Ten Days Exploring Sumatra with a Dutch Family

   

Medan – Bukit Lawang – Berastagi – Mount Sibayak – Lake Toba – Samosir

2–11 August 2026

When I welcomed a family from the Netherlands at Kualanamu International Airport, I knew I had a ten-day journey ahead of me.

There were four of them: Edwin, Marloes, their daughter Milou, and their son Sep.

My job was simple: take care of them, guide them, and show them the best of North Sumatra.

But as the days went by, something more meaningful happened.

I stopped feeling like just their tour guide.

I felt like part of their family.

Starting the Journey in Medan

Our journey began in Medan. After picking them up at the airport, we explored the city before continuing towards Bukit Lawang.

As a Sumatra tour guide, I enjoy introducing visitors not only to famous attractions but also to the small experiences along the way — local food, traditional transportation, villages, markets and everyday life.

For me, travelling is not simply about taking guests from one destination to another.

It is about helping them understand the place they are visiting.

In Bukit Lawang, we crossed the river and entered the rainforest for a jungle trekking experience. We searched for orangutans, listened to the sounds of the forest and spent the night in a simple shelter.

It was tiring, but exciting.

And somewhere between walking through the jungle, sharing food and laughing together, we became more comfortable with each other.

A Family, Not Just Guests

One thing I really enjoyed about this family was their openness.

Sep, their son, was funny and adorable. His personality brought a lot of laughter to our journey.

And Milou...

Milou loves singing.

She often sang during our trip. Whenever the moment was right, I would ask her:

“Milou, can you sing for us?”

And she would sing.

Her voice became one of the little memories I will always remember from this journey.

For me, these moments are important because being a tour guide is not only about knowing directions, history or entrance fees.

It is also about creating a comfortable atmosphere where guests can be themselves.

Coffee, Markets and Honest Conversations in Berastagi

After Bukit Lawang, we travelled towards Berastagi, passing villages and beautiful highland landscapes.

We visited Taman Alam Lumbini, the local fruit market and Gundaling Hill.

But one of my favourite memories in Berastagi happened away from the main attractions.

Marloes invited me to have coffee with her while exploring the market.

Marloes is a teacher, and she is a very kind person. That afternoon, our conversation became more personal.

We talked about life, family, work and relationships.

We even talked openly about my life as a single woman.

It was a simple coffee and market walk, but for me, it was special.

This is one of the things I love about being a guide.

Sometimes the best part of guiding is not explaining a destination. It is listening to people's stories and sharing a little of your own.

From Mount Sibayak to Lake Toba

The following morning, we headed towards Mount Sibayak.

We started early, enjoyed the mountain scenery and later relaxed at Lau Debuk-Debuk natural hot springs.

From the highlands, our journey continued towards Lake Toba.

For me, Lake Toba is not simply another destination on a map.

It is a place I am proud to introduce to international visitors.

I want travellers to see more than the beautiful lake.

I want them to understand the Batak culture, history, food, villages and people that make the Lake Toba region special.

This is also one of the main reasons I became a tour guide: I want to make friends from different countries while promoting Lake Toba and supporting sustainable tourism.

Discovering Samosir

We crossed Lake Toba by ferry and arrived on Samosir Island.

There, we explored the countryside by bicycle, visited traditional villages and enjoyed the beautiful landscape between Ambarita and Tomok.

We also experienced local Batak food and everyday life.

This is the kind of travel I love to create.

Not just:

“Here is the place. Take a picture.”

But:

“Let me tell you why this place matters.”

With my background in journalism, feature writing, photography and reporting, I enjoy telling the stories behind the destinations I guide. My experience includes covering travel, culture, education and community stories, as well as working as a photographer and reporter.

So when I guide visitors, I don't simply show them places.

I tell their stories.

When Guests Become Friends

On the last day, it was time for the family to leave.

Ten days had passed.

Looking back, the itinerary was full of beautiful places:

Medan.
Bukit Lawang.
Berastagi.
Mount Sibayak.
Lake Toba.
Samosir.

But my most valuable memories were the moments between those destinations.

Milou singing.

Sep making us laugh.

Coffee with Marloes.

Conversations with Edwin.

Sharing meals.

Walking through markets.

Travelling long roads together.

Laughing when we were tired.

And slowly becoming comfortable enough to feel like family.

That is what I hope to give every traveller who comes to Sumatra.

Not just a tour.

Not just transportation.

Not just a list of attractions.

But a journey filled with stories, local experiences, culture, friendship and memories.

I am Damayanti, a freelance Sumatra tour guide and tour leader based in the Lake Toba region.

I guide travellers through Medan, Bukit Lawang, Berastagi, Mount Sibayak, Lake Toba and Samosir, with a special interest in Batak culture, history, local food, village life and sustainable tourism.

