Prapat
also written Parapat, on Lake Toba, North Sumatra, Indonesia
This sight is located in Lake Toba, Indonesia. For travel information about Lake Toba, read the Lake Toba Travel Guide. To prepare for a trip to Indonesia, read also the Indonesia Travel Guide. Looking for budget accommodation there? Use AsiaExplorers Budget Accommodation Guide, the no-frills website to cover your budget accommodation needs.
The town of Prapat, as seen from our chartered boat on Lake Toba. We stayed at the Danau Toba International Cottage, which is the row of building with red roofs at water's edge.
Prapat, also written Parapat, is a small town on the eastern shore of Lake Toba, about 170km from Medan, in North Sumatra. Since colonial times, Prapat has been a weekend getaway and resort town for those escaping the heat and bustle of Medan. In my opinion, although some places in Prapat, 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 Prapat. Despite being a tourist town for generations, there is actually little in terms of attractions that is available to visitors to Prapat, and tourists are well advised to proceed to Samosir Island.
I explored Prapat 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 Prapat, we stayed at the Danau Toba International Cottage, a 2-star establishment which is already one of the better hotels in Prapat. 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 Prapat market, so it offered us an opportunity to explore and find out how the locals live. Prapat 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 Prapat, 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 Prapat and Samosir Island.
On the following morning, I walked along the edge of Lake Toba to explore another section of Prapat 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 Prapat, 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 Prapat to Tomok, one of the main villages on the eastern coast of the island.
Prapat Photo Album
The lanes in Prapat slope down towards Lake Toba.
The houses in Prapat hug the slope while sprouting a flowering of satellite dishes.
Boatman negotiating through a sea of water hyacinths.
Workman hauling boat back to shore in Prapat.
Tim at the pier in Prapat.
Hotel Room Price Checker
Before booking a hotel room, make sure you are getting the lowest price for it. Different hotel booking websites offers the same room at different prices. If you stick with one site all the time, you could be paying more for the same room. Now why pay more?
The form below is a Research Engine. It doesn't take bookings. Instead it lets you find the hotel booking website that offers the room you want at the lowest price. You can see and compare what different sites are offering, and then click to choose the one with the best price. Do this, and you're guaranteed to save a whole lot of money on your room reservations!
If you're flying somewhere, use our Flight Checker to compare the rates from different airlines. To use it, enter where you will be flying from, where you will be flying to, your departure date and return date. Select the number of passengers, and then click search.
Our engine will return you a list of possible flights that you can take. You can compare the fare of different airlines for your trip. Click on your selected airline, and we transfer you to the airline website.
AsiaExplorers is researched and written by Timothy Tye. Reasonable care is taken to check and verify the accuracy of the content. AsiaExplorers disclaims responsibility for any inconvenience, mishap, injury or death resulting from following the tips and advice provided directly or indirectly by this website. All pages may be printed out for your own personal, non-commercial use. You may use the information on this website on your blog or website so long as you place a dofollow link back to the page in AsiaExplorers where it appears. Photographs not credited to a third party belong to Timothy Tye and may not be reused in any form unless you are first given permission. Write in to inquire if interested. Third party photographs are governed by their respective licenses. To contact Tim, write to the following email address:
