Sumatra vs. Bali, Indonesia

To say we got to experience Sumatra to the fullest, is slightly untrue. What we did see of Sumatra we really liked and we did enjoy ourselves. Due to airlines losing our luggage we had to delay our jungle trek by a day, which forced us to cancel plans of 3 days in Lake Toba. That lost luggage really messed everything up! However I found there is a current debate between travellers and bloggers alike that “Sumarta is the new Bali.” The debate continues on which is cheaper, has better food, less touristy and picturesque.

Instead we got to spend 2 additional days in Bukit Lawang. One at the start of our trek and one at the end a night in the most stunning picturesque rice fields with the mountains in the backdrop. After our 3 day trek through the jungle and one night in the rice fields, we took 3 days in Medan (2 of these were travel days and a complete write off). Our guide Dani from our jungle trek warned us that Medan was a bit rough and to be careful what we did or where we went.

Sumatra's Rice Fields.

Bali's Rice Fields in the Mountains.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

After talking with other locals, we found out more about Sumatra that did interest us. Places to go diving, snorkelling, go trekking with elephants or looking for tigers and other exciting things that this country has to offer. All of which were not in the city of Medan. The biggest thing anyone told us to do was to go to one of the many shopping malls.

One debate online is, is Sumatra cheaper than Bali? We scuba dived a lot in Bali that ate up a lot of our bill and in Sumatra we did the 3 day jungle trek, another bigger expense. So two expensive "outings", but we found the food price in Sumatra to be on par with Bali. Eating local food was the same price and going to the market for produce was again within pennies of each other.

The "cheaper" end would be the stay in Sumatra was a few dollars less, but again not by much. In the end even with our flights from Singapore we found Sumatra to be relatively the same in price as Bali. So we did not find Sumatra to be cheaper than Bali.

Market in Sumatra.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

Debate two,  Sumatra is "less touristy"? Yes, more so in the more remote areas. There is some tourism in Sumatra (jungle treks, diving, Lake Toba). Once you are out of the major city of Medan, we went a day or two before seeing another tourist couple. We don't mind this, however this could bug some people and they may feel unsafe because of this. We however did not find it uncomfortable or unsafe at any point. The people are very friendly and do try to speak English, we had no issues.

Next, the food. We found a lot of our comforts from Bali, food wise were the same in Sumatra. We did find more international cuisine in the malls, but when it came to eating local it was very similar. Yes there were some differences, but more similarities from what we saw.

Nasi Campir, Sumatra

Sticky Rice Snack,Bali.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

Final debate, Sumatra is more picturesque than Bali. I can only compare the jungle/mountains of both areas fairly. Because of delays we did not get to Lake Toba or the coasts in Sumatra as we had planned. While staying in Bali for 6 months, we got the opportunity to see all sides of this delightfully charming island. Both of these islands are astounding in their own unique way, both have a way of making you forget time.

When it comes to this, both have different things to offer in the mountains, Bali we did a lot of hiking to multiple waterfalls and enjoyed a break from the heat. In Sumatra we didn't get a break from the heat hiking through the mountains in the jungle and we got different views of wildlife and scenery.

Top of the Mountain in Bukit Lawang, Sumatra.

Top of the Mountain in Munduk, Bali.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

As I look at both of these mountain top pictures, to me these are both incomparable. They are so unique in the atmosphere, landscape and overall experience. I wouldn't say one is more picturesque than the other, I would say it is all in the eye of the beholder and the store behind their pictures. For these reasons I don't believe that one is more sensational or picturesque than the other.

So back to the outstanding question, Is Sumatra the "new" Bali? If you look from the less touristy perspective, it could be yes. If you are comparing overall cost, food and picturesque landscape they are very similar but have some strong differences. I think you should check it out for yourself and make your own decision on this topic. They are both well worth the visit.

Cheers!

**Please note that all opinions and views expressed in this post are my own, from my own experiences. If you would like to see more pictures follow me on Instagram @vikki.gray **