North Sumatra

North Sumatra (Sumatera Utara) is a province in the north Indonesia's Sumatra Island.

Cities & Towns

Map showing the location of North Sumatra in Indonesia

Notable cities & towns:

Cities

• 🌍 Medan - the chaotic capital famous for its varieties of local cuisine
• 🌍 Pematangsiantar - second largest city
• 🌍 Binjai - small city just 22 km east to Medan and together with Medan form part of Greater Medan, also transit point to Bukit Lawang & Tangkahan
• 🌍 Tanjungbalai - the only international passenger port to Malaysia peninsular
• 🌍 Padang Sidempuan - The 'Salak' city and transit point to West Sumatra

Towns

• 🌍 Berastagi - the fruits town
• 🌍 Parapat - gateway to Lake Toba
• 🌍 Sibolga - major port city in the southwestern part
• 🌍 Sidikalang - famous for its coffee

Other destinations

• 🌍 Lake Toba - the largest lake in South East Asia, placed within exceptional volcanic scenery and surrounded by inspiring mountains.
• 🌍 Bukit Lawang - gateway to the orangutans and the Gunung Leuser National Park
• 🌍 Tangkahan - elephant conservation and another gateway to Gunung Leuser National Park
• Gunung Sinabung (🌍 Sinabung Volcano ) and Gunung Sibayak (🌍 Sibayak Volcano )
• 🌍 Taman Iman Dairi (Garden of Faith) - in Sidikalang
• 🌍 Salib Kasih - located in Tarutung, a centre of christian missionary by I.L. Nommensen
• 🌍 Nias island & 🌍 Batu islands - famous surfing destination
• 🌍 Bahal temple - ancient Buddhist temple dated around 11th - 13th century.
• 🌍 Batang Gadis Nataional Park and its highest volcano Sorikmarapi

Understand

Indonesian is mostly spoken in the North Sumatra area. People commonly speak their local languages as well. Batak Toba spoken in Tapanuli and Samosir, while Simalungun spoken in Simalungun area (southern Medan), Karo spoken in Tanah Karo (Kabanjahe, Berastagi), and Pakpak spoken in Dairi.

Get in

By plane

Kualanamu International Airport (KNO ^IATA) near the provincial capital Medan has direct connections from regional international destinations in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, as well as frequent flights from all major cities in Western Indonesia. For more information see the Medan#By plane section.

Another international airport is 🌍 Sisingamangaraja XII International Airport (DTB ^IATA - formerly Silangit International Airport) that serves Lake Toba.

In addition, there are a few smaller airports in the province. Flights from the national capital Jakarta serve 🌍 Ferdinand Lumbang Tobing Airport (FLZ ^IATA) near Sibolga on the western coast. The south of the province is served by 🌍 Aek Godang Airport (AEG ^IATA) with flights from Padang and Medan. The islands on the west of North Sumatra see scheduled flights from Padang to 🌍 Binaka Airport (GNS ^IATA) on the island of Nias and 🌍 Lasondre Airport on the Batu Islands.

By boat

Major port is Belawan and Tanjung Balai Asahan. As per July 2016, Belawan only serves domestic voyages while Tanjung Balai Asahan serves domestic voyages and international voyages from/to Port Klang.

By road

North Sumatra is connected by Trans-Sumatran Highway. Many buses serve Medan to many cities in Sumatra such as Pekanbaru, Padang and Banda Aceh.

Get around

By car

North Sumatra road condition has improved in the recent years, especially around major cities. But 2/3 of the road condition is still bad, with many potholes. Traffic is chaos, with most drivers won't pay attention to traffic signs/lights. Be extra careful especially if driving into rural areas.

There are tollways connecting Belawan - Medan - Tanjung Morawa (Belmera tollway), Medan - Binjai and Lubuk Pakam - Tebing Tinggi.

By bus

The easy way to get around without hassle is by bus. Most cities are served by buses. Be aware though that some bus drivers may drive recklessly. Road conditions also is so-so only for main road, while in rural, road may sometimes unpaved.

By train

Railway services covers only about 1/3 of the provinces, but are very reliable, cheap and fast. They cover Binjai, Medan, Pematang Siantar, Tanjung Balai and Rantau Prapat.

By plane

Several airports scatter around North Sumatra. See above.

See

Berastagi is a small town in mountainous region south of Medan is a popular weekend getaway for local, with 2 nearby volcanoes Sibayak and the active Sinabung.

Danau Toba, or Lake Toba, is about 4 hours from Medan by car, and is the world's largest crater lake. Pulau Samosir, in turn, is the largest island-within-an-island. The village of Tuktuk on the island is popular with European tourists, and magic mushrooms are freely available (look for the magic mushroom and laundry service).

Batak Toba Traditional House is a-must-see attraction while visiting North Sumatra. For tourism, it centered in Samosir island, while there are more in Balige, Porsea, and Tarutung.

Gunung Leuser National Park is a very large national park span across 2 province, home to several faunas like elephant, orangutan, tiger, and many more.

Eat

Batak people use either pork or even dog to make saksang. Another Batak pork specialty is babi panggang in which the meat is boiled in vinegar and pig blood before being roasted. Another batak dish, Ayam namargota, is chicken cooked in spices and blood. Another notable Batak dish is arsik, the carp fish cooked with spices and herbs. Lada rimba is strong pepper used by Bataks.

Stay safe

Sumatra is famous in Indonesia for being "rough", and locals are proud of their roots.

As in any city, be vigilant about your personal property and always be aware of your surroundings. Especially if you´re taking the public bus/minivan, those are always filled with pickpocket.

Be careful when crossing the street. Keep an eye on the locals and cross with them if possible.

Emergency telephone numbers: 112.

Connect

There are few expats here, but the Hash House Harriers has a few local chapters in Medan and surrounding areas.

Go next

• Pulau Weh
• Penang island