Kayak in Lake Toba

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Ever thought of Kayaking in Lake Toba?

I received this special interesting Breaking News Story featured in Straits Time Singapore from our reader Mr. Ronen Skaletzky.

The feature is about the wonderful experience of 10 kayakers comprising Australians, Britons, Germans, Malaysians and a Singaporean - rowing Kayak 139km down Lake Toba for over four days.

Have you ever thought about Kayaking in Lake Toba ( North Sumatra - Indonesia ) - The Largest Crater Lake in the world twice the size of Singapore? Read this adventurous story…

“…Some might say it is one of the most beautiful places in the world to kayak.

We took three months to plan the trip online. Some of us were strangers and the only binding factor was we each owned folding kayaks that could be collapsed into backpacks for easy transportation.

We met at Polonia Airport in Medan before heading for the lake. I was the first to arrive with a 19kg backpack containing food and a kayak.

A customs officer asked: ‘What is it?’

I answered: ‘Sampan.’

He let me through, shaking his head in disbelief.

Halim, a German who owns a local paddle tour company and was joining us as a member in the expedition, was waiting at the airport entrance with a wide grin. He excitedly waved a paddle in the air, making himself impossible to miss.

When everyone had arrived, we embarked on a bumpy four-hour 180km ride to Tigaraja ferry terminal in Prapat town, right on the edge of Lake Toba.

Boats at this terminal head mostly for Samosir, an island in the middle of the lake. There are no pre-designated ferry stops. Passengers simply give the name of their accommodation and alight at the piers nearest to their hotels.

At dusk, we got off at a tiny pier built for Romlan, a traditional Batak house hostel run by a German woman in Tuk Tuk town on Samosir Island.

Night was falling and with the help of torches, we struggled to assemble our kayaks. But something was wrong. My kayak was missing an aluminium rod, integral for stretching and supporting the skin to keep it afloat. I had left it behind in Singapore. My heart sank.

The new blue kayak was to have its debut row on Lake Toba. I had even christened it Toby.

My new friends scoured the area for a substitute rod and found a piece of bamboo. They sculpted ’screws’ for the rod out of tree bark and used plastic cable ties to secure the rod and Toby was ready to go.

The next day, we rowed 55km south to Muara town, passing several waterfalls teeming with jumping fish.

Once in a while, cranes flew by and eagles descended to the water to fish, like a scene out of National Geographic.

There were only a few hours of morning light before the crater lake became shrouded in mist. In the afternoon, the mist condensed into clouds, lingering low on the hills.

The water temperature had fallen over the last few years to about 24 deg C due to global weather changes. So going to the restroom was a cold ordeal because it involved jumping into the water.

When it stormed in the evening, the lake churned up rough waves that could overturn small kayaks. The storm also sent winds so chilly that even windbreakers could not keep us warm and heavy raindrops beat down painfully on our tired bodies.

It became essential to have lightsticks strapped to our life jackets so we could spot one another easily.

We munched on muesli and nuts to keep energy levels up and drank from bottles of water we had stored in the sterns and bows of our kayaks.

It was a relief to finally reach the town of Muara where we spent the night in Wisma Muara Nauli, a hotel that was still in its final stages of construction.

The next morning, as we left the hotel, locals in motorboats stared at us with puzzled looks.

Rowing a boat apparently is for the poor who do it out of necessity. And nobody kayaks in Lake Toba.

Halim, who has lived in Indonesia for more than 10 years, explained: ‘The idea of paddling a boat is absolutely crazy to the locals, it is a lapse into backwardness. Once they can afford motorised boats, it is absurd to use such a primitive form to move a boat forward.’

That night, we got lost when the batteries of the GPS system ran out after 16 hours of paddling. Even with a full moon overhead, differentiating Samosir Island - our key landmark - from the various hills and crevasses was impossible.

Finally, at midnight, we found Sampean. The family hosting us ran out of their homes, shining lights onto the dark water to guide the paddlers. They served a meal of mee gomak - noodles with a very hot sauce made of peanuts and grounded chilli padi.

