Lake Toba (Sumatra)

Advantages: Beautiful paradise & relaxation - recommended
Disadvantages: Lack of tourism

We took a trip to Lake Toba just over a year ago on a 4 month backpacking trip round South East Asia and would go back tomorrow given half a chance. It was one of the places we'd heard to much about and our Rough Guide gushed over the natural surroundings and beauty of the place so we knew it had to be one of our top stops. WHERE IS LAKE TOBA? Lake Toba in Sumatra is the biggest lake in Indonesia and is a truly beautiful place worth a visit if ...
...the remaining crater became a lake over time, now containing a central island in it (Samosir Island) over 5km long. The lake itself is around 35km long if I remember correctly, pretty amazing, and quite deep (half a kilometre, you wonder what lurks under there at that depth!). So based on the size of the lake (20 miles?), take a moment to imagine the size of the original volcano... pretty impressive. Toba was populated originally by the Batak from ... Read review

Advantages: scenery
Disadvantages: persistent souvenir sellers

...complete without a trip to Lake Toba. Danau Toba is the local name for this lake which is the biggest in Indonesia. The lake itself is three times larger than Singapore and is about 450 metres deep. Lake Toba is accessible from a small town called Parapat on the north eastern side of the lake. The lake itself is stunning and reminds me somewhat of Lake Windemere. There is a huge island in the middle of the lake called Samosir island which was originally ...
...The journey to Lake Toba takes aproximately 5 hours from Medan and you can opt for a different route on the way back which will pass Brastagi, a higland village famous for fruit cultivation. The best hotel in Parapat is Niagara Hotel, perched at the peak of a hill overlooking the lake. prices are reasonable if you book in advance and more so if it is an organised tour. ... Read review

Advantages: Beautiful and quiet
Disadvantages: A long way from Java

...nearby Danau Maninjau (Danau means lake in Indonesian) - if possible even more laid back. I spent a week there doing nothing but swimming and playing cards and drinking beer, for next to no money. A tip worth knowing is that if you're only intending to visit Toba, you can fly into Medan which has an international airport - it's not easy but it's possible. And it's preferable to trekking overland from Jakarta, a bus journey of three days in vehicles ... Read review

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...and made a stop at lake Toba. The bus ride from the Orang-utan sanctuary, at Bukit Lawang, to Lake Toba took twelve hours. Don’t believe it when they say air-conditioned bus…two little fans at the front of the bus is not air-conditioning! The lake itself is huge as is the Island that you can stay on in the middle of it and there are plenty of guesthouses and dorm beds to be found, bikes to rent and places to eat. We got a dorm bed in Bagus Bay, ...
...a big outdoor market. Lake Toba is definitely worth a visit but make sure you stop at Lake Maninjau, near Bukittingi, which although smaller is set in a Volcanic crater and beautiful. It’s on the way South and is only 15 hours by “air-conditioned” bus. You do get to stop at the equator though. ... Read review