Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine August 2016 | Page 110

106

Travel | Samosir

Tele is one of a few scenic viewpoints where
you can see a panoramic, unobstructed view
of Lake Toba and Samosir Island at the
same time. This is also the only point from
which you can access Samosir Island over land.

Lake Toba is truly immense. Depending on which side you stand
on, you may not be able to make out the other end of the lake. The
water is ocean-blue and stretches for hundreds of kilometres with
lush green hills and stone cliffs hewing along its curves.
It’s a beautiful sight to behold from virtually
any angle, and at 1,707km2, there are many
angles from which to choose. If you ask a
local for the best spot to take in views,
don’t be surprised to get a different
answer every time.
My personal favourite view is seeing
the lake slowly reveal itself from behind
the dense jungle as you drive down from
Silangit Airport.
On this particular trip, I arrived pretty early
in the morning and already the sun was
shining brilliantly in the sky. As I got closer to
the lake, shimmering flashes of white and
blue caught my eye in between the foliage.
Just as I thought I had a sense for how big it
is, that last tree line passed out of view and

the full scale and majesty of Lake Toba was
right in front of me. It gets me every time.
Of course, the drive down to the lake
wouldn’t be complete without a stop at one
the many cliff-side cafés and restaurants.
These humble spots offer simple bites – like
tasty grilled fish and rice, grilled corn and
supremely good Sumatran coffee – along
with humbling panoramic views across
the lake.
I decided to stop for a coffee to enjoy
the clear day, and in the middle of the
massive expanse I could see Samosir Island.
The island, and, in fact, the entire lake,
was created by a major eruption between
30,000 and 75,000 years ago – the largest
known volcanic eruption within the last
25 million years. The lake itself is actually
four overlapping calderas, forming the
Sumatran volcanic front.
This tumultuous prehistoric geology has
influenced a fascinating cradle of Indonesian
culture, the Batak people. There are several