On day three, paddling north to Silalahi, a remote sleepy village, revealed more of the lake’s beauty, as the hills surrounding it were filled with flowers.

You spot more Christian tombs than humans, scattered all over the hills. The Bataks were converted by American missionaries in the 19th century. Today, on Samosir Island, which is also called the Island of the Dead because of the tombs, locals practise a mix of animistic beliefs and Christianity.

The villagers at Silalahi made an impression on us on the last night. They gathered at the only restaurant in their town situated along the lake, anticipating our arrival. They had prepared a song and dance to welcome us, and also called a TV crew from Medan to film our arrival.

But we were four hours late and we arrived in a storm.

Still, the villagers ran out to welcome us, making their way down slippery rocks to carry the kayaks ashore.

David, the restaurant manager from Morina guesthouse, had his employees move all the tables and chairs outside into the rain, so our kayaks could be kept safely inside for the night. They also whipped up a stunning meal of Toba french fries and local dishes.

The next morning, the village chief danced and sang before we left. Young and old, they stood in line to shout, ‘Horas! Horas! Horas!’ (a Batak greeting that means God bless).

Finally, on the fourth day, we paddled into Tongging village to disassemble the kayaks and a van took us to the airport.

Sim Cher Huey, who organised the expedition and owns kayakasia.org, claims this to be the first folding-kayak expedition in Asia.

According to Halim, Sumatra is ‘a great place for adventurers, a lousy place for tourists’. The downside is its poor infrastructure. Nonetheless, Lake Toba was for me a journey of wondrous sights where time stood still.“

Source: Breaking News Straits Times Singapore

Vote New 7 Wonders of The World Lake Toba

Support Indonesia and Medan:

Vote Lake Toba as New 7 Wonders of The World

The New 7 Wonders of the world organization has started to compile votes for the next New 7 Wonders of The World. Previously, the organization collected votes for man made 7 wonders of the world. You can see the results below that was announced on 07.07.2007

The finalists of the New 7 Wonders of the World 2007 are in the pictures below:

This time, the organizer is collecting votes for the New 7 Wonders of The World that are not man-made but created by nature itself.

There are already 77 locations in the world that have been nominated for this recognitions and Indonesia has submitted nominations where 3 exotic locations have been qualified for further voting inlcuding:

1. Komodo National Park
2. Krakatau - Volcanic Island
3. Lake Toba - Largest Created Lake in the World

Voting are carried online through internet until 31 December 2008. You can cast your vote now and support Lake Toba - Medan North Sumatra to be one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.

Now, we may not win but at least we want to be on top of the list of 77 locations. Since voting are casts online and Indonesia has limited internet connections, support Indonesia as much as you can and spread the word to bring pride to Indonesia.

Vote Lake Toba Medan Sumatra Indonesia

We have even made it easy for you and have prepared the widget for you to cast your vote for Lake Toba - The Largest Crater ( Volcanoc ) lake in the world located at North Sumatra Indonesia. Remember Lake Toba is even bigger than the island of Singapore. You can see the proof and read more on Lake Toba vs Singapore. Support Lake Toba and vote now.

Support Lake Toba and Help spread the word, click on the “SHARE THIS POST” image below and invite your friends to join the votes. We need all the help we can

Lake Toba Medan Larger Than Singapore

Lake Toba Medan is LARGER than Singapore!

This is our New Finding about Lake Toba Medan!

We were looking through Google Maps of Medan to capture some shots on Medan and Lake Toba for our visitors and to our surprise we actually can see that Lake Toba - the popular sumatra lake known to the world as the largest volcanic crater lake in the world is truly large!

In fact, it is larger than a country - our neighbor Singapore!

We are not kidding, and here’s the proof, just take a look at this snap shot we took from Google Maps of Medan

Pictures Speak A Thousand Words

Where is Medan

Where is Medan?

Many visitors are still unsure of the exact location of Medan and have asked Where is Medan?

