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Tour To Sumatra
Indonesia
Sumatra has something for everyone to explore
- lush rainforests, exotic flora and fauna, cascading rivers, sparkling
crater lakes, beautiful white sand beaches, impressive volcanoes, limestone
caves and an incredible diverse array of traditional ethnic groups who
inhabit some of the most spectacular volcanic landscapes of the world.
Sumatra, part of the Indonesian Archipelago is the 5th largest island
in the world after Australia, Greenland, New Guinea and Borneo, with a land
mass of 473,481km2. With a population of over 40 million people, it is made
up of many different ethnic tribes speaking 52 different languages including
Indonesian, Achenese, Toba Batak, Karo Batak, Melayu and Minangkabau amongst
the many. The terrain on Sumatra is mostly mountainous and is a paradise for
the adventure traveler.
There are many things to see and do traveling
around Sumatra. Jungle trekking, surfing, snorkeling and diving, climbing
mountains and volcanoes, whitewater rafting, fishing in the ocean, river or
lakes and a huge selection of flora and fauna to see.
One of the more unusual sporting events to see in Sumatra is bull fighting
(very different from the Spanish version as the bulls are rarely injured).
Horse racing is another popular sport all throughout Sumatra.
Geography
Sumatra is mostly mountainous with the equator crossing Sumatra just north
of Bukittinggi and Padang. The equator is marked with a small monument and
white line across the road so it is obviously when you cross it. See photo
bottom right corner of this page. Sumatra is divided
into 10 provinces listed below with each of the provinces capital cities:
¤ Aceh (Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam) - Banda Aceh
¤ North Sumatra (Sumatera Utara) - Medan
¤ West Sumatra (Sumatera Barat) - Padang
¤ Jambi - Jambi
¤ Riau - Pekanbaru
¤ Riau Islands (Kepulauan Riau) - Tanjung
Pinang
¤ Bengkulu - Bengkulu
¤ Bangka-Belitung (Kepulauan Bangka-Belitung)
- Pangkal Pinang
¤ Lampung - Bandar Lampung
¤ South Sumatra (Sumatera Selatan) - Palembang
Cities, Towns and Villages to visit
Banda Aceh, Bengkulu,
Berastagi, Binjai,
Bukit, Tinggi, Bukit
Lawang, Dumai, Jambi,
Ketambe, Kutacane, Lak,
Toba, Lake, Maninjau,
Lampung, Medan, Parapat,
Padang, Palembang,
Pekanbaru, Siantar, Sibolga,
Singkil, Tangkahan.
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Islands to
visit: |
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¤ Pulau Nias |
¤ Pulau Weh |
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¤ Mentawai Islands |
¤ Pulau Siberut |
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¤ Pulau Banyak |
¤ Pulau Batam |
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¤ Pulau Cubadak |
¤ Telo Islands |
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¤ Pulau Bintan |
¤ Pulau Bangka |
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¤ Pulau Simeulue |
¤ Pulau Belitung |
Climate
Sumatra is tropical so warm all year round. The monsoon season starts in Nov
and ends in February. Travel is still possible during this time of year but
can slow things up. On the coastline of Sumatra, the temperate is usually
300C or higher. As the majority of central Sumatra is mountainous, a lot of
the tourist destinations like Lake Toba, Bukittinggi and Berastagi are
cooler during the day. West Sumatra gets the most amount of rain of about
3500mm per year.
The dry season is the best time of year to visit Sumatra which starts in May
and ends September. The best months are June and July. The wet season starts
in September with regular afternoon showers and progresses through to
Jan/Feb with longer periods of rain.
Flora and Fauna
There are many endangered species including Orangutan, Sumatran tiger and
rhinoceros, Asian elephant, tapirs, crocodiles and gibbons. It is believed
that there are only around 7000 orangutans in the forests of Sumatra and
they are expected to be extinct in the year 2020 due to deforestation.
The largest flower in the world, which can weigh up to 7kg is also found in
the rainforest of North Sumatra. Called the rafflesia arnoldi, when in
flower it gives off a pungent odour similar to rotting meat. Discovered by
Sir Stamford Raffles who was in control of the British colony of Singapore.
Food
Sumatra is renowned for delicious spicy food. There's an excellent selection
of food to try including beef randang often claimed to be from Malaysia but
originally from Padang. Some excellent Sumatran food recipes are located on
this website under Sumatran Food.
Traveling around Sumatra
Travel within Sumatra is generally slow and uncomfortable but worth the
effort. As Sumatra is mostly mountainous there is not an extensive train
network so most travel is via bus. Most tourist buses are mini-buses seating
up to 16 people. The locals use similar buses and fit up to 30 people (some
sitting on the roof until the police are in sight). The mini buses are much
faster than the large public buses which are extremely cheap but incredible
slow passing the mountainous roads.
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