase a SIM card and register their passports at an official Telkomsel Grapari store.
You’ll only find these in larger cities and towns, so make sure you sort that before you head off on any more remote adventures, or you’ll be stuck.
NOTE: If you’re travelling elsewhere in Indonesia before coming to Sumatra, you’ll likely find a GRAPARI store in one of the bigger international airports, such as Jakarta or Denpasar. At the time of writing, there is no such shop in Kualanamu Airport in Medan.
To complicate matters, there is another option; this one is more suited for travellers who will be in Indonesia longer than 3 months. On arrival in Indonesia, you can visit the Bea Cukai office in the airport and register your phone.
The problem is that with this option, you need to pay tax unless your phone is worth less than $USD500. Once you’ve done this, you can buy a SIM from anywhere in Sumatra and it will work fine indefinitely.
Bonus Sumatra Travel Tip: WhatsApp is an essential app for travelling around Sumatra. Most guesthouses, drivers, guides and even immigration services communicate via WhatsApp Messenger instead of email. If you don’t already have it, get it before you go! It’s also great for video calls home.
#4 Carry Cash
In Sumatra, most people and businesses use cash, so make sure you always have some with you. Some of the bigger hotels and shops in the cities likely accept credit card, but you won’t find too many of these elsewhere.
There are plenty of ATMs in towns, cities, and on the way between destinations (most Indomarets or Alfamarts have them). But smaller villages seldom have ATMs.
Even in popular Bukit Lawang, you need to make your way to nearby Bahorok to find one. (Some places may allow you to withdraw cash on a credit card, but they’ll charge you a 5% fee!)
If you’re not sure if your destination has an ATM, best to pick up your cash on the way.
We highly recommend using a WISE account to swap between currencies at reasonable rates with low fees. We have used one for the last few years with no issues.
Even better – get yourself a WISE debit card, which works with most major ATMs in Sumatra.
#5 Stay Relaxed and Prepare for Rubber Time
Our fifth Sumatra travel tip is about fostering the right state of mind to enjoy your travels without getting too stress. Our best advice for navigating Sumatra travel is to stay relaxed and be prepared for a certain degree of rubber time and disorganisation.
Sumatra is still a relative baby in the tourism world, which has upsides and downsides.
One of the challenging things for travellers who like to plan is the lack of schedules, information, and online booking options.
Sometimes, schedules for buses and ferries are available and reliable, but this is the exception.
If you’re relying on public transport, you’ll often need to plan each stage of your journey as you go, by asking at your guesthouse in each location, at the bus station, or the local warung (small eatery).
Luckily, people are generally super helpful and will go out of their way to get you to your next destination.
It can also be tricky when you’re trying to book accommodation in advance. The more popular areas tend to have a good selection of places with websites, active Facebook pages, or listings on booking platforms.
When travelling in Sumatra, we most commonly use BOOKING.COM
But many smaller guesthouses can be trickier to get hold of. We recommend joining Sumatra Facebook groups (this is a great one!), asking the locals or other tourists as you travel, or reaching out to us! We have contacts all over Sumatra and can help you connect with fantastic local businesses.
We also recommend building a bit of a rubber schedule to blend in with Indonesia’s famous rubber time. Leave yourself plenty of time to get to where you need to go – especially if you’ve got an international flight you need to make!
#6 Learn Some Indonesian Words and Phrases
On the tourist trail, many local people speak English really well – and often a few words from a variety of other languages. Many guides are fluent in multiple languages.
But the further you get off the beaten path, the easier time you’ll have if you know a few key words and phrases in Indonesian.
Being able to speak with a wider range of people than just your tourist providers will give you a much more enriching experience in Sumatra, and the local people appreciate the effort, even if it’s not perfect.
Throw a little Indonesian phrasebook in your backpack, or do a few lessons on Duolingo to get you started.
#7 Practise Your Squatting!
If you’ve travelled Southeast Asia, you probably know what to expect in many restrooms in Indonesia. If not, you may need a little intro.
The standard local toilet is squat style with no toilet paper, although there are an increasing number of Western-style toilets around, particularly in popular tourist areas.
Most toilets come with the wonderful bum guns or a bucket of water containing a smaller bucket/scoop called a gayung.
These are great, but it can be handy to carry wipes or toilet paper with you to stay dry.
