Lake Toba is a crater lake covering an area of 1,145 square kilometers. In the middle dwells an island with an area almost comparable to the size of the country of Singapore. Lake Toba actually looks more like an ocean than a lake considering its size. Therefore, Lake Toba is placed as the largest lake in Southeast Asia and the second largest in the world after Lake Victoria in Africa. Lake Toba is also the deepest lake in the world with a depth of more than 500 meters.
Lake Toba, which is located in the middle of the island of Sumatra, was born from the caldera of a large volcano which has a length of up to 100 kilometers. Imagine the tourism potential of a lake with a width of up to 30 kilometers in the province of North Sumatra. Visitors are not only treated to views of the lake water and cultural tourism of the Toba people.
Moreover, since January 2018, the Lake Toba Caldera National Geopark Information Center has just been inaugurated. Visitors can see various historical information about super volcano events that form volcanic calderas, as well as other unique geological events. Other uniqueness of Lake Toba, among other things, visitors can go around seeing hundreds of species of orchids, tourist villages, hot springs, Batak museums. Even tourists can also feel the white sand beach of Parbaba like a beach.
How to get to Samosir Island
Airway
The closest means of air transportation to the Lake Toba Area, travelers are ensured via the Kuala Namu Airport air route in Deli Serdang Regency
Land Line
Upon arrival at the Airport
Kuala Namu, we can use a bus or charter a vehicle to Siantar Regency or directly to Parapat.
Sea
From Parapat we can choose two ports. Tiga Raja Harbor provides ferries that can transport vehicles. Aji Bata Harbor, there is also a car ferry crossing. Meanwhile, the Tiga Raja port is mostly only a crossing for people.
TIPS
- There are two choices of the right time to visit Lake Toba. If you choose May – September when it is dry and Lake Toba is not too crowded with tourists. Or September–November if you want to witness various festivals held in the Lake Toba area at the same time.
- Provide sufficient time when visiting Lake Toba, at least you can spend 3 days and 2 nights. The consideration is that you won’t waste that time visiting a number of interesting places in the Lake Toba area.
- There are several ways to cross to Samosir Island but the favorite crossing is Ajibata Harbor in Parapat City.