Must-see attractions in Sumatra

  • jambi, September-2018,View of Candi Muara Jambi complex on a cloudy day. Candi Muara Jambi is a Buddhist temple complex located in Jambi province - indonesia

    Muara Jambi

    Sumatra

    This scattering of ruined and partially restored temples is the most important Hindu-Buddhist site in Sumatra. The temples are believed to mark the…

  • Mesjid Raya Baiturrahman

    Banda Aceh

    With its brilliant-white walls, ebony-black domes and towering minaret, this 19th-century mosque is a dazzling sight. The best time to visit is during…

  • Pulau Penyenget

    Pulau Bintan

    Pulau Penyenget, reached by frequent boats (7000Rp) from the Tanjung Pinang pier, was once the capital of the Riau rajahs. The ruins of the old palace of…

  • Fort Marlborough

    Sumatra

    Set on a hill overlooking the Indian Ocean, the star-shaped Benteng Marlborough, a former British fort, became the seat of British power in Bengkulu after…

  • Museum Pusaka Nias

    Sumatra

    This superb museum, housed inside several traditional-style buildings, offers an in-depth introduction to the indigenous culture of Nias. The displays run…

  • Tsunami Museum

    Banda Aceh

    A visit to this beautifully designed, hard-hitting museum commences with a walk through a dark, dripping tunnel that symbolises the 2004 tsunami waves…

  • Sibayak volcano at sunrise, northern Sumatra, Indonesia; Shutterstock ID 283076438; your: Bridget Brown; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI Image Update

    Gunung Sibayak

    North Sumatra

    Famous for its steamy sulphurous fumaroles, Gunung Sibayak (2094m) is one of Indonesia’s most accessible volcanoes. Getting to the summit for sunrise is a…

  • Gunung Kerinci

    West Sumatra

    Dominating the northern end of Kerinci Seblat National Park is Gunung Kerinci (3805m), Southeast Asia’s tallest volcano and one of Sumatra’s most active…

  • Museum Bahari Bintan

    Pulau Bintan

    This fascinating maritime museum is a surprising find along this sleepy coastal road. Housed within a building shaped like a ship, it has an unlikely…

  • Museum of North Sumatra

    Medan

    Housed in a striking traditional building, this museum has a well-presented collection ranging from early North Sumatran civilisations and the Hindu,…

  • Beringin Tiga & Curug Embun

    Sumatra

    A straightforward hike here through coffee and palm-sugar plantations finishes at a campsite near an idyllic natural hot spring, from where you can take…

  • Rumah Aceh

    Banda Aceh

    In the same compound as the Museum Negeri Banda Aceh, the Rumah Aceh is a fine example of traditional Acehnese architecture, built without nails and held…

  • Pulau Sikandang

    Banyak Islands

    This largish island with pristine beaches takes a couple of hours to walk around. It's one of the most popular places to stay with several guesthouses set…

  • Indonesia, Sumatra, Medan, View of Maimoon Palace

    Istana Maimoon

    Medan

    The grand, 30-room Maimoon Palace was built by the Sultan of Deli in 1888 and features Malay, Mughal and Italian influences. Only the main room, which…

  • Seblat Elephant Conservation Centre

    Sumatra

    The Seblat Elephant Conservation Centre is a conservation project set up to manage human-elephant conflict, as well as to protect the forests and wildlife…

  • Tinggi Hari

    Sumatra

    Tinggi Hari, 20km from Lahat, west of the small river town of Pulau Pinang, is a site featuring the best examples of early prehistoric stone sculpture in…

  • PT Songket Bernhard Bart

    West Sumatra

    Handicraft and textile fans should not miss this place near Simpang Bukit Batabuah, 7km southeast of Bukittinggi. Dedicated to revitalising the…

  • King Sidabutar's Grave

    Danau Toba

    Located 5km southeast of Tuk Tuk, near the Tomok ferry terminal, is a complex of royal Batak tombs and houses. At the entrance you'll pass sarcophagi of…

  • Danau Gunung Tujuh

    West Sumatra

    At 1996m, the beautiful caldera of Danau Gunung Tujuh is the highest in Southeast Asia and makes for a pleasant day ascent or part of a multiday trek. It…

