Sumatra is a great destination for traveling in Indonesia. It’s less visited than some other islands, but still relatively easy to travel around. We spent amazing 22 days on this island. We already wrote about our favourite places in Sumatra and here’s our Sumatra itinerary day by day that might help you organize your trip.

sumatra itinerary

Above is the map of our journey and below is our Sumatra itinerary with the places we have visited.

Day 1: Medan – Tangkahan

Day 2: Tangkahan – Bukit Lawang

Day 3: Bukit Lawang

Day 4: Bukit Lawang – Berastagi

Day 5: Berastagi

Day 6: Berastagi – Singkil – Banyak islands (Palambak Island)

Day 7: Palambak Island

Day 8: Palambak island

Day 9: Palambak island – Taliana Island

Day 10: Taliana island – Pandan Island

Day 11: Pandan Island – Asok Island

Day 12: Asok Island – Singkil

Day 13: Singkil – Padang

Day 14: Padang

Day 15: Padang – Siberut Island

Day 16: Siberut Island

Day 17: Siberut Island

Day 18: Siberut Island – Padang

Day 19: Padang – Rimba Eco Lodge

Day 20: Rimba Eco Lodge

Day 21: Rimba Eco Lodge – Padang

Day 22: Padang – Kuala Lumpur

We visited some great places and experienced amazing things we will never forget. We had also quite a lot of time, but if you are on a shorter holiday you can easily adjust the itinerary to the number of days you have.

_X3A0629

We mostly traveled with rented car with a driver – we found it more convenient than travel by local buses, paying for 3 tickets and wasting a lot of time and energy. Usually we asked for our transport at the place we were currently staying and compared the prices with those that a local tour operator gave us before our departure to Sumatra. For traveling to and between the islands, we took speed boats and local fishermen boats.

_X3A7509_X3A3194

There are quite a few good places to sleep even if you are on a budget. The ones we stayed in you can find here.

If you are looking for a place to chill out for a couple of days, away from the tourist places, then the Banyak archipelago would be just what you need. We didn’t see a place like this till now. Crystal clear water, isolated islands and friendly local people.

_X3A1420

For a trip to Sumatra like ours (without Padang and the visit to Mentawai tribe on Siberut) we would suggest at least ten days. But please don’t hurry, especially if you are traveling with kids.

_X3A2648_X3A5753

Pin it!


@