Sumatra Indonesia Complete Guide 2026: Lake Toba, Bukit Lawang Orangutans, Medan, Bukittinggi, Banda Aceh, Padang
Browse more guides: Indonesia travel | Asia destinations Sumatra Indonesia Complete Guide 2026: Lake Toba Supervolcano, Bukit Lawang Orangutans, Minangkabau Highlands, Banda Aceh, Pulau Weh and Mentawai TL;DR Sumatra is the largest fully Indonesian island and the sixth largest on Earth, stretching 1,790 kilometres along the equator with 473,481 square kilometres of rainforest, volcanic highland and reef. Roughly 50 million people live here across four headline cultures: Acehnese in the far north, Batak around Lake Toba, Minangkabau through the central highlands and Malay along the east coast. I planned this guide for travellers who want raw nature, deep culture and very few crowds. The signature stop is Lake Toba, a 100 by 30 kilometre crater lake formed by a supervolcanic eruption around 74,000 years ago, the largest such eruption in the past 25 million years. Samosir Island sits inside the lake and is the heartland of Batak Christian culture. The second pillar is Bukit Lawang, ...