Medan to Carita  -  August 18 to September 6

Photos of this section will appear here:

 Our tour begins in the northern Sumatra port of Medan. After 2 days of peddling into the Island’s interior, we arrive at mystical Danau Toba, the largest lake in SE Asia, set among volcanic peaks and the traditional villages of the Batak people. From there we head south past lush paddy fields, imposing volcanoes, and ubiquitous mosques to another rest day in the market town of Bukittinggi. The Indian Ocean greets us near Padang, the urban centre of the matrilineal Minangkabau culture (wherein women tell men what to do), and remains our close by companion through Bengkulu and onto Carita on Java’s west coast. There riders can take a boat ride to the infamous volcanic island of Krakatoa, before we cross the Sunda Strait to Java.