Day 1 and 2: Singapore → Medan → Swiss-Belinn Medan → Parapat → Samosir Island (Tuk Tuk) → Toba Village Inn
Day 3 : Carolina Hotel → Jenny's Restaurant → Tele Tower View Point → Pusuk Buhit Hot Spring → Tuk Tuk Pizzaria Restaurant
Day 4 and 5 : Sipiso piso Waterfall → Warung Ikan Bakar Galbers Cafe → Simarjarunjung Hill → Berastagi → Nachelle Homestay → Mount Sibayak Crater → Singapore
Flight from Singapore to Medan took us 2.5 hours
Landed at Kuala Namu Airport
Cabbed to Hotel cost us IDR200k (~SGD19)
Checked in @ Swiss-Belinn Medan and went for supper
It was almost 10pm when we arrived at Indonesia
Getting to Lake Toba
The easiest way would be to fly to Medan’s Kuala Namu International Airport and then travel by car to the town of Parapat.
A) 4 hours by car from Medan
B) 4–6 hours by public bus
Since we only had a small window of opportunity to explore Lake Toba, we decided not to waste any time; hence, we rented a car for the entire trip. We requested for car rental from
Yoga Car Rental and for the driver to pick us up at our hotel in Medan and then directly to Lake Toba. We customised our routes and was quoted IDR2.7 million (~SGD260).
If you opt for public bus:
Medan Airport → Amplas Terminal → Parapat → Samosir Island
From Medan’s Kualanamu Airport, take a public bus to Amplas bus terminal.
Ticket cost: IDR 15,000/ pax
Duration: approx. 30 minutes
From Amplas terminal, get on a public bus that heads to Parapat. Once at Parapat, take a ferry to Samosir Island which is that small island in the middle of Lake Toba.
Ticket cost for bus to Parapat: IDR 40,000/ pax
Ticket cost for ferry to Samosir Island: IDR 15,000/ pax
At 8.30am, he picked us up at Swiss-Belinn Medan
Drove us to Parapat, Tigaraja Jetty
On our way, we came across these sceneries
Our car didn't manage to join the ferry queue
Therefore we went on our own with our luggages
The driver picked us up at our hotel the very next day
We took ferry across to Pulau Samosir
Pulau Samosir is very unique on it's own
"Lake Toba is a large natural lake occupying the caldera of a supervolcano. The lake is about 100 kilometres long, 30 kilometres wide, and up to 505 metres deep."
We came across this very unique gas kiosk
It seemed like we travelled back to 1960s
This is one of the cemetery along the road
We walked into someone else wedding ceremony
It involved almost the entire village on Samosir Island
A view at the waterfront from Pulau Samosir
Sunset view @ Hotel Tuk Tuk Timbul
We walked in a restaurant and dine in the dark @ Hot Chili Restaurant
Mosquitoes were everywhere and they are bigger than those in Singapore
Remember to bring mosquito repellent with you all time
Breakfast from our hotel, Toba Village Inn
View from Toba Village Inn in the morning
Recee for our dinner, we spotted crayfishes
Fresh from Lake Toba itself
You can rent car, bike or motorbike in Tuk Tuk too
Or you can flag them down like cab in Singapore
"Check out the view from Tele: Just across the narrow strip of land connecting Samosir Island with the mainland is Tele – a tiny town with the best views of Lake Toba and Pulau Samosir. You can climb up the Tele Tower View Point to get incomparable views of the lake and surrounding landscapes."
The accessibility is quite good to be honest
However, it takes a little too much concentration during the trip
The street is a little bit meandered
Therefore, hiring a driver becomes a good idea
The view was awesome
We proceeded to Pusuk Buhit for some hot spring experience
Located near Pangururan, it was a great choice after visiting Tele
It costs IDR$2,000 to enter the area with access to the pools
Don’t try swimming around in it, or soaking your whole body into it at one go – chances are, you’ll end up hopping back out again
It was HOT~
View from top of the mountain at Tuk Tuk
So, we had our dinner at Tuk Tuk Pizzaria Restaurant
With lotsa crayfishes and nice tilapia grill fish
A sumptuous meal at Tuk Tuk for 4 will cost you around IDR400k (~SGD40)
We had to leave before sunrise so our hotel packed us some breakfast
It was a cool morning with lower temperature compared to Singapore
We took a ferry back to the mainland and bid Pulau Samosir goodbye
En route we stopped at Simarjarunjung Hill
It offers beautiful views of Lake Toba from a different angle
This place is pretty new and the locals are still working on it
We reached our favourite destination of all
Hike up a stunning waterfall – Sipiso-piso waterfall
Located at Merek with the height of 120m
That hike was not easy as it was super duper steep
View along the hike from the top
Some shops and eateries along near the carpark
So, boy and I made it to the base of the waterfall
It was magnificent but damp so you might want to wear a poncho
Our driver recommended lunch at Warung Ikan Bakar Galbers Cafe
Their seafood was fresh and lunch was pleasant by the lake
This is our guide for Mount Sibayak Crater at Berastagi
He works with The National Geographics as photographer
We paid him small token to bring us up to the summit
Berastagi is a little town flanked by two volcanos
Gunung Sinabung to the west and Gunung Sibayak to the north
We were here to hike to the summit of Gunung Sibayak
The volcano is active and still hissing fumes
In total, we took 40 minutes to reach the summit
We were very fortunate to be able to hike this mountain
It rained whole night the day before and Berastagi town was flooded
However, it stopped and we managed to hike at last
It was cold at night and our accommodation Nachelle Homestay has warm water for shower only until 10pm daily. All houses at Medan are equipped with boilers to provide hot showers. Make sure you checked with your host before making bookings.
We spent less than SGD500 for this trip and the breakdown is as follows:
| Item | /Pax (IDR) | /Pax (SGD) |
| Flight Tickets | | $138.50 |
| Travel Insurance | | $18.90 |
| Mobile Data, 2GB | Rp55,000 | $5.66 |
| Swiss-Belinn Medan | Rp267,750 | |
| Toba Village Inn, 2 nights, Breakfast Included (Sep 2-3) | | $73.34 |
| Nachelle Homestay, 1 night (Berastagi) | Rp225,000 | $23.17 |
| | |
| | |
| Rp492,750 | $253.91 |
| | |
| Transport Breakdown | /Pax (IDR) | /Pax (SGD) |
| Medan to Parapat | Rp300,000 | $30.90 |
| Parapat to Berastagi | Rp150,000 | $15.45 |
| Berastagi to Airport | Rp150,000 | $15.45 |
| Yoga Rental Car | Rp675,000 | $69.52 |
| | |
| Rp675,000 | $69.52 |
| | |
| Additional Fees | /Pax (IDR) | /Pax (SGD) |
| Entrance fees to Sipiso piso Waterfall | Rp20,000 | $2.06 |
| Ferry from Parapat to Tuk Tuk (2-way) | Rp30,000 | $3.09 |
| Tour Package to Pusuk Buhit and Tele View | Rp175,000 | $18.02 |
| Tour Package to Gunung Sibayak | Rp100,000 | $10.30 |
| Expenditure per day (4 full days) | Rp1,165,200 | $120.00 |
| | |
| Rp1,215,200 | $153.47 |
| | |
| Calculation | /Pax (IDR) | /Pax (SGD) |
| Estimated Total Per Pax IDR | Rp2,382,950 | $245.41 |
| Estimated Total Per Pax SGD | | $230.74 |
| Estimated Total for the Trip | | $476.15 |
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