So we decided to post this up with a detailed Map of the World and Map of Medan to show you the exact location of Medan.

Medan Indonesia on the Map of the World

Medan on the Northern part of the Island of Sumatra in Indonesia

Medan seen here with Lake Toba on the map of Medan Indonesia

Want to Know Where Lake Toba - the largest volcanic lake in the world is?

Just a little south of Medan still considered North Sumatra in Indonesia

Lake Toba Medan Sumatra Tour

Medan Travel - Lake Toba, Brastagi Tour

There has been many requests for a package tour for Medan Lake Toba & Brastagi

Yes it can be difficult and costly to get to Lake Toba as it is more than 4 hours drive from the city of Medan. Language barrier and safety concerns have also added to this.

If you are the adventurous type, you may want to try to arrange it yourself, but with many hotels without email address or website, it can be difficult to get hold of a room. Renting a private car is costly, public buses are only recommended for the experience back packers.

So we arranged a package tour for our visitors to Medan with reputable hotels and an English speaking guide to ensure your trip is safe and enjoyable. Personally, we did have a bad experience with a package tour to Lake Toba and hence we want to ensure this does not happen to any new visitors to Lake Toba.

As you may have read in our post on Lake Toba, it is the Largest Volcanic Lake in the world. One of the things Medan is proud to call home. Many travelers come to Medan especially to see one of the wonders of the world. So if you have a chance to come to Medan, why not take a day or two to visit Lake Toba.

See the itinerary of the package tour we arrange for you from the link at the top menu under “TOUR” or clik on the link below:

>> Lake Toba Tour <<

Lake Toba Largest Volcanic Lake in the World

Lake Toba North Sumatra Indonesia

The Pride of Medan Indonesia

Lake Toba also known as Danau Toba in Indonesia is the largest volcanic lake ( crater lake ) in the world.

At 100 km long and 30 km wide, measuring 505 m at its deepest point, it is situated in the middle of the northern part of the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

Surrounded by tall mountains, it cradles the large island of Samosir in its middle.

Uniqueness of Lake Toba:

Unlike any other lake, if you think about the location — close to the equator — and look at the picture, you will realize that there is something strange about the lake. Most large lakes were formed by glaciers; large lakes close to the equator are sometimes formed by the damming of a large river. But there is no large river flowing into Lake Toba. The lake has a different and more dramatic origin.

Lake Toba marks the site of the largest volcanic eruption in the last 2 million years. It is, like Yellowstone, a “resurgent caldera”, or as geologists David Alt and Daniel Hyndman call this type of volcano, a “perfect horror”. Alt and Hyndman call resurgent calderas “perfect horrors” because they are both violent and enormous.

The size of Lake Toba may be a little difficult to grasp from the picture, so to give you some comparisons.

In Washington state, if the lake were aligned north to south in the Puget Sound area, it would stretch from Everett to Tacoma. In the Chicago area, it would stretch from Waukegan to Gary. In New York, it would stretch from West Point to the Statue of Liberty. This is one enormous volcano.

And its most recent eruption, about 75,000 years ago, was in Volcanic Explosivity Index of 8

The Young Toba Tuff has an estimated volume of 2,800 cubic kilometers (km) and was erupted about 74,000 years ago. The Huckleberry Ridge Tuff, erupted at Yellowstone 2.2 million years ago, has a volume of 2,500 cubic km. The Lava Creek Tuff, erupted at Yellowstone 600,000 years ago, has a volume of 1,000 cubic km. The May 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens produced 1 cubic km of ash. Not shown in the diagram, is the Fish Canyon Tuff of the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. The Fish Canyon Tuff was erupted 27.8 million years ago and has an estimated volume of 3,000 cubic km.

The volume of the youngest eruption is estimated at 2,800 cubic km, making the eruption the largest in the Quaternary. Pyroclastic flows covered an area of at least 20,000 square km. Up to 1200 feet (400 m) of Young Toba Tuff is exposed in the walls of the caldera. On Samosir Island the tuff is more than 1800 feet (600 m) thick. Ash fall from the eruption covers an area of at least 4 million square km (about half the size on the continental United States).

