Motorcycling Around Sumatra In Indonesia

Sumatra is an Indonesian island still relatively out of the beaten track if compared to neighbouring Java and Bali. Despite the island is mostly known for the terrible impact that the 2005 tsunami had on it, Sumatra has much more to offer to intrepid travellers! The island has the perfect scenario for a motorbike adventure through jungles, villages, lakes, tropical reefs and incredible surf breaks.

How to get to Sumatra?

To reach Medan, Sumatra’s capital city, you can take a flight from Jakarta, Bali or even Kuala Lumpur. Domestic flights are usually very cheap in Indonesia and changes can be easily made for a few extra dollars.

Where to rent a motorbike in Sumatra?

Medan is not exactly a fascinating Asian capital. Actually, it is probably one of the most polluted, chaotic and stressing cities that you can find in the region. So try to get out of it as soon as possible. Renting motorbikes in Sumatra it’s not a very developed business yet.

The only option that we could find in three days of scouting was this local rent. Despite the sketchiness of its online presence, the man that owns the business was English speaking (kind of) and accommodating. The bikes were two new Hondas 125cc – he didn’t rent anything bigger – that worked just fine for the dense traffic of Sumatra.

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Photo Credit: Sabrina Trevisan

Road conditions in Sumatra

There’s only one road that runs all around the island. As you might guess: it is quite busy. By “busy” I mean that you will have to share the road with oxcarts, scooters, huge trucks, SUVs, local buses and a plethora of other random vehicles. The two-lane road can be unsealed in some areas, which creates a serious dust situation when you’re driving close to trucks.

The local driving style is, of course, as crazy as in the rest of Asia. An SUV that overtakes a bus in the opposite direction while you’re overtaking a massive truck full of rocks in the midst of black exhaust gas will soon become familiar. For these reasons: Never underestimate distances in Sumatra. It took us a good 12h to cover 350km.

Itinerary for Sumatra by motorbike

Starting from Medan you can travel inland to the mountain town of Berastagi and the laid-back Lake Toba.

From there you can head north to notorious Banda Aceh, the city that was most affected by the 2005 tsunami.

Then take a ferry to Pulau Weh, a chill out tiny island which is the northern tip of Indonesia and a paradise for divers.

On the way back south stop in the Gunung Leuser National park to hike in the jungle and spot the last orangutans.

Finish your trip by going to Nias Island, the surfing capital of Sumatra.

Detailed stops and things to do in Sumatra

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Berastagi. Photo Credit: Sabrina Trevisan

The mountain village of Berastagi

Berastagi is a cool mountain village immersed in a lush, green jungle. Homeland of the Karo People, a Christian community who live in distinctive wooden houses with pointed roofs, the village was used as a holiday station for Dutch colonisers who sought a break from Medan’s heat.

The town is close to two volcanos that can be climbed with organised tours and that constantly spray roofs with soft ashes. The central market is a little gem where you can find everything from second-hand American clothes to wonderful flowers and tropical plants.

Chill and hike on Lake Toba

Lake Toka is the largest volcano lake in the world, formed 70,000 years as a consequence of an explosive eruption. Today the laid-back atmosphere of the lake has made it an obliged stop in the backpackers’ circuit.

Surrounded by jungles and mountains, Lake Toba also has one of the biggest lake islands in the world: Samosir. That’s where most of the backpackers choose to stay, enjoining chilly swims and long hikes on the island’s mountain range.

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Lake Toba. Photo Credit: Sabrina Trevisan

Tsunami museum and night markets in Banda Aceh

Banda Aceh is an obliged stop in order to take the ferry to Pulau Weh. The city looks surprisingly tidy and organised despite the catastrophe of 2005. That’s because it was completely rebuilt thanks to international aid.

The massive (and already deteriorating) Tsunami Museum works as an indelible reminder of all the lives that were lost in the aftermath of the quake. The city is not really interesting but its night markets are a good dinner option while waiting for the next ferry to Pulau Weh.

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Pulau Weh. Photo Credit: Sabrina Trevisan

Snorkelling and diving in Pulau Weh

The ferry to Pulau Weh only works two times a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Despite the ferry is constantly late, if you’re travelling with a motorbike you better show up at the harbour one hour in advance. That’s because most of the locals, that travel with a bike as well, will start to line up pretty early and once the boat is full there’s nothing left to do that spend an extra day in Banda Aceh (which I do not recommend).

Pulau Weh is a fishermen’s island slowly converting to tourism (the enforced Sharia law still keeps the crowds at bay). A mecca for divers, it still holds the feeling of a lost paradise covered in jungle.

Gunung Leuser National Park

Make your base in the jungle town of Ketambe to go hiking an and kayaking under the thick canopy of Gunung Leuser National Park. While most of the local (and international) tourists visit crowded Bukit Lawang, GL National Park is still one of the largest untouched tropical jungles in the world. Because fewer people trek here, animals are more regularly spotted.

This is virgin rainforest at its best, filled with gibbons, monkeys, orangutans, deer, hundreds of species of tropical birds, tigers, rhinoceros and elephants. You have to be quite fit to endure the two-three days’ treks in the jungle but the night camps will be an experience to remember.

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Nias Island. Photo Credits

Surfing in Pulau Nias

Along the west coast of Sumatra are some of the world’s best surf breaks. Islands such as Nias and the Mentawais have been favoured spots for adventurous surfers for years.

Coming from the North, Nias is the easiest to reach. “Easy” of course has to be intended according to Indonesian standards. You can take a 6h ferry ride from Sinkil (that, unfortunately, operates only twice weekly) or the daily ferry from Sibolga (10h). Nias most famous surf breaks are located in Sorake Bay, whose swell is claimed to be better than the one in Maui.

For beginners, it is better to stop in Lagudri beach, where you can also rent boards and take lessons. The peculiar Niassian people have preserved their culture, traditions and architecture almost intact over the centuries. Which makes the island an interesting destination also for non-surfers. Learn more here.

Long distance travel by motorbike in South East Asia is for motorbike lovers, those who do not fear dust, misadventures and a fair amount of super-fast and life-challenging decision making. It’s going to be tough, but it’s going to be rad as well!

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Exploring Southern Bali: Bukit Peninsula

Ultimate Bali Adventures Guide: Yin yang and everything in between

Feature image credit: Pavel Kirillov