Welcome to Sumatra. Or should I call it the Jungle Book set? And no, that isn’t a small set. As one of the five largest islands in the world, you imagine yourself in a huge tropical rainforest, where it is nowhere flat. Apart from the orangutan spotters, tourism hasn’t yet materialized and the English language can’t be taken for granted. Prepare for a completely different world with breathtaking nature, long travel times and a lot of satisfaction and “realize moments”. Sumatra is 100% worth it!
HOW DO YOU GET THERE?
When you fly to Sumatra you land on one of the two International Airports., Medan in the north or Padang in the west. This depends on the purpose of your trip and where you are flying from.
⌲ Fly to Padang to access the Mentawai Islands, Bukittinggi, Mount Merapi and Mount Singgalang.
⌲ Fly on Medan for access to Bukit Lawang, Lake Toba, Berastagi, Banda Aceh, Pulau Weh and the Nias Islands.
I flew from Bali via Jakarta to Padang. There I traveled with buses through the interior to Medan and then flew back to Bali from Medan, via Singapore. The latter had to do with the Indonesian visa. I had to leave the country because your visa is only valid for 30 days. If you then go to another country, for example Singapore, you can return to Indonesia for another 30 days. This is also referred to as a visa run.
For the cheapest tickets you always check Skyscanner.
BEST TRAVEL TIME
The best time to visit Sumatra is June through August. This is during the dry season, where the temperature is always around 30 degrees. Sumatra isn’t flat at all, which means that the mountains ensure that it’s always a lot cooler inland. The rain showers start in October to about March, so you have to take longer travel times into account during this time.
NOTE – This is the reverse in the Northern tip of Sumatra!
I started my adventure through Sumatra in Padang, my base for my dream trip to the Mentawai’s.
