Tales from Lake Toba
Lake Toba, Sumatra, 2020.
Before arriving in Sumatra, I didn’t know about our next destination—an island inside a lake inside a mountain crater. We never planned to visit Lake Toba, few do.
We drove from Bukit Lawang through endless stretches of palm and rubber plantations, stopping to stretch our legs and see the active volcano, Mount Sinabung. Eventually, the misty jungle opened into rice fields and gave way to a vast lake that disappeared into the horizon.
After buying tickets to Tuk Tuk, a small area inside Samosir island in Lake Toba, we waited sitting next to a few locals under the shade. The tourism industry hasn’t fully taken over this area yet, so Tuk Tuk remains one of the only places for foreign travellers to stay. We hop off at the first stop: Tabo Cottages. It looked well-kept and slightly out of budget for backpackers like us, but after nine hours of travel, we weren’t up for browsing more options. It was low season and very quiet. After explaining our situation to the front desk, they gave us a suite on a discount—a true blessing after sleeping on the jungle floor the week before.
