Sibandang Island - Lake Toba - North Sumatera

Aside from Samosir Island, Toba Lake also has Sibandang Island with area width of 1,194 ha. 2,551 people who count on cattle breeding, fishing and farming as their earning occupy the island. The island is also well known as producer of mangoes.

Sibandang Island is nearby Muara. On Indonesia Independence Day Celebration, the people always hold an event called Marluga Solu (Traditional Boat Competition) and Swimming Competition from Muara to Sibandang Island

Sibandang Island is well known as mango island. It is named so not for its mango like shape but after its plantation. The society commonly owns a wide mango field. They are living on farming mango. Should you feel like eating mango you are more than welcome to enjoy Sibandang’s sweet mangos.
Sibandang island can be openly seen from Sipincur or Huta Ginjang; two high hills around Sibandang island. Its charm obviously sprinkles with the clear lake viewed from the two aforementioned hills.

While now visitors can go into the island by boat or ships, the government might have been thinking of building hang gliders from Huta Ginjang to this seems isolated but interesting island. Then people won’t rely only on just farming and fishing but tourism and trade as well. Consequently people’s economic status can be raised to prosperous society.

As area residing in lakeside of Toba, Sibandang Island is not as noisy as Parapat, Balige, and also Porsea. Sibandang Island more calm compared wirh other towns which still reside around of Toba Lake. If you are interested to visit Sibandang Island, there are two alternative land ways, which can be gone through, that are :

• First route passing Bakara

If we moving from Medan , the first route can we reach from Medan - Berastagi - Merek - Sumbul - Tele - Dolok Sanggul - Bakara and gone through Muara. Distance between Muara and Bakara is about 12 Km. From Muara, we can across to Sibandang Island with boat, which about 900 meter from Muara. Tourist can use reguler ship from Muara to Sibandang Island, or rent a boat if we want to visit it.

• Second route passing Balige
The second road can we reach from Medan - Parapat - Porsea - Balige gone through to Siborong-borong. On the way to Siborong-borong, there is a branch three (Muara branch) joint Balige - Siborong-borong - Muara, about 14 Km from Balige. From this branch, we can continue to Muara with distance about 21 Km, and across to Sibandang Island. Tourist can use reguler ship from Muara to Sibandang Island, or rent a boat to reach it.