Local travel tip: Sinabung and Sibayak volcanoes

Location: Medan, Indonesia

Berastagi is a small town just some 1.5 hours drive away from Medan, and is a great place for hiking or just wandering around in the nature. There are also two volcanoes, Sinabung and Sibayak, that one can climb. Bot can be reached by local bus from the town, and there is no need for a guide to climb them – roads are paved and directions pretty clear. You only need some basic fitness, some snacks and bottled water with you, and you’re able to climb to the summit(s) in about three hours. The views are magnificent, so it’s also good idea to bring a camera with you to keep the memories to show others back at home. Getting to Berastagi from Medan can be somewhat challenging, unless you have car at your disposal, or are willing to pay for taxi for around 300,000 Rp per person. Note that buses from Pinang Baris station (some 10 kilometers from Medan central) cost only 25,000 Rp, so you can save quite a lot of money by making the way yourself. Of course the bus might, and possibly will be, full and people pushing each other thus making the actual travel somewhat painful. Within Berastagi you can find both ojek’s and local buses that you can use to ride to your destinations. Prives are basically the same as everywhere else in Indonesia. There are also accommodation available, but the prices tend to be sky high, so unless you really have to, try to squeeze your trekking to one day, and return to Medan for you good night’s sleep – it’s worth the saved money and comfortability. Food is cheap, and available literally everywhere. From indoor restaurants and cafes to cheap street vendors, everything is available. Best spot to find the vendors is along the main street after sunset when they start to really open up their businesses. Many types of local Indonesian dishes are available, but mainly anything made with or out of fish.