A visit to Lake Toba is not complete without a stay on Samosir Island. Situated in the huge crater lake of Toba in North Sumatra, the island of Samosir together with its surrounding areas is the heart of the Toba Batak culture. For a breath of fresh lakeside air, Samosir Island delivers one healthy laid-back dose. Let’s get started with some of the best things this island has to offer.
1 | Shop ‘till you drop at Tomok Market
Start at the market and learn something new about this exotic island. Experience the sights, the taste and the smell in their everyday life and you will feel just like a local. Tomok itself is a traditional village, best known as the gateway and introduction to Samosir. Many shops in the main street and stalls bordering the alleyways sell many of the same things that can be found in the traditional market – a variety of tropical fresh fruit, vegetables, flowers, various dry fish, meat and spices. Tomok market is also considered a good spot for spectacular photo opportunities.
2 | Satisfy Your Hunger with Mie Gomak
Mie Gomak is a traditional curry noodle dish of the Batak Toba. Mie literally means noodle and Gomak is native for ' digomak’, which means preparation by hand. There are two ways to prepare this dish – in broth or fried. The noodle is pale orange, quite thick and square-cut. The curry is red, flavorful, smooth but not too spicy. The dish is served alongside condiments such as kerisik (grated dry-fried coconut) and sambal andaliman (a chili sauce made from a local Batak pepper) and a boiled egg can sometimes be requested as a topping. The best time to consume Mie Gomak is in cold weather as the tasty spices will warm the body
3 | Set new trend : wear an Ulos
Ulos is a typical traditional woven fabric that symbolizes the bond of affection between parents and children or, between a person and others. Ulos has a symbolic function for a variety of aspects in Batak life and different kinds in color and motifs of ulos have different ceremonial significance. Ulos is usually worn in traditional rituals from birth to marriage to funerals. Batak people wear it on their heads, shoulders, lower torso and around their body. Depending on the fabric, a piece of Ulos ranges in price from IDR 25,000.00 – IDR 5,000,000.00.
Nowadays, traditional fabrics like Ulos in trendy designs have become the latest upmarket fashion in Indonesia.
4 | Learn how to Dance the Tor Tor
Tor Tor is a traditional dance of the Batak ethnic group. The name 'Tor Tor’ is derived from the sound of communal pounding of feet made when groups of people engage in this dance. Normally Tor Tor is accompanied by ceremonial music using instruments such as the gondang. At festive events, the rhythm of music is more upbeat and cheerful compared to the more solemn ceremonies such as funerals.
Each movement of the Tor Tor dance is associated with a profound meaning and incites emotion and interaction among participants of the ceremony. In every wedding ceremony of the Batak ethnic group, the bride and groom are required to perform a Tor - Tor dance as is customary. The dance movement is mostly in the fingers and an Ulos is worn over the shoulder of every dancer.
5 | Biking Around Samosir
Biking across the Samosir countryside is a good way to explore the beauty of the island. The path along the mountain from Ambarita to Tomok is a sight for sore eyes although the parts of the roads can be quite bumpy. The further up the hill the more stunning and amazing the landscape becomes as rice fields and lakeside views will surely take your breath away. Renting a bike is quite easy as there are many places that offer bike rentals. The price to rent a bike may vary, starting from IDR 30,000.00/day.
Samosir has so much fun, doesn't it? Book your Samosir holiday now!
Bunaken National Sea Park is an area of 75,265 hectares. There are 5 islands included in this national sea park, which are Naen, Bunaken, Manado Tua, Siladen and Mantehage Island, along with small islands around it. Local people live here are about 21,000 people.
Geographically, Bunaken Island is in Golden Triangle water area. More than 3000 species can be found here. Golden Triangle is a sea route which link Philippine, Papua, and Indonesian sea. Because of Bunaken’s natural abundance, national and international non governmental organization has been cooperating in conserving the mangrove and coral reefs.
Local government of Manado, has a plan to make Bunaken as maritime and education tour object, after they see sea conservation activities here. Hence, in 1991, the Marine minister has officially declared it as Bunaken National Sea Park.
Tour Object
When tourist comes to visit Manado, North Sulawesi, they won’t forget to visit Bunaken National Sea Park, because Bunaken is the most famous tour object.
Bunaken is approximately 8 km2 which located in Manado Bay. Around Bunaken, there’s also sea park which also part of Manado Tua National Park. Bunaken is the highest biodiversity seapark in the world. Hence, many tourists come to dive around Bunaken area. Though the area is 75,265 hectares, the diving site is limited. It’s only in beaches, which surround the five islands in Bunaken National Sea Park area.
There are 40 diving spots in Bunaken which have various kinds of coral reefs and beautiful tropical fishes. Tourist, who dives around Bunaken, will be served by the view of 150 species of fishes from 58 fish genus and coral reefs.
Bunaken national sea park has 20 diving spot with various depths. From those 20 spots, 12 spots are in Bunaken Island and become the most visited diving spot by local or foreign divers.
Bunaken diving spots are line up from south east to northwest side. In this area, there’s a giant, vertical and arching coral wall. This wall becomes food source for fishes and other sea creatures.
Location
Bunaken is located in Sulawesi Island Sea. Most of Bunaken National Sea Park is in north Manado bay which also an administration part of Manado city, north Sulawesi.
Access
To reach Bunaken National Sea Park, tourist can use available transportations means, which is motor boat from Manado Bay beach.
Ticket Price
Ticket price of Bunaken National Sea Park is IDR 50,000/person for 1x entry, and IDR 150,000/ person, valid for a year. If you bought the 1 year ticket, you’ll be given kind of plastic badge as a ticket replacement.
Facility and Accommodation
Some hotels accommodation is already available in Bunaken with many choices. Some hotels near Bunaken National Sea Park which are recommended are Bunaken Island Dive Resort and Bunaken Divers Sea Breeze Resort. Those hotels are in Bunaken Island. There are also diving equipment rental, along with the instructor. The instructor can speak English, Dutch, French, and German.
Lombok offers many empty and often isolated dream beaches, friendly and interesting people, tasty food and fantastic nature. This year, after a stay of more than two months, Lombok and the Gili islands became my personal favorites – at least so far.
In this article you will find a few must-sees on Lombok.
