Jan-2016
Our tips to visit Toba Lake on a budget
With Batak houses lining on the coast of the small island Samosir, Lake Toba is a magical place (like its mushrooms, which are apparently legal and even offered on the menu) and a perfect place for relaxation. A destination of hippies, as you could figure it out, perfect after a trek in the jungle of Bukit Lawang!
HOW TO GET FROM THE LAKE TOBA Bukit Lawang (VIA Parapat)?
We arrived from Bukit Lawing: take a bemo (Rs 210,000 / person) or private taxi (1.000.000Rs) to Parapat. It’s 10 hours drive (they announced 7h)! Parapet is the nearest town of Lake Toba.
At Parapet, hotels are few and quite expensive for the quality. We stayed at the hotel Sebaya, Rs 319.000 for a very basic family room (2 double and 1 single bed).
From Parapat, you need to take a ferry (Rs 15,000 / person, 1 hour). The ferry takes you directly to your hotel since all the hotels are around the lake, take photos from the ferry 
WHERE TO STAY IN LAKE TOBA?
We chose the Reggae Guesthouse, in the village Tuk Tuk (the village where all the guesthouses are located): a very good choice for only 100.000 to 120.000 Rs Take 3 beds because it is really great !!It is located in a beautiful Batak house with an amazing view on the lake! As the name suggests, the owners are very cool and relaxed, and they are playing reggae music until late for the backpackers happiness
It is possible to do your laundry for Rs 20,000 / kg and rent a scooter for Rs 100,000 (but you can find for Rs 80,000 in the village).
What to do at LAKE TOBA?
Relax, swim, eat, drink. There is not much to visit: you can take a tour of the island by scooter but you will not see anything that interesting, only a reconstruction of a village Batak, where locals come to dance at times. For the rest, there are some villages and rice paddy fields. Tuk Tuk, the main village where all hotels and guesthouses are located, looks like an old tourist zone deserted today… You’ll find plenty of options and possibilities for a drink and a small handful of backpackers.
You can also get a massage: we paid Rs 150,000 for 1h30, through our guesthouse. The masseuses came to our own room!
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