Explore the Karo highlands · karo-online.com

Mountain

Gunung Sibayak

📍 Merdeka

A volcano of about 2,212 m north of Berastagi. Its Karo name means 'king', and the climb is one of the most beginner-friendly in North Sumatra.

Lake

Danau Lau Kawar

📍 Naman Teran

A mountain lake of about 200 hectares right at the northern foot of Mount Sinabung. Calm water, surrounding forest and the volcano behind make it a favourite camping spot.

Waterfall

Air Terjun Sipiso-piso

📍 Merek

A waterfall about 120 m high dropping from the Karo plateau into the valley at the northern tip of Lake Toba. The viewpoint shows the falls, Lake Toba and Tongging village.

Viewpoint

Bukit Gundaling

📍 Berastagi

A park hill on the edge of Berastagi at about 1,575 m, with views over the town and the Sibayak and Sinabung volcanoes behind.

Food & market

Pasar Buah Berastagi

📍 Berastagi

A market on Jalan Gundaling selling produce from the Karo highlands: oranges, passion fruit, strawberries, avocados and fresh vegetables.

Religious site

Taman Alam Lumbini

📍 Dolat Rayat

A Buddhist temple complex at the foot of Mount Sibayak with a golden pagoda modelled on Myanmar's Shwedagon Pagoda; open to visitors.

Cultural village

Desa Budaya Lingga

📍 Simpang Empat

A traditional village at about 1,200 m with Siwaluh Jabu houses more than 250 years old — one of the best places to see Karo architecture and traditional life.

Cultural village

Desa Budaya Dokan

📍 Merek

A village in Merek district with Karo houses over a century old, on the route between Berastagi and Lake Toba.

Air Panas Semangat Gunung & Lau Sidebuk-debuk

Hot springs

Air Panas Semangat Gunung & Lau Sidebuk-debuk

📍 Merdeka / Berastagi

Sulphurous hot pools of about 40–45 °C on the southern slope of Mount Sibayak — a favourite soak after the climb.

Waterfall

Air Terjun Sikulikap

📍 Berastagi

A waterfall about 30–40 m high in a forested valley below Penatapan Doulu on the Medan–Berastagi road; a stepped path leads down to it.

Viewpoint

Bukit Kubu

📍 Berastagi

About five hectares of grassland at the entrance to Berastagi, with an old colonial hotel on top — ideal for family picnics and kite flying.

Museum

Museum Pusaka Karo

📍 Berastagi

A museum in the former Catholic Church of St Mary in central Berastagi, holding hundreds of Karo heritage objects.

Nature

Tangkahan

📍 Batang Serangan

Eco-village on the edge of Gunung Leuser National Park, where the Batang Serangan and Buluh rivers meet. Sumatran elephants are bathed in the river; there is jungle trekking, tubing, waterfalls and hot springs, and wild orangutans live here too.

Nature

Bukit Lawang

📍 Bahorok

Village on the Bahorok River, the eastern gateway to Gunung Leuser National Park. An orangutan rehabilitation centre was founded here in 1973; today semi-wild and wild orangutans can be seen on guided treks.

Hot springs

Air Panas Simolap

📍 Kutambaru

Hot spring in Kaperas village, Kutambaru, in upland Langkat on the border with the Karo highlands. Listed among Langkat's attractions together with the Marike cave and waterfall.

Waterfall

Air Terjun Dua Warna

📍 Sibolangit

Waterfall in the Sibolangit forest with two drops: the first about 50 m with blue-green water, the second about 20 m with clear water. The colour comes from minerals such as sulphur, so the water is not for drinking.

Nature

Taman Wisata Alam Sibolangit

📍 Sibolangit

Forest on the Medan–Berastagi road, founded in 1914 as the Sibolangit Botanic Garden, a branch of Bogor Botanic Gardens. Part of it has been a nature park since 1980; the titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum) grows here.

Nature

Bumi Perkemahan Pramuka Sibolangit

📍 Sibolangit

Scout campground at the edge of the Sibolangit forest, host of the 2nd National Jamboree in July 1977. Treks to the Dua Warna waterfall also start here.

Lake

Danau Linting

📍 Sinembah Tanjung Muda Hulu

Small turquoise lake formed by hydrothermal activity. The sulphur keeps the water warm, around 30 °C. Karo and Simalungun people live in the surrounding area.

Viewpoint

Rumah Ladang Pamah Semelir

📍 Sei Bingai

Leisure spot with bamboo houses and walkways among the trees in Pamah Semelir hamlet, Telagah village, at the foot of the Bukit Barisan, with places to relax, photo spots and pools; overnight stays possible.

Nature

Kolam Abadi Pelaruga

📍 Sei Bingai

Natural bathing spot of clear spring-fed pools among rocks, on the Telagah road near Rumah Galuh and the Teroh-teroh waterfall.

Nature

Pemandian Sikabung-kabung

📍 Sibolangit

Rocky natural pool with clear, cool spring water in Ujung Deleng, Sibolangit; good for relaxing and camping.