A waterfall into the sea
About thirty-five metres.
Agus Damanik — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Farxhan — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Astari28 — CC BY-SA 4.0
A mountainous, forested island in Tapanuli Bay on the west coast of North Sumatra, famous for a sight rare in the world: a waterfall pouring off a granite cliff about thirty-five metres high straight into the sea. Local people say scenes of the film King Kong were shot here in the 1970s. Boats come close enough to the falls for the spray to touch your face, and visitors can swim at the base when the sea is calm, before continuing to the island's quiet sandy beaches and small islets around it for snorkelling over the reefs. There is no island fee; the cost is the boat: a wooden boat about IDR 1.5 million for the day and a speedboat from about 2.5 million, carrying the whole group. The trip is about an hour by speedboat from the Pandan jetty near Sibolga, or three hours by ordinary boat. Set off in the morning when the sea is calmer, agree the route and life jackets before leaving, and bring food and water, as there are no services on the island.
About thirty-five metres.
At the foot of the falls.
And snorkelling around the islets.
Tapanuli Bay, off Sibolga and Pandan, Central Tapanuli
Fly from Jakarta or Medan to Ferdinand Lumban Tobing airport at Pinangsori, or drive from Medan in about eight hours, or from Lake Toba in about five.