LAKE TOBA

The lake Toba which is located in North Sumatra is the largest lake in Indonesia. The beauty of the lake interests thousand of foreign and domestic tourists. Every year thousand of tourists come to Toba to enjoy its beauty. Prapat is a beautiful town by the lake. The town is not very clean, but it is not dirty either.

From this town, tourists can cross the lake to Samosir. It is an island in the middle of the gigantic lake. Crossing the lake to Samosir is an interesting experience.

If the day is clear, the green island is really beautiful. At Tuktuk, a small town in Samosir, tourists can spend the night in villas belongs to the big restaurant there. The villas only charge Rp. 500.000,- for a doubled room. People who do not have much money can rent cheaper villas. There are some which charge lower. Some people also rent their houses for tourists. Tourists only have to pay Rp. 50.000,- a night. The houses have no electricity but they are clean and comfortable.

Every day a ferry sails around Samosir. Because it is a large island, the journey takes the whole day. Tourists who do not like sailing can go around the island by land. On certain days cars carry people to go around the island. One can hire a motor-cycle, too. The rent is about Rp. 800.000,- a day. The rent is not fixed, depending on how clever one bargains. Riding a motor-cycle is very pleasant in this district. The road is good and not busy. The people are very kind and are always ready to help others. The beautiful nature and the kindness of the people are really different from the region across the island.

Ambarita is another small town in Samosir. About five kilometres from the small town, people can see the ruin of ancient small kingdoms. Samosir is a unique island. The island that is located in the middle of lake Toba also has a small lake in its centre. It also has two hot springs that interest tourists.