EcoTourism Class -- "Make 1 Report On An EcoTourism Destination in Indonesia"

Tuesday, 17th April 2012

EcoTourism Assignment

Ms. Derinta’s Class

Sahasrakirana Narendradhipa

NIM: 2011240011

Assignment Due: Before Semester 2 UAS. 

Lake Toba 

 The northern part of Sumatera, i.e. the provinces of Aceh (Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam) and North Sumatra (Sumatera Utara) lies just above the equator. To the east is the Malacca Straits and in the west the Indian Ocean.

The climate is tropical, but due to its many highlands, temperatures can be lower than one expects. Temperatures are approximately between 22-30 degrees Celsius. The rainfall differs from area to area, but averages 1.000-4.000mm per year. The relative humidity is 70-90% in lowlands. The year can be divided in two major seasons, dry season from February to August and wet season from September to January.

Sumatra is famous for its volcanic landscape – in fact volcanoes can be thanked for shaping most of this incredibly diverse and exotic island. Out of that great disastrous event, an enormous caldera was formed which was gradually filled with water and created what we know today as Lake Toba, from a prominent leftover from an earth-shattering volcanic eruption over 75,000 years ago making it the largest and deepest Crater Lake in the world! It is approximately five hours drive from Medan. While at the center of the lake, the rising caldera floor also formed the enchanting Samosir Island, caused by movements in the magma chamber beneath it.

Lake Toba is the perfect place to sit back, relax and absorb the beauty that lies in its pristine sceneries. As one sits and takes in the view of the picturesque mountains set against the cool clear lake, all the burdens of daily life will melt away.  Mountains steeped in cool mist, clear waterfalls to swim under and locals taking their water buffalo out in the fields, are just to name a few. At Lake Toba you can take a boat to Samosir, an island in the center of the lake that offers more mystifying wonders with its fascinating Batak houses with their distinctive roofs (which curve upwards at each end, as a boat's hull does) and their colorful décor and grave sites. There are even a couple of guest houses on Samosir that you can stay in while taking in the waterfalls and hot volcanic springs that it is renowned for. Most of the people who live around Lake Toba are ethnically Bataks.

The fauna includes several species of zooplankton and benthic animals. Since the lake is oligotrophic (nutrient-poor), the native fish fauna is relatively scarce.

Most visitors stay on the peninsula of Tuk Tuk on Samosir, named after the linguist Herman Neubronner van der Tuuk. In general people stay several days on Samosir to discover the island, to visit traditional Batak villages, to swim in the lake and go to the hot springs in Pangururan.

Lake Toba's bracing climate and magnificent panoramas clear the mind and soothe the soul. For decades a magnet from regional and foreign visitors alike, Toba has developed into a full-featured highland resort while retaining the rustic charm and relaxed ambiance that define Toba's attraction. Formed by a stupendous prehistoric volcanic explosion,

Legend of Toba Lake

 "Once upon a time, there was a man living around the ravine of Pusuk Buhit, the known mystical mountain close to Lake Toba. Nobody knew when he arrived there or where he came from. He lived in a small temporary hut in a farming area by the river surrounded by an oval-shaped hill. He was a fisherman. He also owned a field. Once he found a big fish in his woven rattan fish trap. It was the beginning of his life’s changing. Never had he caught such big fish before that he was so surprised. The fish was an extraordinary one. The man took the fish into his hut and walked outside his hut thinking about the way how to cook the very big fish.

After a little while, he got into his hut. He startled to death because the fish had disappeared and he found another creature, a beautiful human. The fish had turned into a beautiful lady and its scales changed to be beautiful jeweled ornaments fitted in her body dressed so elegantly. She was like a princess.

In an instant, the man fell in love with the princess. He proposed her saying “Will you be my wife?” She nodded obediently and respectfully. The princess agreed to his proposal in one condition that he would never tell anyone that she had been a fish. The man happily approved her condition.

They were very happy and raised their only daughter. The man worked in their field and his wife always asked their daughter to bring her father’s meal into the field. One day, the daughter was sent to bring her father’s meal. On the way to the field, the little girl felt very hungry that she ate up his father’s lunch. Knowing that the little girl had finished his lunch, the father went mad. He shouted angrily ‘you’re really the offspring of fish.’

The man’s wife soon knew that his husband had broken his promise that he would never say that words. She knew it from her daughter who ran home crying ‘mother, why does father say I’m the offspring of fish?’ Her mother was very sad and disappointed. Giving no answer she brought her daughter up to the hill telling her that there’d be a huge disaster.

On the hill, the girl’s mother knelt down and prayed to her God. Soon, there was an earthquake, storms, and springs came out from the ground. The entire place was flooded and water was everywhere that her daughter, husband and she drowned. The woman turned into a fish again and her husband turned into a stone. The story told that their daughter wandered everywhere. The place where they lived turned into Lake Toba with Samosir Island in its centre."

Sumatra Savages, is the pioneer on kayaking on Lake Toba. It offers interesting kayaking adventures, from one day to six days, on a world famous lake, in a unique culture and amongst breathtaking sceneries.

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.

How to Get to Lake Toba:

Since it is located in North Sumatra, the only way there is through the city of Medan – North Sumatra Indonesia

Lake Toba is about 4 hours’ drive by car from Medan City. You can travel by public bus which may take longer to about 6 hours. The usual stop is the town of “Pematang Siantar” halfway to Lake Toba for a toilet break.

Local transportation around the lake takes the form of boats. You can also hire a motorcycle for a day or two and get out and about (Rp.50,000 per day inclusive of 4 liters of petrol ).