Parapat, Sumatra

Parapat, Indonesia (28 April 2006)


Parapat, also written Prapat, is a small town on the eastern shore of Lake Toba, about 170km from Medan, in North Sumatra. Since colonial times, Parapat has been a weekend getaway and resort town for those escaping the heat and bustle of Medan.

In my opinion, although some places in Parapat, especially along the shore, is quite scenic, on the whole, it is not a pretty town. In fact, there is no good reason to remain long at Parapat. Despite being a tourist town for generations, there is actually little in terms of attractions that is available to visitors to Parapat, and tourists are well advised to proceed to Samosir Island.

I explored Parapat with a small group of AsiaExplorers members, on our way to Lake Toba. We spent a night here before crossing over to Samosir Island the following day. While in Parapat, we stayed at the Danau Toba International Cottage, a 2-star establishment which is already one of the better hotels in Parapat. It is centrally located with rooms right at the water's edge. The creative comfort was very basic. There was no air conditioning, so it was quite warm for us at night.

Our hotel is located close to the Parapat market, so it offered us an opportunity to explore and find out how the locals live. Parapat is situated on a hilly decline, and many of its houses cling to the slope, linked by the narrow hill roads. Their zinc roofs sprout a multitude of satellite dishes. There was a small number of shophouses in Parapat, but I could not find a single shop that sells guidebooks, maps or even postcards.

For want of something better to do, we chartered a boat to go out into the lake, where we enjoyed a lovely sunset view of Parapat and Samosir Island.

On the following morning, I walked along the edge of Lake Toba to explore another section of Parapat which is separated by the hills. I saw big sections of the lake overgrown with water hyacinths. There was another market on this part of town, but it lacks any particular charm to leave a lasting impression in me.

To reach Samosir Island from Parapat, we were provided with another chartered boat that took us sightseeing in different parts of Samosir Island. Otherwise, visitors can take the ferry that goes from Parapat to Tomok, one of the main villages on the eastern coast of the island.

Map of Parapat, Indonesia

Large parasols sheltering mangoes for sale at a market in Parapat, Indonesia (28 April 2006)


A small lane in Parapat (28 April 2006)


Jl Josep Sinaga, a hill road in Parapat (28 April 2006)


Locals at the pier in Parapat (28 April 2006)

Parapat in Google Street View

Jl Josep Sinaga, Parapat (Sep 2019)

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Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.