NORTH SUMATRA DESTINATIONS
North Sumatra is wild, layered and beautifully slow. We string these six landscapes together however your trip needs them.
Gunung Leuser National Park
The orangutan jungle
A river village on the edge of one of the last places on earth where wild Sumatran orangutans still swing through the canopy. Our home base, and the gateway for every jungle trek into the Leuser National Park.
Leuser Eastern Edge
The hidden paradise
Two rivers meet inside the dense rainforest. Tangkahan is the home of the Conservation Response Unit — bathe, feed and walk with the rescued Sumatran elephants who patrol the Leuser National Park's borders.
Karo Regency
Volcanoes and Karo culture
Climb the smoking flank of Mount Sibayak at sunrise, wander fruit markets that smell of passion fruit, and drive through traditional Karo Batak villages set against the silhouette of Mount Sinabung.
Samosir Island
The Batak heartland
The largest volcanic lake on earth, with the island of Samosir floating at its centre — the spiritual home of the Batak people. Slow days, boat-shaped houses, ancient stone chairs and lakeside swims.
Aceh
Indonesia's northern frontier
A volcanic island off the northern tip of Sumatra where the Andaman Sea meets the Indian Ocean. Pristine coral reefs, world-class diving, and zero crowds — just jungle trails, secluded beaches, the slow pace of island life, and Kilometre Zero, the northernmost point of Indonesia.
Aceh Province
Resilience and heritage
The proud capital of Aceh, where the Indian Ocean meets a city rebuilt after the 2004 tsunami. Wander the old town's Dutch colonial shophouses, visit the moving Tsunami Museum, and see the powerful remaining tsunami sites — fishing boats stranded inland and rooftops still visible where neighbourhoods once stood.
