Best of Sumatra Classic Overland

Day 1: Arrival in Medan – Bukit Lawang

• Arrive in Medan, the main city in North Sumatra, and drive approximately 1.5 hours to the city centre. Depending on your arrival time, enjoy a city tour.

• Visit Maimun Palace, built in 1888, to admire its Malay and Middle Eastern architectural influences.

• Explore Al-Mashun Grand Mosque, built around the same period, followed by a visit to Vihara Gunung Timur, a colourful Chinese temple.

• Drive approximately three hours to Bukit Lawang, a small village on the edge of Gunung Leuser National Park, known for its orangutan sightings.

• Discover the rainforest landscape of Gunung Leuser National Park, which spans more than 800,000 hectares and provides habitat for tigers, orangutans, gibbons, elephants and rhinos.

• Pass oil palm plantations, rubber fields and roadside markets along the journey to Bukit Lawang.

• Enjoy a free afternoon at your hotel, relaxing on the veranda and taking in the surrounding scenery before an overnight stay in simple accommodation.

Day 2: Orangutan and Jungle Trek – Berastagi (B)

• Visit the orangutan feeding platform in Bukit Lawang, established to support rehabilitated orangutans released into the wild. Semi-wild orangutans visit for milk and bananas when they struggle to find food independently, while sightings of wild orangutans are also possible. As orangutans become more self-sufficient in the forest, they rely less on the feeding platform

• Trek through the rainforest for two to three hours after the feeding session. The route includes some challenging terrain and offers opportunities to spot gibbons, Thomas’s leaf monkeys, macaques, flying squirrels, Sumatran peacocks and hornbills. Wild orangutans may also appear along the trail.

• The Bukit Lawang programme may run in reverse, with the jungle trek taking place before the orangutan feeding session.

• Camera and video camera fees apply inside the park: Rp 50,000 for a camera and Rp 150,000 for a video camera.

• Bring shoes with good grip, a raincoat, a dry bag to protect your wallet and mobile phone, insect repellent and drinking water.

• Optional tubing on the river is available after the trek, using car inner tubes to float downstream. The cost is payable personally.

Day 3: Berastagi – Samosir Island (B)

• Drive to Lake Toba through the scenic highlands of North Sumatra. Lake Toba is one of the world’s largest and deepest crater lakes.

• Stop at Dokan, a Batak Karo village where traditional houses remain inhabited by local families. The original itinerary notes that eight families live in each of these houses.

• Visit Sipiso-piso Waterfall and Rumah Bolon, the traditional longhouse of the Batak Simalungun king.

• Continue along the shores of Lake Toba to Parapat, a small town on the lake’s edge, arriving in the afternoon.

• Cross Lake Toba by public boat, with a crossing time of approximately 45 minutes, to reach Samosir Island.

• Transfer directly to your hotel on Samosir Island upon arrival and relax for the evening.

Day 4: Samosir Island Tour (B)

• Explore Ambarita Village to discover the megalithic heritage of the Batak Toba people, including ancient stone remains in front of traditional houses.

• Visit Simanindo to watch a traditional folk dance performed by local villagers and explore a museum built in the distinctive Batak architectural style.

• Stop at Tomok Village on the return journey to see an ancient, intricately decorated sarcophagus.

• Return to your hotel on Samosir Island after exploring the island’s cultural heritage.

Tour arrangement: The Samosir tour uses a car for groups of up to five people. Groups of six or more travel by boat.

Day 5: Samosir Island – Sipirok (B)

• Visit Jangga Dolok or Lumban Binanga, a traditional Batak village, to discover local architecture and village life.

• Explore the colourful market in Balige, where local products reflect everyday life in the surrounding communities.

• Stop at the Sipoholon sulphur hot springs before continuing to Sipirok.

• Check in to your hotel in Sipirok for your overnight stay.

Day 6: Sipirok – Bukittinggi (B)

• Travel through the landscapes of North and West Sumatra on a long scenic drive, with views of mountains, rivers, valleys and traditional villages along the route.

• Visit Sijornih Waterfall during the journey.

• Stop at Sihepeng to explore a small herb garden, where cardamom, ginger and vanilla are grown. You may also see a short-tailed monkey trained to collect coconuts.

• Visit a Muslim school to observe how children study and live in small wooden houses.

• Discover Minangkabau cultural heritage in Bukittinggi, the heartland of a society known for its matriarchal and matrilineal traditions.

Day 7: Harau Valley Tour (B)

• Explore Harau Valley’s landscape of rice fields and green forests, set beneath dramatic cliffs. The area also features several waterfalls with pools beneath them, which you can visit before returning to Bukittinggi.

• Enjoy a city tour of Bukittinggi, visiting Jam Gadang Clock Tower, which overlooks the colourful Pasar Atas Market, as well as the remains of Fort de Kock and the scenic Ngarai Sianok Valley.

• Choose an optional three-hour scenic walk through Harau Valley, passing rice fields, villages and paved paths between the cliffs. Listen for the calls of black siamang and gibbons along the route before reaching a waterfall with a swimming pool beneath it.

• Swim at the waterfall pool during the optional walk before returning to Bukittinggi. The cost of this optional tour is payable personally.

Day 8: Bukittinggi – Padang Airport

• Enjoy free time in Bukittinggi to relax before departing for the airport.

• Drive approximately two hours to Padang Airport, passing through the greenery of Anai Park along the way.

• Stop at Anai Waterfall if time permits before continuing to the airport.

• End the tour at Padang Airport for your onward journey.

• 7 nights’ accommodation during overland travel, including daily breakfast      
• Air-conditioned transfer during overland
• Tour program as indicated in the itinerary
• Applicable entrance fees, national park permit
• Return public ferry/boat to/from Samosir Island
• English-speaking guide during tour

• Domestic flight to/from Sumatra
• Lunch and dinner not include in the program
• Tips and donations, Camera/video charge in Gunung Leuser National park
• Personal travel insurance
• Other personal expenses such as laundry, telephone call, minibar, room service,
• High & Peak season surcharge