There is a special feeling to kayak on the biggest crater lake in the world. As someone put it: "I paddle a lot in Asia – but Lake Toba is a once-in-a-lifetime-experience!" Kayaking is for sure a perfect eco-tourism activity.

Sumatra Savages, is the pioneer on kayaking on Lake Toba. They also have years of white water rafting and kayaking in Bukit Lawang and Asahan. Kayaking is new in Indonesia, especially so in Sumatra. Jejak Alam Bebas chose Tongging as their base to develop Kayaking. The beauty of the area, only 3 hours by car from Medan, and the nearby Karo Highland were good enough reasons.

Sumatra Savages offers interesting kayaking adventures, from one day to six days, on a world famous lake, in an unique culture and amongst breathtaking sceneries. They also offer white water activities. Sumatra Savages has also helped Yayasan Pulau Banyak to develop community owned sea kayaking in the island paradise Pulau Banyak. The kayaking base is at Sibayak Guesthouse.

A paddle tour can bring you to places where nobody else can go. Warm weather and warm water all year round makes it just pleasant. If you just have a weekend, You can do a short paddling tour starting from Medan Friday afternoon and be back in Medan on Sunday evening.

Sumatra Savages offer a variety of kayak tours from Tongging, everything from easy one-day trips for beginners to serious expeditions taking up to a week. They also organize tours from Medan and weekend tours from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. With a morning flight one can be paddling already the same day. A few examples:

Tongging – Silalahi; 12km, 2-3 hrs. Easy. This tour can be done by everybody in normal physical condition. Canoes are brought back by pick-up unless you don’t want to paddle back.

Tongging – Samosir; 2-3 days, app. 50 km. Medium. Paddle experience is of advantage but not a must. Can be done by sporty beginners who do not mind to paddle 4 or 5 hrs a day.

Northern Circle; 6 days, 175 km. Demanding. For experienced paddlers who occasionally enjoy paddling long distances up to 40+ km, 6-7 hrs / day. Overnight in guesthouses and camping.

Prices: App. Rp. 300.000 incl. Guide but not incl. food. Rp. 350.000 including accommodation. Contact Sumatra Savages beforehand as they need to come up from Medan. (See contact details below)

The canoes:
The are canoes of different kinds available, suitable for different needs. For Less experienced paddlers or those who prefer a relaxed way of paddling can use a stable inflatable canoe, or a sit-on-top. With it, you can interrupt your paddling any time to have a swim on the lake and climb back up afterwards ). Hard-shell touring / sea kayaks are fast some experience is needed to paddle them.

Sumatra Savages, kayak tours, whitewater rafting & sea kayaking. Ph. +6261 6635 279 (Medan), mobile: 0813 7665 7557, e-mail: sumatrasavages@gmail.com A new website is under construction. When ready we will up-load a link here. On our link page you can find links to paddling och Toba and in Pulau Banyak.