Is LAKE TOBA the NEW BALI? Paradise in NORTH SUMATRA, Indonesia

Is Lake Toba the New Bali? Could our favourite place in North Sumatra be the next big thing for visitors to Indonesia?

Bali may be the most famous tourist destination in Indonesia, but this diverse country has SO much more to offer for those willing to dig a little deeper.

There are some incredible destinations that have just as much beauty, culture, and adventure (if not more!) than Bali - and Lake Toba in North Sumatra is one of the best.

And it's not just us who love it here: the Indonesian government has selected Lake Toba as one of the five super priority "new Bali" destinations. Over the next few years, they'll be pouring millions of dollars into infrastructure to develop this destination (along with Borobudur in Central Java, Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara, Mandalika in West Nusa Tenggara and Likupang in North Sulawesi.)

So what makes this destination in North Sumatra, Indonesia so special, and can it compete with tourism champion Bali?

In this video, we'll help you find out. We have been visiting Lake Toba for over a decade, and now call Samosir Island (in the middle of the lake) home. But before that, we spent over a year living in Bali - so we think we've got the good inside scoop!

We'll compare the two places, talk about what's good and bad in each, and help you find out if Lake Toba is better than Bali.

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🇮🇩 EXPLORE SUMATRA WITH US!🇮🇩
Hi, I'm Agung, I live in Lake Toba, Sumatra (Indonesia) with my wife Carly. I was born in Sumatra, so love sharing all my local knowledge with visitors. Carly has been a traveller to Sumatra since 2009, and has been living here the last few years. We now live in Tuktuk village on Samosir Island in Lake Toba, North Sumatra. Together, we create content to help share the beauty of incredible Sumatra with the world.

Horas, Mejuah juah - see you in Sumatra!

▬ Contents of this video ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
0:00 Intro: Is Lake Toba the New Bali?
0:37 Where Exactly is Lake Toba?
1:00 Balinese Culture vs Batak Toba Culture
2:13 Healing in Bali vs Healing Vibes on Samosir Island
3:00 Convenience & Mass Tourism in Bali vs Serenity in Sumatra
4:35 Prices and Cost of Living
5:15 Being a Digital Nomad in Bali vs Lake Toba
6:20 Natural Attractions, Adventure and Things to Do
8:05 Is Sumatra Safe? Safety in Samosir vs Bali

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