Enjoying the Geological Wonders of Toba Caldera Geopark

The sound of church bells could be heard all the way to the Sipinsur Geosite on the top of the Toba Caldera hill in Humbang Hasundutan Regency, North Sumatra. That afternoon, cold weather crept in among the pine forests. The cold pierced to the bone. However, the geological wonder of the caldera still bewitched tourists to linger and enjoy its beauty.

"I have visited natural destinations in various parts of the world. I feel like none can match the beauty and wonder of Lake Toba," said Eliper Simanjuntak (58), a tourist from Bontang City, East Kalimantan, Saturday (12/21/2024).

The charm of the Toba Caldera Geopark is indeed enchanting. From the top of the Sipinsur Geosite which is 1,231 meters above sea level (masl), two islands in Lake Toba are very charming, namely Samosir Island and Sibandang Island.

While huddled against the cold in the midst of cloudy weather and occasional drizzle, tourists continue to gasp in awe at the wonders of Earth's geology. Nature tourism in the Toba Caldera Geopark has become increasingly popular in recent years after direct flights from Jakarta to Silangit were opened to support Lake Toba tourism. Two geosites located near Silangit Airport are increasingly visited, namely the Sipinsur Geosite and the Huta Ginjang Geosite in North Tapanuli.

From Silangit Airport, Huta Ginjang can be reached by driving for about 20 minutes and Sipinsur for about 30 minutes. Sipinsur and Huta Ginjang are two of the 16 geosites in the Kalera Toba Earth Park. Both are lined up on the side of Sumatra Island in the South of Lake Toba.

Toba Caldera Geopark provides a new perspective in traveling to Lake Toba. Lake Toba tourism is no longer just enjoying the natural scenery or bathing in the lake. Tourism based on Toba Caldera Geopark includes three main pillars, namely conservation, empowerment of local communities, and education.

Its development combines elements of geological wealth, biodiversity, and local community culture. The narrative of the Toba Caldera Geopark makes the experience of traveling to the Sipinsur and Huta Ginjang Geosites different.

In Huta Ginjang, tourists do not only enjoy the natural beauty. They read a number of educational boards while feeling the magical geology of the Toba Caldera. The educational board states that the Toba Caldera Earth Park was created from the supervolcanic eruption of the ancient Toba Volcano 74,000 years ago.

The eruption was the most powerful volcano in the world in the last 2.5 million years, leaving the largest crater on Earth, now Lake Toba. The eruption also changed the life of the world.

From the peak of Huta Ginjang at an altitude of 1,500 meters above sea level, Samosir Island can be seen in the distance. It is said that Samosir Island is a lava dome or lava plug above the giant crater of Mount Toba.

The island with an area of about 640 square kilometers is the lifting of the lake bed which is estimated to have occurred 35,000 years ago. The geological wonder is increasingly complete with the cultural elements of the local people who live in it. Samosir Island can be called the only volcanic lava dome inhabited by hundreds of thousands of people.

The volcanic eruption was the most powerful in the world in the last 2.5 million years, leaving the largest crater on Earth which is now Lake Toba.

Likewise with the smaller Sibandang Island. The island is a datic lava dome after the uplift of Samosir. This island has also been inhabited by the community for generations. On the side of Sumatra Island there are also hills that in geological terms are called "Batak Tumor", namely the morphology of giant hills that jut out into the waters of Lake Toba.

Tourists' amazement is further enhanced by a very strong scientific narrative. Tusdi Siahaan (44) who came from his hometown in Tangerang City, Banten, never stopped telling his wife and three children about the wonders of Lake Toba.

He pointed out Samosir Island and Sibandang Island as islands formed from ancient volcanic eruptions. "We just arrived in the Lake Toba area after a three-day and three-night land trip from Tangerang. The beauty of Lake Toba is a cure for our fatigue," said Tusdi.

Tusdi and his family enjoyed Lake Toba for the first time from the top of the Geosite Sipinsur hill. He and his family returned home to celebrate Christmas and New Year with their extended family and also to travel to various destinations on Lake Toba. From Sipinsur, they planned to continue their journey to the destination of the Statue of Jesus Christ the Savior on Sibea-Bea Hill in Samosir Regency, which is the tallest statue of Jesus in the world.

The cultural elements in the Toba Caldera Earth Park should also be packaged into a tourist attraction. This element is not only an art performance, but the life of the community who have lived on an ancient volcano for thousands of years. In the ash layer of the supervolcanic eruption, the Batak people built an agricultural culture.

In the highlands around the walls of the Toba Caldera, Sumatran Arabica coffee grows abundantly. On the way to the Sipinsur Geosite, for example, tourists can see the expanse of Lintong Arabica coffee plantations whose deliciousness is famous throughout the world.

Tourists can also see the processing of Lintong coffee from the plantation to enjoying it in a cup of coffee. Moreover, recently there has been a coffee processing industry and cafes in various places in Toba.

Likewise, culinary specialties of Toba continue to develop. Tourists can enjoy various types of special chili sauce from the Toba Caldera area such as andaliman chili sauce, natinombur, and tuktuk chili sauce. All of that is part of the development of tourism based on the Toba Caldera Earth Park.

Head of Jendela Toba Mangaliat Simarmata, one of the initiators of Taman Bumi Kaldera Toba, said that geopark-based tourism began to emerge since geopark-based development was initiated in the area. "Tourists visiting the Lake Toba area are starting to be interested in the concept of geopark-based tourism. Although it must be admitted that it is not yet massive as expected," said Mangaliat.

Mangaliat said that the development based on the Toba Caldera Geopark has been a long journey since 2009. The Toba Caldera Geopark was finally accepted as a member of the UNESCO Global Geopark (UGGp) in 2020.

Mangaliat said that the Lake Toba area would be very interesting if packaged for science-based tourism. World caldera experts once held the 7th International Workshop on Collapse Caldera (IWCC) in Samosir in 2018. They greatly admired the geological richness of the Toba Caldera.

The weather is getting colder as dusk greets night. From a distance, small tourist boats are still going back and forth crossing from Sumatra Island to Samosir. Tourists capture its beauty by taking selfies while enjoying the landscape of the geological wonder of the Toba Caldera which presents a natural masterpiece.