That eruption would not have been pleasant for our ancestors. In fact, some scientists believe that the eruption, and the volcanic winter that followed, almost wiped out homo sapiens, cutting our population down to as few as 3,000, or even as few as 1,000. (That population bottleneck, as geneticists call it, would explain why humans vary less genetically that one would expect from the age of our species.)

How to Get to Lake Toba:

Since it is located in North Sumatra, the only way there is through the city of Medan - North Sumatra Indonesia

Lake Toba is about 4 hours drive by car from Medan City. You can travel by public bus which may take longer to about 6 hours. The usual stop is the town of ” Pematang Siantar ” halfway to Lake Toba for a toilet break.

Local town is known as Prapat / Parapat

Local transportation around the lake takes the form of boats. You can also hire a motorcycle for a day or two and get out and about ( Rp.50,0000 per day inclusive of 4 litres of petrol ). There are no police checking licenses and there is not much traffic - just watch out for the big trucks, buses and diabolical bridge.

See Tour Package for Lake Toba & Brastagi

Related Guides:

• Videos on Lake Toba
• Vacation Spots Ideas

Brastagi & Prapat Hotels

Brastagi & Lake Toba Prapat Hotels

A.) Brastagi Hotels:
Mikie Holiday Hotel
Jl. Peceren, Brastagi, North Sumatra
Phone: (62 - 628) 91533, (62 - 628) 91624, (62 - 628) 91650
Fax: (62 - 61) 4550555
Direct Fax: (62 - 628) 91652
Email: info@mikieholiday.com; reservations@mikieholiday.com
Website: www.mikieholiday.com

Grand Mutiara Hotel
Jl. Peceren, Brastagi, North Sumatra
Phone (62 - 628) 91555
Fax: -

Sibayak International Hotel
Jl.Merdeka, Brastagi - 22151, North Sumatra
Phone: (62 - 628) 91301
Fax: (62 - 628) 91307
Email: res@hotelsibayak.com
Website: www.hotelsibayak.com

Brastagi Cottage
Jl. Gundaling No. 65, Brastagi - 22151, North Sumatra
Phone: (62 - 628) 91345
Fax: (62 - 628) 91726

Sinabung International Hotel
Jl. Kolam Renang, Brastagi, North Sumatra
Phone: (62 - 628) 91400, (62 - 628) 91401, (62 - 628) 91402
Fax: (62 - 628) 91300

Rudang Hotel
Jl. Sempurna No. 16, Brastagi, North Sumatra
Phone: (62 - 628) 91348
Fax: -

B.) Toba Lake Hotels
Niagara Hotel
Jl. Pembangunan No. 1, Prapat - 21174, North Sumatra
Phone: (62 - 625) 41068, (62 - 625) 41008
Fax: -

Danau Toba Cottage
Prapat - 21174, North Sumatra
Phone: (62 -625) -
Fax: (62 -625) -

Natour Prapat Hotel
Jl. Marihat No. 1, Prapat - 21174, North Sumatra
Phone: (62 - 625) 41012, (62 - 625) 81018
Fax: (62 - 625) 41019

Medan Must DO

Rafting - Bukit Lawang, Wampu River

This Wampu river rafting trip is a fascinating adventure with many grade 2 rapids.
You will make the rafting with local guides. The trip takes about 4 hours down
the Wampu River. Minimum age is 10 years. You will enjoy the beautiful nature,
sailing on a wide jungle river in the midst of unspoiled impressive huge
rainforest. All around you can see and hear the tropical wildlife.

Trekking -Gunung Leusar National Park

Brastagi is a good base from which to explore Karo Batak villages, through
jungle trekking in Gunung Leuser National Park . The park is one of the largest
national park in Asia. It cover more than 7750 sq km and protect more than 100
different animals, including rhinoceros, elephant, tiger & orangutan and at least
300 spieces of birds.