North Sumatra

North Sumatra (Sumatera Utara) is the northern province of Indonesia's Sumatra Island. Map showing the location of North Sumatra in Indonesia Regions Cities North Sumatera has more than 13 major towns, including: Medan - the capital Berastagi - the fruits town Parapat - gateway to Lake Toba Pematangsiantar - second largest city Tarutung Sidikalang - famoused for its coffee Other destinations Lake Toba - the largest lake in South East Asia, placed within exception volcanic scenery and surrounded by inspiring mountains Samosir Island - The island can be reached from Parapat, Muara, or Tigaras Taman Iman Dairi (Garden of Faith) - located in Sidikalang Salib Kasih - located in Tarutung, a centre of christian missionary by I.L. Nommensen Bukit Lawang - gateway to the orangutans, and the Gunung Leuser National Park Pulau Nias Gunung Sinabung (Sinabung Volcano) Gunung Sibayak (Sibayak Volcano) Understand Tourist Information:you can get a free information from a local tourism organization called HPPI (Indonesian Tourism Workers Association), located in the heart of travelers area (Jalan.Sisingamangaraja no.66 Medan, or Near the big Mosque,Al-Mashun). email : hppi@rocketmail.com or call & SMS to +62 (0)812 6565 6111 Tourist Information: In North Sumatra there is a lack of a reliable Tourist Information Center. The main reason is probably because North Sumatra is not a major tourist destination for foreigners. To fill this vacuum, - a very friendly mixed-couple of an American guy and a local Batak woman, are trying to supply free of charge reliable tourist information. Their names are Ronen and Mardia. They can be reached by SMS: 081-397033540 or by email: crxsmh@yahoo.com Indonesia 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 Medan Polonia International Airport (IATA: MES | ICAO: WIMM) has direct connections to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Penang for its regional flight and Jakarta, Batam, Pekanbaru, Padang, Banda Aceh and Lhokseumawe for its Domestic flight. The terminal building provides basic facilities including ATMs, money exchange, and a range of transport services. Most flights are with one of this following airlines: Firefly Airlines operate daily from/to Medan via Penang, every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday from/to Banda Aceh via Penang, as well as from/to Pekanbaru via Subang airport ( Kuala Lumpur). For more info, call: 603-7845 4543 or visit http://www.fireflyz.com.my 2 flight daily from/to Kuala Lumpur and Penang Excellent for both domestic and international flights. Flight delays are not uncommon. Be prepared for mind-numbing waiting games even during off peak season. Malaysia Airlines operate 1 daily fligt from/to Penang and Kuala Lumpur They are not the cheapest, but prices are still normally reasonable. Garuda Indonesia operate 5 flights daily from/to Jakarta and 1 flight daily to Banda Aceh. CityLink, Garuda Indonesia low cost carrier, operates 2 daily flights as well. Silk Air fly from/to Singapore twice daily. This is a short-haul, lower service version of Singapore Airlines. The prices are reasonable. Batavia Air operate 3 flights daily from/to Jakarta and a flight daily from/to Padang and Pekanbaru Mandala Air operate 2 flights daily from/to Jakarta and Pekanbaru and a daily flight from/to Padang and Batam Sriwijaya Air operate 2 flights daily from/to Jakarta and a flight daily to Banda Aceh, Lhokseumawe and Pekanbaru and 3 times a week to Ipoh Malaysia Lion Air and Wings Air operate 5 flighst daily to Medan and a daily flight to Banda Aceh and Penang Kartika Airlines operate 5 times weekly from/to Medan Via Batam and 2 times a week to Ipoh Malaysia By boat Domestic cruise PELNI the Local Passenger cruise company operate weekly voyages from the Port of Belawan in Medan to Batam and Jakarta. From Malaysia The ferry from Penang does not operate anymore. By Bus Medan can be reach by land and many buses serve Medan from Many cities in Sumatera and Java Island such as Pekanbaru, Padang, Banda Aceh, Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang and Surabaya. Get around In north sumatra there is a transporter like TOBATRANSPORTER, ☎ +6285261492668 (tobatransporter@hotmail.com), [1].  edit who operates 7 seaters Toyota Innova for your transportation or tour packages,for the price you can see in their sites. You can go to Lake Toba , Parapat , Bukit Lawang , Berastagi with them,don't worry because they have experience driver with north sumatra mountainous road. See Danau Toba, or Lake Toba, is about 4 hours from Medan by car, and is home to world's largest crater lake and island-within-an-island. The town of Tuk-tuk 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. Itineraries Do 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. Drink Stay safe Get out There are few expats here, but the Hash House Harriers has a few local chapters in Medan and surrounding areas. This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!