'''Sumatra''' (also ''Sumatera'') is a region of Indonesia and the 6th largest island in the world. Wild and rugged, it has a great natural wealth.
Regions
Sumatra is divided into ten provinces.
Aceh
Bangka-Belitung
Bengkulu
Jambi
Lampung
North Sumatra (''Sumatera Utara'')
Riau province
Riau Islands (''Kepulauan Riau'')
South Sumatra (''Sumatera Selatan'')
West Sumatra (''Sumatera Barat'')
Cities
Banda Aceh
Bandar Lampung
Bengkulu
Kota Jambi
Medan
Padang
Palembang
Pekanbaru
Other destinations
Berastagi
Bukittinggi - a pleasant mountain town
Gunung Leuser National Park
Kerinci Seblat National Park - site of Mt. Kerinci, Sumatra's highest peak
Lake Maninjau
Lake Toba
Puleu Wei
Harau Valley - a nature area which is located halfway between PekanBaru and BukitTinggi. Rice fields are dwarfed by cliffs.
Way Kambas National Park - Lampung Timur
Understand
'''Tourist Information:''' Sumatra lacks '''reliable''' Tourist Information Centers. The main reason is probably because Sumatra is not a major tourist destination for foreigners. To fill this vacuum, - a very friendly mixed-couple of an American guy and a local Sumatran woman, are trying to supply free of charge reliable tourist information. Their names are '''Ronen''' and '''Mardia'''. They can be reached by SMS: '''081-397033540''' or by email: [mailto:crxsmh@yahoo.com '''crxsmh@yahoo.com''']
Get in
By plane
Medan, as the largest city on the island, has the most flights including many international services to Singapore and Malaysia. Palembang, Pekanbaru, and Padang also have domestic and some international services.
By boat
There are numerous ferry services connecting Sumatra to Malaysia as well as other Indonesian islands. The main port is Dumai in Riau, which is a visa on arrival point and has direct links to Port Klang (3 hrs), Port Dickson and Malacca (2 hrs) in Malaysia, as well as to the Indonesian island of Batam near Singapore.
Get around
See
Drink
Stay safe
Look out for Tropical and natural disasters, look out for malaria. Get a vaccination!
Drink bottled water, use that also when you bush your teeth