  • House of Rafflesia Luwak Coffee

    West Sumatra

    At this plantation in Batang Palupuh, friendly owner Umul Khairi is happy to explain the process of harvesting, drying and roasting kopi luwak – a smooth,…

  • Batang Palupuh Nature Reserve

    West Sumatra

    This reserve, 16km north of Bukittinggi, is home to many orchid species, as well as the massive Rafflesia arnoldii and Amorphophallus titanum, the largest…

  • Rumah Bolon

    North Sumatra

    Located between Berastagi and Danau Toba, this impressive, well-tended palace complex sits on the edge of the village of Pematang Purba. It was the home…

  • Grand Palace of Pagaruyuang

    West Sumatra

    In the village of Silinduang Bulan, 5km north of Batu Sangkar, the heartland of the red Tanah Datar clan of Minangkabau, is this epic palace, a replica of…

  • Vihara Dharma Sasana

    Pulau Bintan

    This well-maintained temple complex, looking out to sea, is accessed through a beautifully decorative Chinese archway and contains three main temples. The…

  • Gunung Sinabung

    North Sumatra

    While today it's one of the most active volcanoes on the planet, remarkably Gunung Sinabung lay dormant for over 400 years until its dramatic eruption in…

  • Lingga

    North Sumatra

    The most visited of the villages around Berastagi, Lingga, a few kilometres northwest of Kabanjahe, has just a couple of traditional houses with…

  • Gunongan

    Banda Aceh

    All that remains of Aceh’s powerful sultanates today is on view at Gunongan. Built by Sultan Iskandar Muda (1607–36) as a gift for his Malay princess wife…

  • Balaputra Dewa Museum

    Sumatra

    This excellent museum showcases finds from Sriwijayan times, as well as megalithic carvings from the Pasemah Highlands, including the famous batu gajah …

  • Berakit

    Pulau Bintan

    On Pulau Bintan's far northeast tip, Berakit is a small, curious fishing village populated with Orang Laut (which translates to 'people of the sea'), a…

  • Danau Kerinci

    West Sumatra

    Danau Kerinci, 20km south of Sungai Penuh, is a sizeable lake nestled between Gunung Raya (2535m) and rice paddies. Stone carvings around the lake suggest…

  • Batak Graves

    Danau Toba

    Amid the fertile rice fields between Simanindo and Pangururan are these large multistorey graves decorated with the distinctive miniature Batak-style…

  • Banyan Tree Temple

    Pulau Bintan

    This particularly unusual temple is housed in a building dating from the early 19th century. Originally owned by a wealthy Chinese man, believed to be…

  • Omo Hada

    Sumatra

    One of only five such surviving buildings on Pulau Nias, the Omo Hada is situated in the prestigious ‘upstream’ direction of the remote Hilinawalo Mazingo…

  • Chinatown

    Pulau Bintan

    When heading to Senggarang from Tanjung Pinang by boat, unless you ask to dock at the temples, you'll be dropped off at the jetties at Senggarang's so…

  • Pulau Bangkaru

    Banyak Islands

    The second-largest of the Banyak Islands, Pulau Bangkaru is home to a turtle conservation project, so visits are strictly controlled and you’re only…

  • Museum Negeri Banda Aceh

    Banda Aceh

    This state museum displays Acehnese weaponry, household furnishings, ceremonial costumes, everyday clothing, gold jewellery, calligraphy and some…

  • Gunung Singgalang

    West Sumatra

    Climbing dormant Gunung Singgalang (2877m) is a more adventurous undertaking than Gunung Merapi. Highly recommended English-speaking guide Dedi (0813 7425…

  • Gunung Marapi

    West Sumatra

    The smouldering summit of Gunung Merapi (2891m), one of Sumatra’s most active volcanoes, looms large over Bukittinggi around 16km to the east. If Merapi…

  • Way Kambas National Park

    Sumatra

    Occupying 1300 sq km of coastal lowland forest on the east coast of Lampung, Way Kambas National Park is home to an impressive diversity of wildlife,…

  • Museum Huta Bolon Simanindo

    Danau Toba

    At Samosir’s northern tip, in the village of Simanindo, 15km north of Tuk Tuk, there’s a beautifully restored traditional house that now functions as a…

More destinations you need to see