LAKE TOBA: BEAUTIFUL & GORGEOUSLY

Source: www.burufly.com

Lake Toba is the largest lake in South East Asia and the deepest in the world and also the most beautiful lake. This lake is like a sea because its too weight and have around 100 km x 30 km. In the middle of the lake there is a big lake named Samosir Island in the highest of 1000  metres above the sea level with an average depth of 450 metres.  

The legend of Lake Toba almost believed as the biggest volcano eruption of Toba Mountain over 74.000 years ago. It was predicted as one of the doomdays or destruction of human being. The vomit of volcanoes made the darness around the world in 2 weeks longer. Hence, volcanoes eruption formed caldera which is named of Lake Toba. In addition, Toba Island is formed by the pressure of the magma continiously on earth centre. You can get there from Medan in around 3 – 4 hours.

Fortunately, Lake Toba is complete with the beauty of the nature. The hills, houses, and the green dazzled Lake Toba become a safety home and the best reflection and tranquility.  The visitor usually spend their moment by swimming or using speed boat seeing around Lake Toba. The next moment that the visitors never be left is the sunset in the afternoon. Sitting on the Hotel’s yard or at the edge of the lake, you can interest of the most beauty of sunset. You’ll feel like in somewhere. 

Moreover, Lake Toba has a magical and cosmology aspect because batak people believed of their ancestor before them who are their protector and terried on Lake Toba. From cultural aspect, Batak people is adore to their cultural life as the inheritance from their ancestors.  Lake Toba is in the centre of the homeland to the Batak people but ‘Tano Batak’ covers an area the size of Belgium within North Sumatra. With their own language, the Batak are mainly Christian, encountering Christian missionaries in the 1850’s and 1860’s from Holland and Germany. The current estimated population of samosir is 120.000. Including Lake Toba there are six majors Batak Regions – Toba, Karo, Pak-pak, Simalungun, Angkola and Sipirok. Around 1.5 million batak live among these regions but Karo lives around Berastagi.    

Furthermore, Lake Toba includes of some places that should visited by you. Here they are: 

PARAPAT

Parapat

Parapat is one of the main gate (gateway) to Lake Toba and Samosir Island. You can get it around 3 – 4 hours from Medan by Bus (Sejahtera, Intra or mini Bus). Parapat is also well known as the edge of Lake Toba and clearly to see around the Lake. Parapat served so many hotel, cottage or motel. If you choose to take your time stay there. It’s too easy to reach from one place to another place from Parapat. If you would like to cross the Lake to Tomok or Tuk-tuk you can go by ferry. There is a regular ferry service, every half hour, between Tuk-Tuk on Samosir Island to Parapat. The ferry runs between 7.30 am and 7.30 pm during peak tourist seasons.  But ferry will be back from Parapat at 6 pm everyday during off peak season or usual day.The cost of the Ferry is Rp. 5000 to Tuk-Tuk or Tomok. 

Every weekend, Parapat is very busy and full of visitor. Oftenly, they just want to spend their time watching Lake Toba from the edge, swimming, rent the speed boatand go to Batu Gantung or enjoy the traditional music of the young Batak.   If you don’t know the side of Parapat, you can ask local people out there to be your guide and take you out to somewhere that you want.  

TUK-TUK 

Tuk-Tuk is located across of Parapat, just go by Ferry from Parapat’s quay. Tuk-tuk is the place of which we can meet with others visitors and enjoy the holiday for along time. Tuk-tuk is one of the place in Samosir Island which serve so many Hotel or cottage. It also as one of the tourist choice to stay. Despite of home staying, you’ll taste such kinds of Cultural village, souvenir market, restourants served traditional cuisine like Toba cuisine or national cuisine and also will refresh your eyes by a carpet of green rice field.

Yet, you can get Tuk-tuk by other’s way throughout Pangururan which is passsed Tele as one of the panoramic beauty side to meet up with whole of Lake Toba. It’s really fantastic and gorgeous. Then after passing Tele go down the mount untill arrive at Pangururan. From Pangururan we can go to Tuk-Tuk by Public Transport around a half till one hours.   

