Sumatra
The most tropical of all the Indonesian islands, Sumatra has the most lush rainforests, exotic flora and fauna, dramatic rainfalls and the shiniest crater lakes – all packed into one relatively small island. Described as the ‘Africa of Asia’, Sumatra is still reasonably free from flocks of tourists, giving travellers the chance to have some real fun without interruption!
Gunung Leuser National Park
One of the top destinations in Sumatra is Bukit Lawang, the ‘Gateway to the Hills’, famous for the Bohorok Rehabilitation Centre – more commonly known as the Orangutan Centre. The village lies on the edge of the Gunung Leuser National Park in North Sumatra and as well as Orangutans the park is home to many exotic species including Black Gibbons, Thomas Leaf Monkeys, Elephants, Leopards and the Sumatran Tiger!
Also on the border of Gunung Leuser National Park is the tiny village of Tangkahan. Based at the crossroads of the Buluh and Batand Rivers, this is the perfect place for eco-tourism activities like jungle and elephant trekking.
Lake Toba
Sumatra is famous for its volcanic landscape – in fact volcanoes can be thanked for shaping most of this incredibly diverse and exotic island. One prominent leftover from an earth-shattering volcanic eruption over 75,000 years ago, is Lake Toba – the largest and deepest crater lake in the world. At Lake Toba you can take a boat to Samosir, an island in the centre of the lake with its fascinating Batak houses and grave sites. There are even a couple of guest houses on Samosir that you can stay in while taking in the waterfalls and hot volcanic springs that it is renowned for.
Aside from Lake Toba, Sumatra is home to hundreds of other lakes – most of these being crater lakes formed by volcanoes. The most popular of these with tourists are Lake Maninjau, Gunung Tujuh and Lau Kawar. If you want to get more off the beaten track take a trip to the ‘twin lakes’ of Danau Diatas and Danau Dibawah which are surrounded by mountains.
Jambi
Jambi in central Sumatra is a great base for exploring the Kerinci Seblat national park – the largest in Sumatra and home to its largest mountain, Mount Kerinci, an active volcano which has been closed to tourists since 2004.
Palembang
The capital city of south Sumatra is Palembang, located on the banks of the Musi River which divides the city in two. Sometimes nicknamed the ‘Venice of the east’, Palembang is the second largest city in Sumatra and is popular with many travelers due to its multi-culturalism and diversity. It holds a variety of festivals every year including boat festivals, the Hijri New Year and the Sriwaijaya Festival, so try to catch at least one if you can.
Bandar Lampung
Bandar Lampung in the south of Sumatra is popular with travellers making their way to Java and is a great attraction in its own right due to its proximity to Krakatoa – a volcanic island made of lava located in the Sunda Strait. You can also make your way up to the Way Kambas Elephant training centre from here, where football-playing Elephants are a sight to behold!
More great pictures from Sumatra…
The most tropical of all the Indonesian islands, Sumatra has the most lush rainforests, exotic flora and fauna, dramatic rainfalls and the shiniest crater lakes – all packed into one relatively small island. Described as the ‘Africa of Asia’, Sumatra is still reasonably free from flocks of tourists, giving travellers the chance to have some real fun without interruption!
Jambi in central Sumatra is a great base for exploring the Kerinci Seblat national park – the largest in Sumatra and home to its largest mountain, Mount Kerinci, an active volcano which has been closed to tourists since 2004.