If you are planning to explore Sumatra, I would be happy to be more than your guide.

Let me show you Sumatra through the eyes of someone who loves this place.

Come as a traveller.
Leave as a friend.

— Damayanti
Sumatra Tour Guide | Lake Toba & North Sumatra

Six Friends, One Journey Across North Sumatra

   

When I received the assignment from Ravelino Tours Travel to take care of six Belgian guests during their journey in North Sumatra, I knew this would not be an ordinary tour.

They were three married couples who had been close friends for many years. They decided to travel together in Indonesia, and I was assigned to be their Sumatra Tour Guide during their six-day journey through North Sumatra.

From the beginning, I tried not to make our journey only about visiting places and taking pictures. I wanted to create conversations with them. I wanted them to feel that travelling with a local guide was also an opportunity to understand how people live in Sumatra.

The six of them had different professional backgrounds. Among the husbands, one worked as a banker, another was an entrepreneur, and another was a police officer.

The banker was interested in many things, especially when we talked about the economy and the palm oil industry in Sumatra. The entrepreneur was even more curious. He always had questions.

Sometimes, honestly, his questions made me think hard before answering.

He was not the kind of tourist who simply listened to a guide's explanation. He wanted to understand the details. When we talked about traditional Batak houses, for example, our conversation became much longer than I expected.

I explained to them that the traditional roof of a Batak house was originally made from ijuk, the natural black fiber from the sugar palm tree. We talked about how traditional houses were built and why the roof was designed in that particular shape.

But then he asked about the newer roofs he saw.

I explained that after the revitalization carried out around 2020–2021, the roofs at places such as Huta Siallagan and Kampung Ulos Hutaraja had been changed to ulin wood.

He immediately knew about ulin.

He started talking about different types of timber, including meranti and other expensive woods. I was surprised because I did not expect a tourist from Belgium to know so much about Indonesian timber.

I smiled and thought to myself, This man is not an easy tourist!

But actually, I enjoyed it.

His questions pushed me to think, explain, and sometimes learn together with him. For me, that is one of the best parts of being a tour guide. A good tour is not always about how much information the guide can give. Sometimes, it is about the questions that come from the guests.

The banker and the entrepreneur were also very curious about the palm oil industry in Sumatra.

They asked me about plantations, production, the role of palm oil in the economy, and even how much palm oil could cost. Their questions were connected to what they saw along the road. When we travelled through North Sumatra, the landscape itself became part of our conversation.

Then there was their friend, the police officer.

He had another kind of curiosity.

While travelling around Sumatra, he noticed children and teenagers riding motorcycles. He asked me, with a serious expression, why young people were allowed to ride motorcycles.

“Is there no age limit in Indonesia?” he asked.

I explained the regulations about driving licences and the minimum age, and we continued discussing road safety, Indonesian traffic habits, and the differences between Indonesia and Belgium.

These conversations happened naturally while we were travelling.

Sometimes we talked inside the car.

Sometimes while walking.

Sometimes while waiting for food.

And sometimes during dinner.

Because their tour package from Ravelino Tours Travel included dinner vouchers, I often sat together with them during dinner. These became some of my favourite moments.

After a long day travelling from Medan to Lake Toba, exploring Samosir Island by boat, visiting traditional Batak villages, continuing to Berastagi, and later travelling toward Bukit Lawang, dinner was the time when everybody could relax.

There was always laughter.

They joked with each other. They told stories. Sometimes they asked me another unexpected question. Sometimes I joked back at them.

Although I was their guide, during those dinners I did not feel like I was only working.

I felt like I was sitting with six new friends.

That is something I have learned from guiding foreign visitors. A tour guide does not only show a destination. Sometimes, a guide becomes the bridge between two different cultures.

The guests come with questions about our country.

We answer as honestly as we can.

Then, without realizing it, we also learn something from them.

As the journey came to an end, I realized how quickly the six days had passed.

We had started as a group of tourists and a tour guide. But by the time we were going to say goodbye, there was already a feeling of friendship.

Just before we separated, they gave me warm hugs.

Those hugs meant a lot to me.

They were very kind to me throughout the journey. Their jokes, their questions, their curiosity, and especially our dinner conversations became memories that I will not easily forget.

For me, this is what being a Sumatra Tour Guide is about.

It is not only about knowing the road from Medan to Lake Toba, Samosir, Berastagi, or Bukit Lawang.

It is about making guests feel welcome.

It is about being able to talk with people from different backgrounds.

It is about answering their questions, even when sometimes their questions make me nervous.

And most importantly, it is about creating a journey that people will remember after they leave Sumatra.

I am Damayanti, a Sumatra Tour Guide.

Every guest arrives with a different story.

Sometimes, they leave Sumatra having created a new story with me.