ID · North Sumatra · 3.18°N 98.52°E

berastagi

Volcano-view highland town with fruit markets, a drive up from Medan.

Best time
Cool all year. Rain is heaviest from about September to December, and weekends fill up with day-trippers from Medan.
How long
1–2 days
Getting there
About an hour's flight from KL to Medan's Kualanamu Airport, then about 3 hours' drive up into the hills.
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ID · North Sumatraberastagi3.18°N 98.52°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Volcano-view highland town with fruit markets, a drive up from Medan.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingBerastagiID, North Sumatra
KLberastagi
≈ 352 km from KL, as the crow flies
Taman Alam Lumbini, Berastagi, Indonesia.

Photo: Kenrick · CC BY-SA 3.0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

A cool market town in the Karo highlands, about 66 km south of Medan and 1,300 metres up. Two volcanoes, Sibayak and Sinabung, rise nearby, and the farms around town supply North Sumatra with fruit and vegetables. It also makes a handy stop on the way to Lake Toba.

Makan

  1. MarkisaPassion fruit juice or syrup, Berastagi's classic souvenir.Map ↗
  2. Jagung bakarGrilled corn from the stalls on Gundaling Hill.Map ↗
  3. Babi panggang KaroKaro-style roast pork with a spicy sauce. Note that it's pork.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Mount SibayakA popular early-morning hike to a steaming crater, a few hours up and down.Map ↗
  2. Hot springsSoak in the sulphur pools at the foot of Sibayak after the hike.Map ↗
  3. Gundaling HillA viewpoint above town looking out to Sinabung and Sibayak.Map ↗
  4. The fruit marketPassion fruit, oranges, avocados and more, fresh from the surrounding farms.Map ↗
  5. Sipiso-piso waterfallA tall, thin waterfall dropping into a gorge near the north end of Lake Toba.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Mount Sinabung has erupted on and off since 2010 and has an exclusion zone around it. Check the alert level and don't go near it.
  • Bring a jacket. Nights get properly cold.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.