Sumatra
This scattering of ruined and partially restored temples is the most important Hindu-Buddhist site in Sumatra. The temples are believed to mark the…
Must-see attractions in Sumatra
North Sumatra
Famous for its steamy sulphurous fumaroles, Gunung Sibayak (2094m) is one of Indonesia’s most accessible volcanoes. Getting to the summit for sunrise is a…
Banda Aceh
With its brilliant-white walls, ebony-black domes and towering minaret, this 19th-century mosque is a dazzling sight. The best time to visit is during…
Pulau Bintan
Pulau Penyenget, reached by frequent boats (7000Rp) from the Tanjung Pinang pier, was once the capital of the Riau rajahs. The ruins of the old palace of…
West Sumatra
Dominating the northern end of Kerinci Seblat National Park is Gunung Kerinci (3805m), Southeast Asia’s tallest volcano and one of Sumatra’s most active…
Sumatra
Set on a hill overlooking the Indian Ocean, the star-shaped Benteng Marlborough, a former British fort, became the seat of British power in Bengkulu after…
Sumatra
This superb museum, housed inside several traditional-style buildings, offers an in-depth introduction to the indigenous culture of Nias. The displays run…
Banda Aceh
A visit to this beautifully designed, hard-hitting museum commences with a walk through a dark, dripping tunnel that symbolises the 2004 tsunami waves…
Pulau Bintan
This fascinating maritime museum is a surprising find along this sleepy coastal road. Housed within a building shaped like a ship, it has an unlikely…
Medan
Housed in a striking traditional building, this museum has a well-presented collection ranging from early North Sumatran civilisations and the Hindu,…
Padang
Although badly damaged in the 2009 earthquake, Padang’s colonial-era quarter around Jl Batang Arau is still worth a lazy stroll. Crumbling old Dutch and…
Medan
The grand, 30-room Maimoon Palace was built by the Sultan of Deli in 1888 and features Malay, Mughal and Italian influences. Only the main room, which…
Seblat Elephant Conservation Centre
Sumatra
The Seblat Elephant Conservation Centre is a conservation project set up to manage human-elephant conflict, as well as to protect the forests and wildlife…
Sumatra
Tinggi Hari, 20km from Lahat, west of the small river town of Pulau Pinang, is a site featuring the best examples of early prehistoric stone sculpture in…
West Sumatra
Handicraft and textile fans should not miss this place near Simpang Bukit Batabuah, 7km southeast of Bukittinggi. Dedicated to revitalising the…
Danau Toba
Located 5km southeast of Tuk Tuk, near the Tomok ferry terminal, is a complex of royal Batak tombs and houses. At the entrance you'll pass sarcophagi of…
West Sumatra
At 1996m, the beautiful caldera of Danau Gunung Tujuh is the highest in Southeast Asia and makes for a pleasant day ascent or part of a multiday trek. It…
House of Rafflesia Luwak Coffee
West Sumatra
At this plantation in Batang Palupuh, friendly owner Umul Khairi is happy to explain the process of harvesting, drying and roasting kopi luwak – a smooth,…
West Sumatra
This reserve, 16km north of Bukittinggi, is home to many orchid species, as well as the massive Rafflesia arnoldii and Amorphophallus titanum, the largest…
North Sumatra
Located between Berastagi and Danau Toba, this impressive, well-tended palace complex sits on the edge of the village of Pematang Purba. It was the home…
West Sumatra
In the village of Silinduang Bulan, 5km north of Batu Sangkar, the heartland of the red Tanah Datar clan of Minangkabau, is this epic palace, a replica of…
Pulau Bintan
This well-maintained temple complex, looking out to sea, is accessed through a beautifully decorative Chinese archway and contains three main temples. The…
North Sumatra
While today it's one of the most active volcanoes on the planet, remarkably Gunung Sinabung lay dormant for over 400 years until its dramatic eruption in…
North Sumatra
The most visited of the villages around Berastagi, Lingga, a few kilometres northwest of Kabanjahe, has just a couple of traditional houses with…
Banda Aceh
All that remains of Aceh’s powerful sultanates today is on view at Gunongan. Built by Sultan Iskandar Muda (1607–36) as a gift for his Malay princess wife…
Sumatra
This excellent museum showcases finds from Sriwijayan times, as well as megalithic carvings from the Pasemah Highlands, including the famous batu gajah …
Pulau Bintan
On Pulau Bintan's far northeast tip, Berakit is a small, curious fishing village populated with Orang Laut (which translates to 'people of the sea'), a…
West Sumatra
Danau Kerinci, 20km south of Sungai Penuh, is a sizeable lake nestled between Gunung Raya (2535m) and rice paddies. Stone carvings around the lake suggest…
Danau Toba
Amid the fertile rice fields between Simanindo and Pangururan are these large multistorey graves decorated with the distinctive miniature Batak-style…
Pulau Bintan
This small Chinese temple down by the docks can actually be seen from the water as you leave on boats to Senggarang. There's a small open-air stage in…
Pulau Bintan
This particularly unusual temple is housed in a building dating from the early 19th century. Originally owned by a wealthy Chinese man, believed to be…
Sumatra
One of only five such surviving buildings on Pulau Nias, the Omo Hada is situated in the prestigious ‘upstream’ direction of the remote Hilinawalo Mazingo…
Pulau Bintan
When heading to Senggarang from Tanjung Pinang by boat, unless you ask to dock at the temples, you'll be dropped off at the jetties at Senggarang's so…
Banyak Islands
The second-largest of the Banyak Islands, Pulau Bangkaru is home to a turtle conservation project, so visits are strictly controlled and you’re only…
Banda Aceh
This state museum displays Acehnese weaponry, household furnishings, ceremonial costumes, everyday clothing, gold jewellery, calligraphy and some…
West Sumatra
Climbing dormant Gunung Singgalang (2877m) is a more adventurous undertaking than Gunung Merapi. Highly recommended English-speaking guide Dedi (0813 7425…
Sumatra
A straightforward hike here through coffee and palm-sugar plantations finishes at a campsite near an idyllic natural hot spring, from where you can take…
West Sumatra
The smouldering summit of Gunung Merapi (2891m), one of Sumatra’s most active volcanoes, looms large over Bukittinggi around 16km to the east. If Merapi…
Sumatra
Occupying 1300 sq km of coastal lowland forest on the east coast of Lampung, Way Kambas National Park is home to an impressive diversity of wildlife,…
Danau Toba
At Samosir’s northern tip, in the village of Simanindo, 15km north of Tuk Tuk, there’s a beautifully restored traditional house that now functions as a…
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