Lake Toba (Indonesian: Danau Toba) is a lake and supervolcano, 100 km long and 30 km wide, and 505 m. (1,666 ft.) at its deepest point, in the middle of the northern part of the Indonesian island of Sumatra with a surface elevation of about 900 m (3,000 feet), stretching from 2.88° N 98.52° E to 2.35° N 99.1° E. It is the largest volcanic lake in the world. It is so big that even the whole of Singapore can fit in.

Most of the people who live around Lake Toba are ethnically Bataks. Traditional Batak houses are noted for their distinctive roofs (which curve upwards at each end, as a boat's hull does) and their colourful decor.


I visited Parapat where Lake Toba is situated from 15 -16 June 2008 as part of my 1 week stay in Indonesia from 14-19 June 2008. I had some friends in Medan who brought me to Lake Toba. It was a 4-hour journey from Medan by car. No words can describe my feelings when I saw Lake Toba for the first time. When I first saw it, I ponder to myself ," Am I in Indonesia or in Europe?". The peacefulness, serenity and tranquility of the lake really took my breath away. The hotel that I accommodated in was Patra Jasa and I was lucky enough to have a room that was directly facing the beautiful lake which I couldn't stop admiring. Shortly after settling down at the hotel, we went for a boat tour within lake. The vastness of the lake made me realise that we were so small. We visited Samosir Island, which is located in the middle of the lake, to observe the culture of the ethnic Bataks. It was a wonderful experience for me to learn about their culture.

After nearly 2 hours of boat tour, we went back to the hotel to wind down and take beautiful pictures of the lake and the sunset. At night, we were treated with clear skies where milky way and majority of the constellations were visible and temperature was very cold. Although our stay was short, we enjoyed it thoroughly as we were treated by the beauty that the nature has got to offer. Overall, it was an excellent experience and I am hoping to go there again because for these kind of places, going once ain't enough. I would like to express my most sincere gratitude to Dennis and family, Indah & Sulastri for making my stay in Indonesia a very meaningful one. Now, I will let my photos do the talking.





The vastness of Lake Toba.










Sunset at Lake Toba.





My lovely friends. Thank you all for making my stay in Indonesia a memorable one. :)