Sumatra

Danau Toba has been part of traveller folklore for decades. This grand ocean-blue lake, found up among Sumatra’s volcanic peaks, is where the amiable Christian Batak people reside. The secret of this almost mythical place was opened up by intrepid travellers years ago. While these days Tuk Tuk – the knobby village on the lake’s inner island – is on the beaten Sumatran overland path, it's still one of the undisputed highlights of central Sumatra.

Danau Toba is the largest lake in Southeast Asia, covering a massive 1707 sq km. In the middle of this huge expanse is Pulau Samosir, a wedge-shaped island almost as big as Singapore that was created by an eruption between 30,000 and 75,000 years ago. In fact, Samosir isn’t actually an island at all. It’s linked to the mainland by a narrow isthmus at the town of Pangururan – and then cut again by a canal.

Bukit Lawang, 96km northwest of Medan, is a sprawling tourist village laced along the fast-flowing Sungai Bohorok and bordered by the dense vertical-rising jungle of Gunung Leuser National Park. Its legend is built around the orang-utan rehabilitation centre set up here in 1973 and, although the feeding platform has closed, this is still the best place in Sumatra to spot habituated orang-utans on a trek.

Trekking aside, it’s a very traveller-friendly place, where you can while away the days lounging in hammocks, splashing or tubing in the river and enjoying some of the best-value jungle resorts in Sumatra.

If you’ve ever dreamt about having a tropical island entirely to yourself, complete with palm trees, powdery white beaches and crystal-clear waters, the Banyak Islands is a great place to fulfil your Robinson Crusoe fantasy. A cluster of 99 mostly uninhabited islands, the Banyak (Many) Islands are situated about 30km west of Singkil. Remote they might be, but they are now very much on the radar of paradise-seeking travellers and surfers. As well as having arguably the finest beaches in Sumatra and a handful of quality surf spots, the Banyaks feature Sumatra’s best snorkelling, with beautiful underwater forests of colourful coral (at least where there has been no past dynamite fishing).

Only two of the islands are properly inhabited: the town of Balai on Pulau Balai is the main entry point to the islands; low-key Haloban on Pulau Tuangku is the other main village.

Tiny Pulau Weh (also known as Sabang) has been drawing travellers – mostly divers and in-the-know backpackers – for at least a couple of decades now but its charm hasn't faded: it's too remote for that. Ferrying out to this tiny island is an adventure, and exploring its beaches, jungle and clear waters, or just chilling in a hammock at your budget bungalow, are the rewards for travellers who’ve journeyed up through the turbulent greater mainland below. Snorkellers and divers bubble through the great walls of swaying sea fans, deep canyons and rock pinnacles, ogling the dazzling kaleidoscope of marine life, including manta rays and whale sharks. Both figuratively and geographically, Pulau Weh is the cherry on top for many visitors to Sumatra.

The largest national park in Sumatra, Kerinci Seblat National Park (Taman Nasional Kerinci Seblat; TNKS) covers a 350km swathe of the Bukit Barisan range and protects 13,791 sq km of prime equatorial rainforest spread over four provinces, with almost 40% of the park falling within Jambi’s boundaries.

Most of the protected area is dense rainforest, and its inaccessibility is the very reason the park is one of the last strongholds of the endangered harimau (Sumatran tiger). Kerinci Seblat National Park is known as having the highest population and occurrence of tigers anywhere in Sumatra, with 80% of the park showing signs of the species. Kerinci’s climate is temperate, and downright cold as you gain altitude. Bring warm clothes and rain gear.

The market town of Bukittinggi sits high above the valley mists as three sentinels – fire-breathing Merapi, benign Singgalang and distant Sago – all look on impassively. As well as being a handy base to explore Danau Maninjau and the surrounding countryside, the town itself is an interesting spot for a night or two. There are some worthwhile historical sights, including a Dutch fort and Japanese WWII tunnels, as well as attractive local landmarks. At an elevation of 930m it has a refreshingly temperate climate all year round.

It's a popular stopover for those heading between Padang and Danau Toba.

One of the best places in Asia to spot orang-utans in the wild, Ketambe is in the heart of the Alas Valley, and is the main tourist centre of Gunung Leuser National Park. A handful of guesthouses are spread along the road through Ketambe, hemmed in between the river and the jungle. It’s one of the most chilled-out places in the north of Sumatra, and a few lazy days relaxing beside the river and partaking in some jungle hiking is likely to be a highlight of your Sumatran adventures.

Ketambe is one of the main access points to the park. Directly across the river is Ketambe Research Station, a world-renowned conservation research facility, which is off limits to tourists. Ketambe has a few basic shops and restaurants, but Kutacane, 43km away, is the closest town of any note and is the place to go for transport and ATMs.

While surfers have long flocked to the Mentawai Islands for its legendary waves, it's a destination that will also have a far-flung appeal to independent travellers, in particular for those wanting to meet the island's tattooed hunter-gatherer tribes. The islands' pristine beaches are also magnificent and as idyllic as any you'll find anywhere in Sumatra.

Though only 150km from the mainland, the Mentawai Islands and its people were kept isolated until the 19th century by strong winds, unpredictable currents and razor-sharp reefs. It’s thought that the archipelago separated from Sumatra some 500,000 years ago, resulting in unique flora and fauna that sees Mentawai ranked alongside Madagascar in terms of endemic primate population. Of particular interest is siamang kerdil, a rare species of black-and-yellow monkey, named simpai Mentawai by the locals.

The quiet provincial capital of Bengkulu is a real hidden gem and quite possibly the nicest city in Sumatra. Its pedestrian-friendly streets are not desperately traffic-clogged, the beach is kept clean by locals, and there’s a decent eating scene to boot. The city itself is quite light on attractions, beyond a few interesting reminders of the colonial era and an expansive beach. But travellers are beginning to discover the multiple natural attractions beyond the city limits, which make Bengkulu an excellent destination in its own right, rather than just a handy stopover between Padang and Bukittinggi to the north and Krui and Bandar Lampung to the south.

At an altitude of 1300m, Berastagi is a cool mountain retreat and market town, established by colonial Dutch traders escaping the heat of sea-level Medan.

Since it's only two hours out of Medan, it's a popular retreat on weekends, when main-street traffic almost comes to a standstill. For travellers the main attraction is climbing active volcano Gunung Sibayak and exploring the surrounding Karo Highlands and villages, where vestiges of indigenous Karo Batak culture remain in the shape of the immense wooden houses with soaring thatched roofs and cattle-horn adornments.

On a clear day you can see both Gunung Sinabung to the west and the smoking Gunung Sibayak to the north. Sinabung erupted without much warning in the summer of 2015, causing the evacuation of thousands of people residing on its foothills. It still erupts intermittently and is indefinitely off limits to hikers.