TOMOK 

Sigale-gale

Tomok is one of Samosir Island district and become one of tourism destination in Samosir. It’s a traditional village. Moreover, Tomok is used as a gateway to Samosir. We can learn about ancestor’s story or history of Batak encient like the large sarchopagus stone of Sidabutar King. It formed like A LION –a mythical creature, part water buffalo, part elephant.

Beautifully painted traditional adat houses stand in a neat row, with their backs to the lake, complemented with rice barns facing the houses. The elaborate Batak designs on these houses form leaves and flowers and are typically colored in black, white and red.

Sidabutar's Tombstone

Furthermore, while enjoying and spending your holiday by surprising with the beauty of Lake Toba, you’ll also can enrich your knowledge about some encient building/traditional houses which it’s still exist there.

Court Desk

PASIR PUTIH (PARBABA) - PANGURURAN

Parbaba (white sand) is located in Desa Hutabolon, Pangururan district –Samosir Island. It’s one of travel destination of Toba Lake. Having known the beauty, so many trourists come to spend their free time with a big desire just want to know how is Parbaba looks like. Parbaba is stated in a small village called “Partonunan Ulos” Parbaba. Amazingly we can see Pusuk Buhit directly with its own beautiful landscape. We can lie relaxe on the white sand or rent the tent and enjoy the freshing high wind. With the entrance payment no more than Rp. 2000 is completely cheap and enjoyfull for your destination.

White Sandy Beach - Parbaba

Parbaba supplies such kinds of facilities like Hotel, Restaurant, tent, bont, volleyball, etc. When you lie down on the sand, the wind breeze, the rustling of ashore and a cunjugate of birds will make senses of you. The best time to visit to parbaba is recommended on January – May and July – August. Whether on June –August the weather looks so bad. It’s getting high wind and unpredictable climate. Parbaba (white sand) is located in Pangururan district –Samosir. It’s closed to the pass way of Pangururan and Tomok. Oftenly, Parbaba just take retribution around RP. 2000/person.

TAMAN EDEN  - PARAPAT

Water Fall in Taman Eden 100

Taman Eden 100 actually is the other side of beautiful destination but there is like a trekking characteristic. It’s diferent with others. If you wanna see the very familiar and wild fruit which never ever live in Indonesia but really familiar in Jerusalem and Amazon, you’ll find it out there.  The characteristic of this destination is especially while the visitor should buy the seed of a fruit then they plant it wherever they like and they can write their identity as the owner of the plant. Really Unique right? Taman eden – tropic wood weight around 40 hectar, is located at 1.100 – 1.750 metres on the sea level. It is a small hill and situated in a small village named North Sionggang Village, Lumban Julu District, Samosir Island. We can get this place by using Bus from Medan. It’s just the edge of the Parapat – Balige rail way, around 190 cilometres from Medan to Tarutung.  All visitor give the chance to plant their plant by buying the seed before. For 1 seed we must pay Rp. 100.000 – Rp. 300.000. Contribution entrance is around Rp. 3.000 – Rp. 7000/visitor.    

So many plants grow in Taman Eden 100 like Alphocado, Manggo, Orange, Ara (from Israel) and Butter Nut (Amazon), etc and was identify for the owner. Moreover, Taman Eden also conservate the Flower garden labeled by the Owner Marandus Sirait as Orchid Park – the only one of Orchid Park in North Sumatra. That’s the beauty of its nature or plants. So how about others? Yeahhh, You’ll find in the middle of the wood a waterfall spend around 20 minutes walk from the entrance. When we are there, no one crowded sound that we can hear. It’s almost silence and good for you who are searching for retret or reflection.  

PUSUK BUHIT - PANGURURAN

Pusuk Buhit Mt

Overlooking the hot springs is Mount Pusuk Buhit (1981m). Pusuk Buhit Mountain is sacred to Batak People as the first ruler- Si Raja Batak, is believed to have descended from heaven onto the mountain. 

Hot springs is on the other side of the island to Tuk-Tuk. The hot springs are not on Samosir Island but you do not need to take off a ferry off the island to see them out. On the opposite side of the Island from where Tuk-Tuk is Pangururan – the centre town of Samosir Island. Out there you’ll find a small isthmus that connected the island to the mainland. Isthmus is location of ot springs in Pangururan.




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