Bear in mind that many of the waste systems in Sumatra aren’t designed to deal with toilet paper or wipes, so our top tip is to carry a ziplock bag with you in case there’s no rubbish bin.
You can seal it u and tuck it in your bag and find a place to dispose of it later.
#8 Treat the Wildlife With Respect
Sumatra has amazing wildlife to see. From the myriad macaques all over the island to the rarer leaf monkeys, orangutans, elephants and tigers.
In some areas, it’s pretty easy to see and get close to wild animals, but before you head to the jungle or a sanctuary or similar, please think about how to enjoy the rainforest and its inhabitants respectfully.
As thrilling as it may seem to feed an orangutan or ride an elephant, consider the consequences that your actions might have.
Close contact with any primate (monkeys and macaques included) puts their lives at risk. They can easily catch illnesses from us, and any interactions we have with them can greatly impact their natural behaviours and ability to survive in the wild.
For more insight into ethical orangutan experiences in Sumatra, read this blog:
Bukit Lawang Jungle Trekking: How to Choose an Ethical Guide
And this excellent article about how to identify a truly ethical elephant sanctuary:
9 Ways to Tell an Ethical Elephant Sanctuary Apart From a Sham
#9 Dress Modestly in Sumatra
Sumatra is a more conservative part of Indonesia than Bali, so give some thought to the way you dress when visiting.
Of course, such a big and diverse island has different expectations in different areas.
For example, the Lake Toba area is a little less strict – singlets, shorts, and sundresses are all acceptable, although we still wouldn’t recommend going Bali style and wearing a bikini into a shop or restaurant.
In other parts of Sumatra – such as Aceh – you’ll need to cover up a little more. For women, that means long pants or skirts, and t-shirts or long-sleeved shirts. For guys, long shorts or pants and t-shirts or long-sleeved shirts.
Even when swimming, it pays to have done a bit of research before jumping into the water. Again, in a few key areas, a bikini is fine, while in others, shorts and a t-shirt would be the minimum.
The best advice is to copy the locals. If you don’t see any of them wearing a bikini, then you shouldn’t be either.
Do a little research before you go, and if in doubt, throw a sarong or light shirt into your bag for when you need it.
#10 Be Prepared to Be the Centre of Attention
Sumatra is getting more popular with international tourists every year, but they’re still rare enough that they stand out!
Get used to receiving a lot of attention when you’re out and about, especially outside of the few tourist spots.
The attention is rarely negative – people will just be curious about you and keen to talk to you.
You’ll be asked for selfies and maybe referred to as “bule” (which effectively means foreigner).
Indonesians also aren’t shy about asking lots of personal questions. They’ll want to know where you’re from, if you’re married, if you have kids, how old you are etc.
If you’re out walking, you’ll probably hear a lot of “mau ke mana?” Which means, “Where are you going?”
This may feel intrusive to some cultures, but really, this is a common thing they ask everybody – they are just trying to say hi and see what’s up.
You don’t have to tell them your exact destination, you can just say “jalan jalan” – walking around – and they’ll be content with the interaction.
It’s all harmless and actually a fantastic chance to get to know the locals better.
Which brings us to our 11th and final tip…
#11 Love the Locals!
Get to know the locals! One of the standout things that people tell us they loved about their trip to Sumatra was the local people.
They are incredibly friendly, welcoming and generous. Take the time to talk with the woman at the local warung and you might just end up with a friend for life.
Chat with the guy fishing near your guesthouse, and you could end up being invited back to his home for dinner with his extended family.
Indonesians are so lovely, and the people of Sumatra are no exception. If you make the effort to chat with them and spend time with them, your whole trip could be transformed from fantastic to unforgettable.
If you’d like some more in-depth information about travelling to Sumatra, you definitely need our eBook: North Sumatra Travel Guide & Itinerary Planner!
It’ll tell you everything you should know about travelling this incredible island and give you some extra Sumatra travel tips to help you have an amazing trip.
Happy travels, and see you in Sumatra!
FIND THIS BLOG HELPFUL?
We create all our content for free, to help travellers like you have the time of their lives in this amazing place. If you’d like to support us to keep creating Sumatra content, you can make a small, one-time donation at the secure link below. Terima kasih! (Thank you!)
