Lake Ranau
The second largest lake in Sumatra, on the South Sumatra and Lampung border, under the cone of Mount Seminung.
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Danau Ranau covers about a hundred and twenty-five square kilometres in a caldera on the boundary between South Sumatra and Lampung, which makes it the second largest lake in Sumatra after Toba, with the cone of Gunung Seminung standing on the southern shore. It sits at around five hundred metres and the surrounding country is coffee, pepper and paddy. Hot springs come up on the Seminung side and at Pulau Marisa, a small island in the lake, and the water is used for fishing - the mujair and other species are netted and served fried in the shore warungs. It is a domestic destination almost entirely, with cottages and simple guesthouses on the shore and very few foreign visitors, and the roads in from either side are long.
What you actually see
- Sumatra's second largest lake - a hundred and twenty-five square kilometres in a caldera.
- Gunung Seminung - the cone standing on the southern shore.
- Hot springs - on the volcano side and on the island in the lake.
- Coffee and pepper country - the smallholdings around the shore.
When to go
May to September; drier and clearer. Two days.
Honest expectations
The roads in are long and rough from either province. Accommodation is simple and mostly domestic. Facilities and English are limited. There is little organised for visitors.
Nearby
Mount Dempo is north-east; Liwa and Bukit Barisan Selatan are south.
What to pack for Lake Ranau
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
