Explore Toba Caldera: A Tourist Attraction on the UNESCO Geopark List
- VIVA/Mohammad Yudha Prasetya
Sumatra – Toba Caldera in North Sumatra was on the list of UNESCO Global Geoparks because this place is a genuine evidence of high geological phenomena and traditional heritage with local communities, especially in terms of the culture and biodiversity.
As a tourist destination, Lake Toba has around 127 tourist attractions, which are spread across Karo Regency, Kairi Regency, Humbang Hasundutan Regency, Samosir Regency, Humbang Hasundutan Regency, Karo Regency, Simalungun Regency, Toba Samosir Regency and North Tapanuli Regency.
Lake Toba is a caldera area formed by an ancient volcanic eruption about 74,000 years ago.
As a result of the catastrophic eruption, a lake was formed which became the largest in Southeast Asia and is a volcano-tectonic mountain with a length of 100 km, a width of 30 km, a depth of 505 meters, and is located at an altitude of 904 meters above sea level (Master Plan and Detailed Spatial Plan for the Lake Toba National Tourism Strategic Area and Its Environs, 2012).
Kaldera Danau Toba
- VIVA/Mohammad Yudha Prasetya
The Lake Toba area is the 5th largest Quaternary Caldera in the world and makes it an important world heritage with a variety of geological, biological and cultural diversity, which is also supported by artificial tourist attractions.
One of the most interesting activities in this tourist spot is experiencing the values of traditional village life and staying in a homestay. This activity can be found in Meat Village, Jangga Dolok Village, Sibandang Village, Silimalombu Village, and other villages.
Then, people can also do camping in natural open spaces such as in Eden Park, Lake Sidihoni, Holbung Hill, and several other open spaces.
Not only that, this tourist spot also provides activities such as canoeing, jetskiing, and rafting which can be done on several recreational beaches such as Bulbul Beach Balige, Parbaba Beach Samosir, Parapat Free Beach, and Tigaras Beach.
As information, Lake Toba as a UNESCO Global Geopark has several geosites that can be explored by tourists and academics who are interested in nature.
