Lake Toba
The largest volcanic lake in the world, filling the caldera of the Toba supervolcano in the highlands of North Sumatra. It is about 100 kilometres long and up to 505 metres deep, and its shores are home to the Batak people.
- Where
- Parapat, North Sumatra, Indonesia
- Grade
- Well known
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 1 for its grade
- Coordinates
- 2.6700, 98.8875
Get the Lake Toba stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Lake Toba. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your North Sumatra volume with your photos and a note.
Near Lake Toba
Samosir Island 12 km
A large volcanic island in the middle of Lake Toba, formed after the supervolcano's eruption some 75,000 years ago. Batak villages with carved, saddle-roofed houses and old stone tombs line its shores.
Great Mosque of Medan 103 km
An octagonal mosque built between 1906 and 1909, once part of the Maimun Palace complex. Its design blends Middle Eastern, Indian and Spanish elements, with a wing reaching out to each of the four directions.
Maimun Palace 103 km
The palace of the Sultanate of Deli in Medan, painted in the yellow of Malay royalty and mixing Malay, Mughal and European styles. It now serves as a museum, and its name comes from the Arabic for blessing.
Sri Mariamman Temple 104 km
Medan's oldest Hindu temple, built in 1884 for the goddess Mariamman in Kampung Madras, the city's Little India. A South Indian gopuram marks the gate, and the temple fills with worshippers at Thaipusam and Deepavali.
Bukit Lawang 129 km
A small village on the Bahorok River, about 86 kilometres northwest of Medan, at the eastern edge of Gunung Leuser National Park. Treks from here go into the rainforest in search of Sumatran orangutans, and many walkers return to the village by tubing down the river.
Gunung Leuser National Park 180 km
A national park of 7,927 square kilometres in the Barisan mountains of northern Sumatra, named after the 3,119 metre Mount Leuser. Its rainforest shelters orangutans, and it is part of the Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra World Heritage Site.
Nias 228 km
An island off the west coast of Sumatra, centre of an archipelago that includes the Batu and Hinako islands. It is famous for stone jumping, where young men leap over a tall stone pillar, and for the surf at Sorake Bay.
Pangkor Island 253 km
An island off the Perak coast that lives on tourism and fishing, home to around 10,000 people. Fishing villages sit on the side facing the mainland, beaches face the open sea, and smaller islands such as Pangkor Laut and Giam lie just offshore.
More famous places to visit in North Sumatra
Questions
Where is Lake Toba?
Lake Toba is in Parapat, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Samosir Island (12 km), Great Mosque of Medan (103 km), Maimun Palace (103 km).
How do I get the Lake Toba stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Lake Toba and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your North Sumatra volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Lake Toba before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your North Sumatra volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.