Indonesia - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 223

VOLCANOES AROUND BERASTAGI
here are two active volcanoes more than
2000m high in the immediate vicinity of
Berastagi: Sibayak (2094m), to the north
of town, is possibly the most accessible
volcano in the whole of Indonesia, and
takes just two hours to climb up and two
hours down, while the hike up Sinabung
(2452m) - which has seen dramatic
eruptions of late - to the southwest of
town, is longer and tougher, involving a
bus or taxi to the trailhead. he long lists
of missing trekkers plastered all around
Berastagi prove that these climbs are not as
straightforward as they may at first seem.
he tourist o ce and losmen urge climbers
always to take a guide - though for Sibayak
a guide is unnecessary provided there's
good visibility and you're climbing with
someone else. For both volcanoes, set off
early in the morning. Pick up a map from
Wisma Sibayak or Losmen Sibayak and
bring some trail food, warm clothing, and
- if you're looking to take advantage of the
hot springs at the foot of Sibayak - your
swimming costume and a towel, too.

come with squat toilets and cold showers (Rp75,000).
There's wi-fi in the restaurant downstairs, which serves
delicious pizzas (fro m Rp45,000) and other travellers'
favourites. Rp60,000
Talitha Guest House Jl Kolam Renang 60B T 0628 91480
or T 0813 7066 4252. Near the 4-star Sinabung Hotel
(reached by yellow Karya (KT) angkots heading up past
the fruit market from the war memorial; Rp2000), Talitha
has six spotless rooms attached to the Dutch-speaking
owner's home, set amid manicured lawns away from the
bustle and noise of the city centre. The bigger rooms come
with hot water, while tea and coffee are p rovided around
the clock. Breakfasts Rp25,000. Rp100,000
Wisma Sibayak Jl Udara 1 T 0628 91104, E morina
[e-mail]. One of Sumatra's longest-
established hostels, with a homely feel and spacious,
simple rooms with private balconies, bathrooms and hot
showers (Rp100,000). There's wi-fi until 10pm, a pleasant
grassy sitting area and a cosy restaurant (coconut potato
curry Rp25,000). It's worthw hile perus ing the worn
travellers' comment books here. Rp50,000

EATING
Every evening from 7pm-3am, rows of street stalls pop
up along Jl Veteran serving everything from ikan bakar
(grilled fish) to hamburgers.
Mexico Coffee Resto Jl Veteran 18 T 0628 92707. This
relatively new restaurant off the main street has a long,
bright dining area with a fast-food feel. Aside from coffee,
a good chunk of the menu is fried chicken (from Rp60,000)
and Indonesian dishes ( gado gado Rp18,000), while
there's free wi-fi and an attached hotel with spotless but
pricey rooms that have hot water (Rp250,000). Daily
7.30am-11pm.
Raymond Café Jl Trimurti. Friendly little tourist café
just off Jl Veteran that doubles as a local hangout, serving
a mix of Western and Indonesian dishes as well as steaks
and curries (Rp15,000). There's wi-fi and computers with
internet connection, and it's a good place for cheap drinks
(chai tea Rp6000). Daily 7am-11pm.

4

Gunung Sibayak
Although it's the easier of Berastagi's
volcanoes, it's wise to get an early start or
else consider taking along a guide: plenty
of hikers have become lost on this route.
Take a Kama van (Rp3000) to the coffee
shop by the trailhead, where you must
register your name and pay the hiking fee
(Rp4000). From here, walk past the
angkot station and you'll begin the series
of up-and-down dips leading to the
summit. Near the top, look out for some
rough steps cut into the embankment on
your left. If you reach the end of the
tarmac, you've gone too far.
Finding the path back down to the hot
springs is the hardest part of the walk: if
you're not certain of the way down, walk
back down the way you came up. For
those who wish to visit the hot springs,
however, at the crater rim you'll see a
cluster of antennae high up on a pinnacle.
Facing the antennae, walk down in an
anticlockwise direction to about 3 o'clock
and climb up to your right from there.
At the top you'll see a path running along
the rim. Turn right, and after about 50m

DIRECTORY
Banks There's a BNI and BRI bank, each with ATM, on
either side of Losmen Sibayak , which is the best place to
change US dollars or travellers' cheques.
Internet Raymond Café (Rp3000/hr) is one of the few
internet cafés not occupied by gamers.
Pharmacy There are several health centres on Jl Veteran,
including Apotek Berastagi Jaya (no. 94).
Police The police station is situated by the war memorial,
just off Jl Veteran.
Post o ce The post o ce (Mon-Thurs 7.30am-3pm,
Fri 7.30am-noon & Sat 7.30am-1pm) is next to the
police station.