In the world there are many beautiful places where you want to return again and again. One of such unforgettable places is Lake Toba.
Toba Lake
Nowadays, many people dream of traveling. They want to visit the most popular, "high-profile" places, so that in the future there is something to brag about. But do not forget that there are other equally worthy and interesting places. One of them is Lake Toba, located on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia.
It amazes and delights with its beauty and grandeur. This place will not leave anyone indifferent. People go to the lake for inspiration, because an environment with delightfully green hills and trees, fresh air, interesting architecture and almost always warm weather helps tourists to meditate and focus on their work or just relax. This paradise is surrounded by palm trees, poplars, conifers. The island is home to a wide variety of animals, you will even find monkeys on the side of the road.
What is Lake Toba?
In Indonesia, Toba Lake is the largest body of water, and the largest volcanic lake in the world. It appeared about 75 thousand years ago as a result of the eruption of the Toba volcano. Lake Toba is located at an altitude of 900 meters above sea level, reaches about 90 km in length and 30 km in width, and the maximum depth is 505 m. The area of the lake is 1100 square kilometers.
In the middle of the lake is the island of Samosir, which is popular with tourists. In Indonesia, Sumatra Lake Toba after the eruption of a volcano was filled almost 1,500 years. But, despite such an intriguing history of occurrence, you will not meet a large crowd of tourists by the lake. A large Sumatran fault lies near Sumatra, sometimes even slight plate shifts are felt here, which makes the region almost the most seismically active in this part of the planet. The explosion
of the Toba volcano is estimated on an eight-point scale and is considered the most powerful eruption in the last 20 million years. A lot of interesting facts are connected with this. So, many scientists believe that
this eruption was the cause of the "volcanic winter" and radically changed the climate of our planet.
New eruptions
The area where Lake Toba is located is still seismically active. So, here quite large earthquakes with magnitude over 9 points occurred in 2004 and 2005. After one of them, the Grace satellites caught a small change in the shape of the Earth and a shift of the island of Sumatra by several tens of centimeters. Seismologists believe that powerful local seismic activity can lead to a new large-scale eruption.
Population
The indigenous people of Stsmatra are the Bataki. Their number on the island is about 4 million people. They are mainly engaged in fishing and farming. The inhabitants of the island preach Christianity and Islam, but until the 1920s they retained their archaic forms of life: slavery, hunting for human heads and cannibalism. In some places, traditional Batak houses are still found, distinguished by their skillful carvings and finishes. Also of interest are the boats that the bataks adorn with unusually beautiful carvings.
Climate
Lake Toba is located in the equatorial climate zone. It is summer all year round, the days are very warm, the air temperature is kept at 26-28 degrees Celsius. The difference in seasons is determined only by the amount of precipitation. Most of them fall from October (approximately from the middle of the month) to April. Therefore, the best time to visit the lake is May. But because of the Chinese New Year, tourists come in January.
Value in the economy
Due to its location and economic potential, Toba is of great importance in the national economy of Indonesia. About 65% of the structure of the economy is agriculture. Jobs provide rice and coffee, as well as corn, cinnamon and cloves.
Swimming in the lake
Many tourists are interested in whether it is possible to swim in Lake Toba. A definite answer cannot be given due to the fact that the ecology of this reservoir has recently worsened significantly. The reason for this is the active economic activity of the islanders without the use of treatment facilities. Therefore, in some places of the lake swimming is prohibited. I would also like to note that in certain months in the lake there is an increased flowering, which is caused by the presence in its waters of a large amount of nitrogen and phosphorus. Therefore, you can swim here, but only in designated areas.
