Medan in 6 Days: Why This Is the North Sumatra Trip Singaporeans Have Been Sleeping On

Most people fly through Kualanamu and think Medan is just a stopover.

They are wrong.

North Sumatra is one of the most geographically and culturally dense destinations in all of Southeast Asia. Within a two-hour drive of the city, you have active volcanoes, highland rainforests, one of the last wild orangutan habitats on earth, and a lake so large it has its own island with its own distinct civilisation living on it.

The problem is most people do not know how to structure a trip that captures all of it without spending two weeks and a small fortune doing it.

We built the Medan 6D5N Tour to solve exactly that.

Day 1 and 2: The Jungle Comes First

The itinerary does not start in the city. It starts in Bukit Lawang — a small river settlement on the edge of Leuser National Park, about three hours from the airport.

Leuser is one of the only places left on earth where Sumatran orangutans still live in the wild. On Day 2, you trek through the national park with a guide who knows the forest. You have a picnic lunch in the jungle. In the afternoon, you tube down the Bukit Lawang river.

It is a gentle float through rainforest. Trees on both sides. The sound of the water. Nothing else.

By the time you check in that evening, Medan as a transit city feels like a completely different conversation.

Day 3 and 4: A Volcano You Actually Climb

The drive from Bukit Lawang to Berastagi takes you up into the Sumatran highlands. The air changes. The temperature drops. You arrive in a city surrounded by active volcanoes and terraced farmland.

Day 4 is the centrepiece of the entire trip.

You wake up at 4am. You transfer to the base of Mount Sibayak — an active stratovolcano standing at 2,212 metres. The hike to the summit takes approximately three hours round trip. You arrive at the crater rim just as the sun rises.

Sulfuric steam rises from the vents. The sky turns orange behind the ridge. The highland air is cold.

After the descent, you soak in a natural hot spring at the base of the mountain.

This is the kind of morning that resets something in you.

Day 5 and 6: Samosir Island and the Batak People

On Day 5, you leave the highlands and head toward Lake Toba — the largest volcanic lake in the world, formed by a supervolcanic eruption roughly 74,000 years ago. In the middle of it sits Samosir Island, home to the Batak Toba people and one of the most distinct indigenous cultures in Southeast Asia.

You arrive in the evening. Dinner is served with a traditional Batak dance performance — not a staged tourist show, but a genuine cultural event that has been part of Batak hospitality for generations.

Day 6 takes you through Tomok village, where ancient stone chairs and traditional roofed houses have stood for centuries. You take the ferry across to Parapat, drive through Motung Hills, and arrive in Medan by evening.

Day 7: The City Finally Gets Its Turn

Medan City Tour on the final morning covers Annai Velangkani Church, Maimoon Palace, the Grand Mosque, and Kesawan Square — the old colonial quarter of the city. Lunch is included. Then it is a transfer to the airport.

Seven days. The full picture.

What Is Included and What It Costs

The Medan 6D5N Tour is a fully guided, privately transported, all-meals-included package. Four hotel properties across the route. English-speaking guide throughout. Travel insurance covered.

Pricing for normal weekday low season 2026:

• 2 pax: SGD 970 per person

• 4 pax: SGD 845 per person

• 8 pax: SGD 799 per person

• 10 pax: SGD 785 per person

The bigger your group, the lower the rate. This package is well suited to families, colleague trips, and friend groups of 8 to 12 people.

Not included: air tickets, porter fees, personal expenses, and guide tipping.

Not valid for weekends, public holidays, or peak season periods. Peak season surcharge applies for 28 April to 8 May, 28 September to 8 October, and 20 December to 4 January.

Ready to Go?

If you have been thinking about Indonesia but Bali feels too familiar, North Sumatra is the answer.

Six days. Four cities. One volcano. One sacred island. All meals taken care of.

Contact our team to check availability and confirm your group size.

WhatsApp: +65 9228 1150 Email: sales@thktour.com Website: www.thktour.com

THK Tour & Travel Pte. Ltd. | NATAS Member | Licence No. 02892 | 865 Mountbatten Road, Katong Shopping Centre, Singapore 437844