Berastagi is a small town which is a 2 hour bus ride from Medan, the bustling capital of North Sumatra.  With nearby Lake Toba getting all the tourist attention, Berastagi has remained a low-key town that’s more popular with weekenders from Medan than foreign travelers.

But what stunning volcano scenery one can find in Berastagi.  Hiking Gunung Sinabung and Gunung Sibayak on the Karo Highlands are two key attractions in the vicinity.  Other sights include traditional Karo villages and waterfalls.

Given Berastagi’s proximity to Medan which itself is a short and cheap flight from Singapore and the accessibility of Gunung Sinabung and Gunung Sibayak, I decided to make a solo trip over a long weekend.

Berastagi’s location taken from Googlemaps:

I have also take a few snapshorts of handdrawn maps from Sibayak Multinational Guesthouse.  If you would like a higher resolution of these maps, just post a comment and I would send them to your email.

Map of Berastagi:

Map of Berastagi to Gunung Sibayak:

Map of Berastagi to Lingga:

Map of Lake Toba:

The Berastagi trip report is divided into the following sections:

1. Introduction (You are here)
2. Journey Day 1 (Arriving at Berastagi)
3. Journey Day 2 (Gunung Sinabung)
4. Journey Day 3 & 4 (Gunung Sibayak and Home)
5. Smiley the Guide

Disclaimer: This trip was taken in May 2012. The information is provided ‘as is’ with no warranties and confers no rights. If you are interested to know more, please add a comment and I will update the post with more details.

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