Tourist info
On the island of Samosir, which is located in the center of the lake, there is a small peninsula Tuk Tuk. It is the most popular tourist destination. Tuk-Tuk is very small, you can get around it in less than an hour. This tiny piece of land is completely built up by guesthouses, hotels and entertainment facilities. In restaurants and cafes you can find a wide variety of dishes at various prices. But if we take in general, the prices for Samosir are lower than in all of Indonesia. Now there is not a large flow of tourists, but all infrastructure works stably. In hotels of the island you can rent a room from $ 2. As you can see, this is not expensive. There are many souvenir shops in Tuk Tuk where you can buy exclusive products. Tourists can spend leisure time visiting local attractions. One of the most popular places is the tomb of the Batak ruler Sidabutar, as well as the tomb in Hutaraj. The ruins of the ancient settlement of Batak, located near the village of Ambarita, are also popular with travelers.
Samosir island is called the island of the dead, but do not be afraid of this. He got this name because there were found many graves and sarcophagi, which the Bataks called "houses of adat." They are scattered throughout the island. The oldest grave is in the village of Tomak. She is about two hundred years old. The king of Sidabutar rests in it. An interesting fact: only the skulls of the deceased are kept in sarcophagi, so all relatives can fit in one such "house". If the sarcophagus has several tiers, then again the deceased is placed at the very bottom and slowly raise it to the upper "floors". The higher the skull, the higher its status.
Daily Batak dances, which take place in the restored royal residence of Simalungun at the Batak Museum, will make your holiday fun. An interesting and spectacular holiday for tourists is the "Sigale-Gale" - the annual festival of puppets. At this festival, only beautiful girls dance for the delight of the spectator's eyes, and the spectators are bataki of all tribes.
Insanely beautiful place in Sumatra is Sipiso Piso waterfall. It is the highest in Indonesia, reaches a height of 120 meters. Translated into Russian, the name means "a waterfall, like a knife."
The locals of Sumatra are peaceful and polite. Most of them speak only local dialects. Even in English, few are spoken here.
Interesting Facts
The consequences of a volcanic eruption that occurred in this region of the globe in the late Pleistocene turned out to be huge. Those scientists who believe that they led to a volcanic winter insist that mankind has survived thanks to the so-called “bottleneck effect”. Another interesting fact is that the ash from the volcano you will find throughout Southeast Asia, and not just in Indonesia. It was also proved that after the eruption, the temperature in this region decreased, and some species of flora and fauna disappeared from the face of the Earth forever.
Lake Toba, coordinates and reviews
As already mentioned, tourists are attracted by the magnificent surrounding views and the clear, clear water of Lake Toba. The city of Parapat is a resort center on the lake. It is the link between the lake and the administrative center of the province of North Sumatra, the city of Medan. Every day, excursion boats run between Parapat and the island of Samosir. In Parapat, travelers can take part in fishing, canoeing and water skiing. To get to Lake Toba, you need to fly to the city of Medan (Indonesia, Sumatra). From there, by minibus or taxi you can get to Parapat. If you wish, then you can go to the Tuk Tuk Peninsula. The cost of a minibus from Medan to Parapat is 20-25 thousand Indonesian rupees. If you want to get in comfort, you can order a minibus for 40-45 thousand rupees. You can rent a room with a gorgeous view of the lake in Parapat for 50 thousand rupees, and lunch - for only 7 thousand rupees, but you can order dishes (for example, fish with a side dish) and for 20 thousand rupees.
Whoever visits this unique lake, everyone leaves here with the most pleasant experiences for life and with promises to return to this lake at least once more. Many people who have visited this place leave only enthusiastic reviews about it. Among these tourists there are many celebrities.
So, the famous traveler and blogger Ivan Leshukov, who visited this lake, wrote that he did not know what he liked more here: the fact that you are in the crater of the largest volcano, the architecture of a local tribe or the surrounding hills and trees.
And the poetess Victoria Sklyarova wrote in her blog that Lake Toba is one of the best places on Earth, although getting to it is quite difficult. But not all tourists experience only the delight of staying on the lake. Many in the reviews note the poor ecology in the region, the unsettled life of local residents, respectively, unsanitary conditions in public places, the climate is not suitable for everyone (because of the high humidity, hypertensive patients do not feel very well here) and poorly developed medical services.