THE SAMOSIR ISLAND IN LAKE TOBA

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Image by Stepgun - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

Indonesia has a lot of beautiful tourist destinations and one of them is Lake Toba. It is the largest volcanic crater lake in the world and was formed by the eruption of Mount Toba 73.000 years ago.

There is the Samosir Island in the middle of the crater lake, which has the size of 630 square kilometers. Whenever you go to this island, you’ll feel that the inhabitants are so friendly. Visitors can see the outstanding panorama and visit the villages on this island.

Tourists sail across the lake by ferry, speedboat or passenger ship. They may bring their cars or motorcycles to Samosir Island. For those who don’t have vehicles, they can hire motorbikes from the motorcycle rental company.

It is very crowded on Christmas, New Year, Idul Fitri or public holidays. The ferries start operating from 08.00 a.m. and the tickets are more expensive than normal.

Efrata is the name of the hidden waterfall in Sosor Dolok village. It is about 20 kilometer from the main town of Samosir regency. Only a few people go there because it is very hard to reach the waterfall. The uneven road is so stony and there’re a lot of big rocks and bushes blocking the way. It needs a brave heart to pass through all the obstacles.

Samosir Island is 1,000 meters above sea level. The scenery is wonderful and tourists are very interested in Batak culture.

Tomok village is located near the entrance gate of Samosir Island. There’re the traditional houses and visitors are welcome by the Tor-tor dance and Sigale-gale puppets. There is the museum for those who want to study more about Batak culture.

A sarcophagus of the chief of Sidabutar tribe has existed since 19th century. There’s a stoned scary head on the front side of the sarcophagus, which is believed to have the ward off evil power.

Sidiangkat hill is a good photo spot for tourists to take photos with the background of beautiful Lake Toba. One of the popular photo spot is Sarang Burung or Bird’s nest, which allows people to go in and sit.

It’s time to enjoy a hot water bath after you’re tired of traveling around Samosir Island. The Pangururan hot spring is still in its original state. Looking at the hills around there, you will feel so relaxed and comfortable. There’re bathing pools for people to wash their bodies. The temperature is adjusted to suit the need because the spring water is very hot.

If you intend to find the Ulos cloth of Batak people, you may go to Lumban Suhi Suhi village. Tourists can see how the artisans make the Ulos cloths and most of the village women work there for a living. It is not easy to finish a piece of Ulos cloth. It usually needs 1 to 4 weeks to complete, depending on the complexities of the craftwork.

Batu Hoda is one of the white sand beaches of Samosir Island. It has a lot of interesting stories. Legend says that long ago a female horse stranded on the island and she was very faithful to wait for her partner until she turned into a big rock.

There are hotels with good facilities and services and the room rates are not so expensive. Tourists can enjoy eating Batak food and stay comfortably in the hotel.

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