How to get to Lake Toba
Lake Toba can be easily reached from the city of Medan in around 3-4 hours. There are a number of transport options to get to the town of Parapat, which is on the edge of Lake Toba.
Budget travelers can take the public bus. Intra Big Bus is about Rp. 35,000 or by Prima Jaya mini bus, which costs about 40,000. You can tell your taxi driver to drop you at the terminal Prima Jaya to catch the mini bus, or ask your driver to drop you at terminal Amplas to catch Intra big bus to Parapat
If you aren’t on a tight budget, using a taxi service to get to Parapat is recommended. Public buses in Indonesia have a bad habit of packing people in, sometimes with two people to a cramped seat. Smoking is allowed on public transport making the trip potentially very uncomfortable.
Raja Taxis operate new and modern mini-vans, seating up to seven passengers. They have air-conditioning and smoking is generally not allowed. You can book tickets through your hotel in Medan or by calling: Raja Taxi +62 (0)617 366-555.
There is a train which travels goes from Medan but unfortunately it does not go all of the way to Parapat. The train reaches the city of Siantar or Tebing Tinggi, and then you will need to take another bus to get to Parapat.
Buses drop you off at the ferry departure point in Parapat. Ferries depart every few hours to the different hotels in Tuk Tuk. Parapat is an interesting town with a good market a few restaurants in the main street.
There are no ATMs on Samosir Island, so you need to take enough cash with you from Medan or hit up the ATM in Parapat.
The ferry ride is 7,000 rupiah one way. You will be asked for the name of your hotel. Most, if not all of the hotels are located right on the lake and have their own place to get on and off of the ferry.
The last ferry is around 6:00 p.m, so if you arrive too late you will have to stay in Parapat. Fortunately there are also plenty of nice hotels in Parapat.
